Bernardo left the park in the first half of the derby at the Toyota Stadium after sustaining what appears to be a shoulder injury.

The Cheetahs coach, Hawies Fourie, told OFM Sport that they are worried about Bernardo as their second-row department is a bit thin at the moment.

“Rynier is a big concern for us. We don't have a lot of locks in our squad and he will be seeing a specialist on Monday. Then we will know how severe the injury is.

“Hopefully it is not too bad.”

The young and physical Sergio Moreira replaced Bernardo in the match, and later in the encounter the loose-forward, Aidon Davis, took over in the second-row.

Meanwhile, the Cheetahs do have several dangerous backline players still out of action, but a number of them can be fit and ready for the Cheetahs’ next outing.

Fourie added that these players include the likes of the Springbok, Rosko Specman.

“There are still a few injured guys that will be coming back from injury. There are guys like Rosko Specman, Siya Masuku, Rynhardt Fortuin, Daniel Kasende, and Duncan Saal.

“There are still plenty of backs out there that are on the brink of making a return to the team.”

The Cheetahs next match in the Currie Cup in on 2 February against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport