GJ van Velze: Worcester Warriors wait on South African forward's rib injury

GJ van Velze was signed from Northampton in time for the 2015-15 season

Worcester Warriors must wait to find out the full extent of the latest injury suffered by South African forward GJ van Velze.

Warriors boss Gary Gold said it looked as if Van Velze had "broken a rib" when he left the pitch after 23 minutes in Saturday's 31-27 win at Leicester.

But the Warriors' medical team have not yet confirmed whether it is broken.

A club statement said: "He has a rib issue we will manage conservatively until Thursday, and then review."

Van Velze missed almost the entire 2016-17 campaign with concussion. He has also suffered two further concussion injuries this season, but has not been sidelined for long, still amassing 10 appearances.

As well as England centre Ben Te'o, stand-off Tom Heathcote (concussion) and forwards Niall Annett (ACL) and Marco Mama (ACL), Warriors have prop Biyi Alo will miss Friday's home game with Sale.

Alo has a toe injury, but flanker Matt Cox is now just a couple of weeks from a return following his bicep injury.

Warriors back on form

Second-from-bottom Warriors made history on Saturday when they beat Leicester Tigers at Welford Road for the first time in 122 years of trying.

Having started the season with seven straight Premiership defeats, Gold's side have now won two in a row, scoring nine tries in the process.

Warriors go into Friday's home game with Sale knowing that a third successive bonus-point victory could move them within a point of the 10th-placed Sharks.