Yet another Springbok will spend time in hospital. Lood de Jager is set to undergo surgery.
Currently, over 20 Springboks have been ruled out of the start of the test series.
Therefore, Rassie Erasmus will have to dig deep into the depth of SA Rugby. Club commitments, a suspension and injuries have resulted in more than half of the squad that won the Rugby World Cup unavailable. Now, Springbok veteran de Jager is the latest player sent to the hospital.
SPRINGBOKS LANKY LOCK TO UNDERGO SHOULDER SURGERY
Rassie confirmed Lood’s injury, adding his name to ten Springboks currently injured.
“The 66-Test lock underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a torn tendon and will be out for at least two months, ruling him out of the start of the 2024 Rugby Championship” the statement read SARugbyMag.
Therefore, de Jager will not be available for the much-anticipated Ireland test series. Meaning, he will likely make his Springboks return during the Rugby Championship. It has been a tremendously difficult time for Bok veteran over the last year.
Essentially, Lood missed the 2023 Rugby World Cup after his pericarditis diagnosis. Thus, sparking speculation over his entire rugby career. Thankfully, he returned to action for Japanese Top League. Unfortunately, he injured his shoulder in the final.
TRIO HOSPITALIZED WITHIN A WEEK
Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Lood de Jager have all recently spent time in hospital.
As things stand, all player will miss the test opener against Wales at Twickenham, on Saturday, 22 June 2024. Meanwhile, they will miss the historic test against Portugal and the opener against Ireland. Additionally, these six players will also miss the aforementioned test matches.
Stay tuned to The South African as we bring you update you on the injury status and availability of all Springboks players.
SPRINGBOKS 2024 HOME FIXTURES
The Springboks’ home Test schedule for 2024 is:
Saturday, 6 July: SA vs. Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 13 July: SA vs. Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, 20 July: SA vs. Portugal (Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, 31 August: SA vs. New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 7 September: SA vs. New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, 28 September: SA vs. Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)