South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx was ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup on Thursday with what the team described as a long-term knee injury.
Marx sustained the injury in a training session on Wednesday, the Springboks said.
It’s a big blow to the defending champions’ chances of retaining their title in France, with Marx one of the form players in the team.
South Africa has just one other specialist hooker in the squad in Bongi Mbonambi, who was selected to captain a second-string Springboks team against Romania on Sunday.
However, South Africa also selected 36-year-old utility forward Deon Fourie in its squad, who can play hooker as well as his most recent position of flanker.