The Toyota Cheetahs winger, Cohen Jasper, is focusing on his recovery and rehabilitation after sustaining an ankle injury in the Netherlands.

Jasper injured his ankle against Pau in Amsterdam some two weeks ago, and he had to return back to Bloemfontein.

After missing out on the defeat against Oyonnax in France it was revealed that he will be out for five to six weeks and the injury isn’t as bad as initially thought.

This could see him back in action for the crucial round of 16 match against Clermont in France, but he would also like to have some game time in the SA Cup before the knockout match.

The big thing for Jasper is that he uses his feet a lot in terms of side-stepping in order to beat defenders, and by his own admission feels his recovery will be more of a mental battle than a physical one.

Jasper told OFM Sport that he is targeting a return in the SA Cup, but it has been frustrating especially as the injury came early in the season.

“It's quite sad getting injured at this stage of the competition, but I think everything happens for a reason,” said the fleet-footed outside back.

“For now, I'm only going to focus on my rehabilitation and recovery to get back on the field as soon as possible. Maybe I can play in the SA Cup to be a part of the team again. I’ll see where my fitness and physicality is at.

“It is quite frustrating as I use both of my feet for stepping a lot, it's going to be a tough mental battle for me to know that I can use my injured leg to side-step.”

The Cheetahs are set to open their SA Cup campaign against the Boland Cavaliers in Bloemfontein at the end of March.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport