Durban – Bok captain Jean de Villiers has suffered another injury setback and has been ruled out for four weeks with a fractured jaw following Saturday’s 37-25 loss to Argentina at King’s Park.
De Villiers, who played his first test of 2015 in Durban following a knee injury, will miss Saturday’s one-off match in Argentina that serves as a final warm-up for the side ahead of the World Cup in England starting next month.
Also out is flanker Marcell Coetzee, who faces six weeks on the sidelines with a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee, which also means he will miss the early stages of the World Cup if selected in the final 31-man squad.
Fullback Willie le Roux is another casualty from the loss to the Pumas, having sprained his ankle early in the match.
He will undergo scans in the coming days to determine the exact nature of the injury.
Better news for under-pressure coach Heyneke Meyer is that the experienced trio of lock Victor Matfield, scrumhalf Fourie du Preez and winger JP Pietersen, will be assessed on Monday before a decision on their availability for next weekend will be taken.
He could also call on props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, loose-forwards Willem Alberts and Warren Whiteley, and centre Jan Serfontein, who have all been declared fit to play.
Flyhalf Morne Steyn has been released from the squad for the week to be with his wife, who is due to give birth to their second child on Monday.
Frans Steyn, although still recovering from injury, is on compassionate leave following the passing of his brother and a decision on when he will re-join the squad to be assessed will be taken at a later stage.
Reuters