Warren Whiteley is not expected to be available at the start of the Test season due to his recurring knee injury.
Earlier in the week, the Lions announced Whiteley has been ruled out for the remainder of the Vodacom Super Rugby tournament. And the No 8 has now all but confirmed he is likely to sit out the first two Tests of the year as well.
In an interview with newspaper Rapport, Whiteley said it has been difficult to deal with the spade of injury that has kept him sidelined in recent months, but that he believes it’ll get better.
‘I’m not 100% sure how long I’ll be out for, but we’re looking at about two months,’ he said.
‘I’ll take my time to ensure that I’m 100% fit when I return. I’ll probably play in the Currie Cup first and hopefully I get enough game time to come in contention for Springbok selection.’
The Springboks face Australia at Ellis Parks on 20 July, followed by an away match against New Zealand in Wellington on the 27th and an away Test against Argentina on 10 August.
South Africa is also scheduled to play Los Pumas in a warm-up game on 17 August in preparation for the World Cup which kicks off in September.
Photo: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images
