VIDEO: Boks get bad news on Pieter-Steph
BREAKING NEWS: The world champion South African team were dealt a cruel injury blow this week.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber confirmed on Tuesday that 2019 World rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit has undergone surgery.
Du Toit went under the knife on Monday and according to Nienaber he will be sidelined for a “some time”.
Du Toit injured his shoulder in the second Test of the two-one series win over the British and Irish Lions and did not feature in the decisive clash this past weekend.
Nienaber told @rugby365com that it is “impossible to put an exact timeframe on his return”, but the surgery means he won’t feature for the Boks in the near future.
“I spoke to him briefly this [Tuesday] morning and he said it [the surgery] went well,” the Bok coach told a virtual media briefing.
Scrumhalf Francois de Klerk also remains sidelined with the leg-muscle injury he suffered in the comprehensive 27-9 second Test win the Boks scored over the B&I Lions.
The good news is that veteran No.8 Duane Vermeulen has been partaking in training with the Springboks since his arrival in camp last week.
Vermeulen underwent ankle surgery earlier this year, after being injured while playing for the Bulls in the Rainbow Cup.
“It is nice to have him here,” he said of the 35-year-old World Cup winner.
While still going through his rehabilitation process, there is no clear indication of when he will feature in the matchday squad.
“His input and involvement in our structures are vital,” Nienaber said.
“We will never play him if he is not 100 percent confident. He must be confident, we must be confident and we must be happy with his on-field training.
“He did the majority of the training last week and he is training this week, but we won’t push him.
“None of the injured players will be selected until they are medically fit and clear.”
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