Springboks: One No 8 ruled out, another has surgery
The Springboks head towards the start of their international season with Elrigh Louw ruled out for an extended period, and although Jasper Wiese should be ready for the first fixture of the year against the Barbarians on 28 June, he is short of game time after recovering from an injury of his own.
It's now been confirmed that there are more issues at No 8, with Cameron Hanekom having undergone surgery this week after suffering an injury in the URC semi-finals.
It was hoped that Hanekom could have a key role to play for the Springboks in the absence of Louw, but it seems that he will now miss the July internationals and the Rugby Championship.
Another blow for the Springboks is the fact it's also been revealed that another candidate at eighthman, Juarno Augustus, has yet to be medically cleared by his club due to a back injury, and he too will miss the July Tests against Italy and Georgia.
It has created an opening for Evan Roos, who was recently called up to the squad, while Kwagga Smith and Siya Kolisi can also cover No 8.
28 June: vs Barbarians, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:05.
5 July: vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. Kick off: 17:10.
12 July: vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha. Kick off: 17:10.
19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Kick off: 17:10.
16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Kick off: 17:10.
23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:10.
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland. Kick off: 09:05.
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington. Kick off: 09:05.
27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban. Kick off: 17:10.
4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00.
8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: TBD.
15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: TBD.
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.
*SA Rugby are working on adding one more Test for the Springboks, likely to be against Japan
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