Fears Burgess cracked rib in Souths’ loss

South Sydney will sweat on scans on Sam Burgess amid fears he could have cracked a rib in the Rabbitohs’ loss to Cronulla.

Burgess was forced from the field late in Friday’s 26-12 loss at Southern Cross Group Stadium after a heavy tackle from Sharks prop Matt Prior.

Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire was unsure of the full extent of the injury when he fronted the media, however Burgess’ customary toughness and traditional desire to play on would suggest it could be serious.

“We’re not really sure but it could be a bit of a cracked rib,” Maguire said.

“We’ll have to get the scans and go through the process around that.”

A cracked rib would likely rule Burgess out for anywhere between three and six weeks, but would leave him fit to play in the end-of-season World Cup for England.

It would also mark a significant loss for the Rabbitohs, given Burgess was their best forward on Friday night.

Meanwhile, talented back-rower Angus Crichton also got through Friday’s match unscathed, despite playing with a fractured foot.

Maguire said during the week he hadn’t considered resting him despite all finals hopes now seemingly extinguished after a 12th loss.

“He looked all right, he’s playing pretty good footy,” Maguire said.

“I’ll assess that and the medical staff will go through that. We’ll see how it goes.”

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