Bok lock out for up to six months

NEWS: Another Springbok has been left counting the cost of South Africa’s 32-12 World Cup win over England last Saturday in Yokohama.

Flyhalf Handre Pollard will miss the Springboks’ trophy tour after suffering a fractured eye socket in the Final.

He was operated on in Pretoria on Wednesday. He is expected to be out of action for six weeks.

The Springboks have started a five-day trophy parade nationwide, but the 25-year-old will miss out on the festivities due to his injury.

Pollard confirmed as much via his Instagram page, where he posted an image of himself in hospital and wrote: "Not quite the trophy tour I had in mind. I would do this a 1000 times over to hold Bill again."

Meanwhile, lock Lodewyk de Jager dislocated his right shoulder at the end of the first quarter. He will undergo surgery in Cape Town next week once the swelling around the joint has subsided. He is expected to return to full fitness in four to six months.

It was expected that the 25-year-old Pollard, who signed for French club Montpellier for three years, would make his debut in their Champions Cup meeting with Gloucester on November 24 once the contract kicked into action on November 19.

He is still due to arrive in France on that date, but he now won't be available to play for a while.