South Africa injury concerns grow as Damian Willemse ruled out of third Test

The Springboks’ squad depth is being tested after head coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed that Damian Willemse is unlikely to feature in South Africa’s third Test against New Zealand in the Greatest Rivalry Series.

Willemse suffered a hamstring injury during the Springboks’ 33-26 victory over the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. Erasmus said the utility back is not expected to recover in time for the next match.

“Yeah, a hamstring injury. I think he probably won’t be available next week,” Erasmus told reporters when asked about Willemse’s early departure.

The latest setback adds to mounting concerns over South Africa’s backline. Handre Pollard withdrew from the squad because of a calf injury before Friday’s match, while Canan Moodie is also managing a hamstring problem.

The Springboks were already balancing player workloads during the Cape Town Test, with Erasmus making several relatively early substitutions. Deon Fourie and Gerhard Steenekamp were replaced in the 35th minute, while captain Siya Kolisi left the field shortly after half-time.

Erasmus said Kolisi had played only limited rugby in the build-up to the second Test and needed to be protected from fatigue.

“Siya’s total minutes is now 15 minutes in eight weeks [before the second Test],” Erasmus said.

“So he was going to get tired; that’s why he took him off.”

Fourie, who is 39, was also withdrawn as part of the team’s workload management. The hooker had played 65 minutes against the All Blacks over a six-week period before the latest match.

“Deon Fourie… he’s 39 years old. He’s played 65 minutes against the All Blacks in six weeks, so he was going to get tired,” Erasmus said.

“And you could see he missed the tackle when they scored the one try [but] I thought he brought so much to the team.”

South Africa are also carefully managing the return of prop Ox Nche, who is building his fitness after injury. Nche played eight minutes before the previous game, then featured for 45 minutes last week. The Springboks wanted him to reach 55 minutes in Cape Town, despite not starting the match.

“We’ve got Ox, who prior to the previous game played eight minutes. And then last week he played 45 minutes. Now this game we wanted him, because he didn’t start, to get to 55 minutes,” Erasmus noted.

He said the substitutions were not rigidly predetermined and would depend on whether players remained effective during the match.

“So putting those two guys on, but that’s not decided before. If the guys stay productive on the field and they keep doing their job, then we pull it back, and we do it the moment they are not productive in our opinion anymore.”

The third Test of the Greatest Rivalry Series will be played at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg next Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 17:10.

South Africa’s latest victory over the All Blacks has given them momentum, but Willemse’s injury and the absences of Pollard and Moodie leave Erasmus facing further selection decisions before the series continues.