The Springboks have been rocked by another injury blow to a World Cup-winning forward for the end-of-year tour.
According to a report by Rugby365.com, veteran tighthead prop Frans Malherbe, still listed in the official squad, didn’t make the trip when the Springboks departed for a training camp in Jersey on Sunday.
This camp marks the final preparation before the Boks face Scotland, England, and Wales.
Malherbe was one of three Springboks injured in the Stormers’ bruising 28-17 defeat to Glasgow Warriors in Stellenbosch over the weekend. The other two were Ben-Jason Dixon and Damian Willemse.
Willemse, who picked up a groin injury while scoring a try, was officially ruled out on Sunday, with Bulls youngster Cameron Hanekom stepping in as his replacement.
Dixon, who wasn’t selected for the tour, sustained a knee injury and is undergoing scans to determine the severity.
In a double blow for Willemse, who has only just returned from finger surgery that sidelined him for the mid-year and Rugby Championship Tests, the groin injury will reportedly keep him out for three to four months, delaying his return to action until February.
This makes him the third player sidelined since last week’s tour squad announcement, after Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw were called up to cover Jan-Hendrik Wessels’s absence.
No official announcement has been made regarding Malherbe. The Springboks’ media release still lists him as part of the touring party, leaving Vincent Koch and Wilco Louw as the only specialist tighthead props, with Thomas du Toit able to play on both sides of the scrum.
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