LONDON – Springbok Captain and centre Jean de Villiers will miss four to six weeks after suffering a broken jaw in their shock loss to Argentina in Durban on Saturday.
The 34 year old was playing in his first test match since returning from a serious knee injury suffered in last year’s end of season tour but will now face a race to be fit for the World Cup which starts in just five weeks.
The injury compounds a rough weekend for the Springboks after suffering a historic 37-25 home defeat to Argentina in the final game of the Rugby Championship.
With de Villiers opting not to play in South Africa’s first two tests of the Championship against Australia and New Zealand respectively, Heyneke Meyer got an opportunity to look at a number of midfield pairings including promising youngster Damian de Allende in de Villiers’ 12 jersey and Jesse Kriel at 13. And while they may be capable replacements for de Villiers, it is his 104 test experience that is mostly valued.
De Villiers’ injury leaves the Springboks midfield and inside backs well short of experience ahead of their final game before the Rugby World Cup against Argentina in Buenos Aires next week with their World Cup campaign kicking off in Brighton against Japan on September 19.