The Springboks will face Australia in Brisbane this wekeend in the TriNations without lock Andries Bekker after he was ruled out with a back injury.
Bekker suffered an acute disc injury towards the end of the Test against the All Blacks in Wellington at the weekend and underwent an MRI scan in the Queensland capital on Monday.
He has been withdrawn by the medical team and will see a specialist for treatment on his return to South Africa.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers said the injury to Bekker was "unfortunate".
"It is a setback but we will have to deal with it. That is part of the game. We have to rely on the strength within our squad for the Test. It is a blow for Andries too as he was just coming back from a previous injury."
Meanwhile, the rest of the Springbok squad have been cleared for selection for this weekend's Tri-Nations clash - the third in succession for the Springboks.
"As expected there are a few niggles but it is good news for us that we came away from Wellington with just a single serious injury and can assemble a strong line-up for the Brisbane Test."
