Rassie Erasmus has confirmed Pieter-Steph du Toit, Franco Mostert and Cheslin Kolbe will miss the Rugby Championship opener in Australia after suffering injuries in the second Test against Ireland.

Mostert limped off before the 20th minute of the loss to Ireland in Durban, but Du Toit to complete the full 80 minutes of the clash at Kings Park.

TEAM: Moerat leads new-look Boks

After naming a heavily changed lineup – featuring seven debutants –  to tackle Portugal in the final match of the July series, Erasmus gave an injury update, as the senior Springboks rest up for the opening clash of the Rugby Championship in August.

Erasmus confirmed that Mostert suffered a broken leg and will be out for six weeks and Du Toit will also be out for up to six weeks with an unspecified injury.

The duo has been joined by Malcolm Marx on the sidelines after the hooker suffered “a bit of a tibia fracture” when he was crocodile-rolled in a controversial incident in the second Test. Marx limped his way through the rest of the second half, having replaced Bongi Mbonambi five minutes after half time.

The injuries have not just been isolated to the pack, as Edwill van der Merwe, who was set to face Portugal, suffered an injury while playing in the Currie Cup for the Lions, and will be out for six weeks and Cheslin Kolbe will also miss the Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane.

In more positive news, Erasmus expects Canan Moodie to be fit for the Rugby Championship, after the utility back missed the July internationals with a hand injury that required surgery.

Having named a new-look side captained by Salmaan Moerat and featuring debuts for Phepsi Buthelezi and Ruan Venter, Erasmus says the Springboks have gone all-in on their succession planning.

“We would love Phepsi to fill in for Siya [Kolisi],” Erasmus explained. “They have a similar style of play. We don’t use a typical openside and he has been almost living with Siya, trying to understand what Siya’s doing and what Siya’s strengths are, like ball carrying and blasting rucks.

“I think Phepsi has the mould and body to do that. So hopefully we can get that out of him.

“Ben-Jason Dixon is similar to Pieter-Steph in the way he plays. You will see that Ruan is on the bench and he isn’t a typical lock, but he’s definitely got the body to play both lock and blindside flank. You might lose some height, but you’ve still got Ben-Jason, who will call the lineouts if RG or Salmaan aren’t on the field.

“We’ve tried to do our succession planning and we’ve tried not to let that loss against Ireland affect our mindset. We didn’t have this opportunity in 2020, now we do, so we must stick with it.”

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images

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