Duane Vermeulen is set to miss the entire Rugby Championship after undergoing surgery on a minor groin injury on Tuesday.
The Springbok loose forward missed the June Test series against France after picking up a shoulder problem in the French Top 14 final while playing for Toulon a week before the first match at Loftus Versfeld.
Vermeulen took to Twitter on Tuesday before his operation, posting a picture of himself with the words “Ok let’s do this…” along with an emoji of a hospital.
It appears as if the surgery went well, as Vermeulen responded to well wishes from Ireland No 8 Jamie Heaslip with “Thanks my friend all is good now time to recover. Hope you’re well”.
The AFP news agency reported on Wednesday that a Toulon club spokesperson said that the 31-year-old Vermeulen “will be out for three months”, which means that Bok coach Allister Coetzee won’t be able to call on his former Stormers captain for the Rugby Championship.
The tournament begins on August 19, with the Boks facing Argentina in Port Elizabeth, and ends on October 7 with the big clash at Newlands when the All Blacks go to Cape Town.
Ok let's do this.....🏥 pic.twitter.com/Ev9VadYT4I
— Duane Vermeulen (@duane_vermeulen) July 18, 2017
Bok captain Warren Whiteley may also sit out the first two
games of the tournament due to a groin injury, which will see Coetzee looking
at a new No 8.
Jean-Luc du Preez stepped in for the last French Test, but he
is a specialist blindside flank.
Suitable options at the back of the scrum would be Stormers duo Nizaam Carr – who has five Test caps – and Sikhumbuzo Notshe.