Flyhalf shedding? Bok pivot situation could resemble power cuts if Willemse is ruled out

The Springboks' stocks at flyhalf could resemble stage 6 load-shedding by the time they touch down in Durban on Monday morning.

That's down to uncertainty over whether Damian Willemse will be available for selection for the Rugby Championship climax against the Argentinians at King's Park on Saturday.

The 24-year-old playmaker, who has impressed at pivot since filling the void left by the injured Handre Pollard and unavailable Elton Janjties, left the field in the 64th minute of the 36-20 victory over the Pumas in Buenos Aires.

He had gone into a tackle from the wrong angle and seemingly sustained a concussion.

While Willemse did come off the field on his own, World Rugby's safety regulations dictate that should he have sustained a head knock, a return-to-play protocol of seven days must be followed.

That would rule him out of the match.

Bok coach Jacques Nienaber was unsure of the extent of the injury in the aftermath of the match.

READ | Jantjies bombshell opens new Bok flyhalf door: Who should be next?

"I have yet to speak to the medical staff about Damian’s injury," he said.

"I don't want to make a call or even speculate on it, because I would be lying to you."

Should Willemse indeed be confirmed unavailable, the evergreen 35-year-old Steyn would be the only player with significant top-level experience at flyhalf in the current national squad.

Further complicating matters is that SA Rugby have confirmed Jantjies won't be returning to the group following the revelations of his Mbombela indiscretions, while none of the local 10s in the URC have been recently called up to national alignment camps.

A short week in terms of preparation puts further strain on team management drafting reinforcements.

"We will assess the injuries in the