Another blow for Bok pack

Springbok flank Jacques Potgieter will undergo surgery next week on a troublesome groin injury which will rule him out of action for the rest of the year.

The Blue Bulls loose forward has been battling the injury which kept him out of the Test match against the All Blacks at Soccer City for some time and Bulls team doctor Org Strauss confirmed to this website that he will have surgery next Wednesday.

He said: "It is a chronic groin injury, he went to see a specialist on Tuesday morning and it was confirmed that he has what is called Sportmen's Groin.

"He will be out for six to eight weeks which obviously rules him out of the end of year tour, but he will be able to start training again in January," added Strauss.

Strauss said that although Potgieter has been through some "conservative rehab" which has allowed him to play the last few games for the Blue Bulls, the pain he was experiencing meant that surgery was necessary.

This leaves Bok coach Heyneke Meyer even shorter on loose forward options ahead of the year-end tour, with a host of players already sidelined.

The favourites to take Potgieter's spot are likely to be in-form Sharks captain Keegan Daniel and former Baby Bok skipper Arno Botha who was called up when Potgieter was ruled out of the All Blacks clash.