Boks to be without De Jager for France test

South Africa will be without influential lock Lood de Jager for their second autumn international test against France in Marseille on Saturday and are anxiously waiting to find out if the second rower will be available for the rest of their tour.

De Jager injured his shoulder in the weekend 19-16 loss to Ireland in Dublin and left the team camp to see a specialist on Monday, officials confirmed. He has had several lengthy absences due to shoulder problems in the last few years.

It is likely he will be replaced in the starting line-up by Franco Mostert, who came on for De Jager on Saturday and scored one of South Africa’s two tries. Coach Jacques Nienaber will name his team on Tuesday.

The Springboks will be playing their first test against France on Saturday since a 29-26 victory in Paris in 2018. They will also take on Italy (Nov. 19) and England (Nov. 26) in the autumn international series.