Johannesburg – The Sharks duo of prop Lourens Adriaanse and lock Stephan Lewies have been called up to the Springbok squad in Port Elizabeth, where they face Scotland in the final Test of the Incoming Series on Saturday.
Adriaanse replaces his provincial team-mate Tendai Mtawarira, who injured his neck in Saturday's 31-30 victory over Wales in Nelspruit.
Lewies comes into the squad for Flip van der Merwe, who injured knee ligaments late in the Welsh Test.
Both Mtawarira and Van der Merwe underwent scans in Port Elizabeth on Monday, according to team doctor Craig Roberts.
“Tendai has a bulging disc in his neck and he will consult with a specialist in Durban as soon as possible,” said Roberts.
“Flip hyper-extended his knee in a tackle and scans confirmed our clinical suspicions of a posterior cruciate injury. He will consult a knee specialist in Pretoria later on Tuesday.”
Willem Alberts, who can provide lock cover, left the field against Wales after suffering a concussion. Bakkies Botha was released from the squad this week.
“We take concussion very seriously and have a set return-to-play protocol that Willem needs to progress through. A final call on his availability will be made later in the week,” explained Roberts.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said Adriaanse and Lewies were the next players on the standby list.
“Lourens has been with us before and I'm sure he will slot back in easily,” said Meyer.
“Stephan was part of our training squad in Durban at the end of last month. He arrived in Port Elizabeth earlier today and looked good at our afternoon training session. He has been very good in Vodacom Super Rugby this year and deserves this opportunity.”
Adriaanse will join the Springbok squad in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. – Sapa