- The Springboks' line-out stocks have taken a blow with the news that Lood de Jager looks unlikely to feature against the British & Irish Lions.
- The towering second rower broke his leg in a freak training ground accident this week at his English club, Sale Sharks.
- SA are reliant on their overseas-based locks as not many local candidates have put up their hands.
Jacques Nienaber, the Springbok coach, might have to cast his net for locks wider before this year's series against the British & Irish Lions.
Lood de Jager, one of the national side's foremost second rowers, is understood to be a serious doubt for the tour after suffering yet another injury setback.
The 28-year-old only recently returned to play following reconstructive surgery on a longstanding shoulder injury and had been building some momentum with his English club, Sale Sharks, before a freak accident at training this week saw him fracture his leg.
According to Rapport, De Jager jumped on a ball and broke one of his femurs, which means he'll be sidelined for a minimum of three months.
That represents an extremely tight time frame for him to be in contention for the three-Test showdown against the Lions.
To add insult to injury, it's also reported that De Jager injured his meniscus too, which places even more pressure on his recovery.
The Springboks are already concerned that RG Snyman, considered a shoo-in to become a key player post the World Cup win of 2019, won't have recovered in time for the series.
He hasn't played for Irish giants Munster since sustaining a serious knee injury on debut in August last year.
In fact, South Africa will rely heavily on their contingent of overseas-based locks, with Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert both plying their trade in France and Japan respectively.
With the exception perhaps of the Stormers' Salmaan Moerat and the Bulls duo of Ruan Nortje and Jason Jenkins, not many locally-based second rowers have prominently put up their hands for consideration at international level.