DYNAMIC EP Kings rugby skipper Luke Watson has been sidelined for the rest of the season and will miss three crunch matches after fracturing a foot against the Leopards on Friday night.
Watson had to hobble off the field in agony at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium during his team's Absa Currie Cup First Division semifinal showdown.
The Kings went on to beat the Leopards 50-27 and qualify for Friday's final against the Pumas which will kick off at 7.10pm in Port Elizabeth.
Besides Friday's final, Watson will now also miss the home and away playoffs for a berth in the Currie Cup Premier Division at the end of the season.
"Luke will play no further part in the season after fracturing a foot. This is a massive blow for the team with a final and playoff matches still to come," EP's director of rugby Alan Solomons said.
"Though we will only know the final prognosis when he sees a specialist today, it seems there are no complications and that he will be ready for pre-season training," Solomons said.
Watson has been a key figure in EP's success this season and scored a try before he was forced to leave the field on Friday. Despite a few anxious moments, the Kings had too much power for the Leopards during the semifinal showdown on Friday.
"We lacked a bit of rhythm at times against the Leopards and that could be because there were 11 changes in the team because of the rotation policy used for the previous game against the Leopards," said Solomons.
"The good thing is that we have got that ring rust out of the way ahead of what promises to be three tough final games," said Solomons.
Meanwhile, the Pumas advanced to the final after a hard-fought 37-30 victory (half-time 22-16) over the Griffons at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Friday.
In the curtain-raisers in PE, the EP under-19 team beat Griquas 27-16 and the EP u-21 side trounced Griquas 67-5.
