South Africa suffered yet another injury blow ahead of their Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand in Pretoria on Saturday when loose forward Joe van Niekerk was ruled out.
The Springboks have already lost International Rugby Board 2004 Player of the Year Schalk Burger to a career-threatening neck injury and in-form Juan Smith went down in midweek with a thigh strain.
Van Niekerk had been pencilled in to replace Smith in the starting line-up but suffered a neck injury on Friday morning.
”Joe’s neck is swollen and sore and it’s the same C5 vertebra that Schalk injured,” South African coach Jake White told Reuters on Friday.
”We can’t send him out to play when his neck is already bruised and we’ve summoned Pedrie Wannenburg into our match 22.”
The 21-year-old Pierre Spies was named on the bench when Van Niekerk moved up to the starting line-up, but White said his starting number seven for Saturday had not yet been finalised.
Mobile reserve lock Albert van den Berg, who also has experience of playing in the back row, could be promoted to the starting line-up to play flanker. — Reuters