Johnstone blow for Crusaders

Crusaders prop Campbell Johnstone has been ruled out for the rest of the Super 14 season.

Crusaders prop ruled out for the rest of the Super 14 season.

Crusaders coach Robbie Deans has been forced to turn to his back-up squad following a Super 14 season-ending injury to prop Campbell Johnstone. It is expected that Johnstone will be out of action for two months having had surgery to repair finger tendon damage. The injury, dubbed a 'jersey finger', had troubled the former All Black prop for some time. Surgery on the finger was successful, but the two-month rehab period will force him to miss the remainder of the Crusaders' season. His place has been taken by Canterbury prop Owen Franks, the younger brother of squad member Ben Franks. Owen Franks himself has battled his own fitness demons to take Johnstone's spot. Last year he dislocated his elbow, rupturing ligaments in the joint, in Canterbury's Air New Zealand Cup clash against Counties Manukau. The injury forced him out of initial contention for the Crusaders' 28-man squad and the franchise's wider training group. Both Franks brothers have represented New Zealand at age-grade level and become the fifth set of brothers to have been named for the Crusaders. Meanwhile, Deans has added James Paterson and James Broadhurst into his wider training group at the expense of the injured Afeleki Pelenise and Jonathan Poff respectively.