Springboks face tense wait to hear extent of Etzebeth injury following 'slippery' win

On an evening where pretty much everything else went according to plan, the Springboks face an anxious wait on the extent of Eben Etzebeth's shoulder injury.

The talismanic second-rower only played 26 minutes of South Africa's opening 18-3 victory over Scotland in Marseille before being substituted.

While he didn't look overly discomforted, there was clearly enough concern among team management to rather have him replaced.

Quizzed on the issue in the aftermath, Bok mentor Jacques Nienaber candidly admitted he had "no clue" on the injury and didn't want to start theorising about it.

"To be honest, I'd lie if I tell you about the extent of his injury now," he said. 

"I haven't even spoken to the team doctor yet, but it will probably be assessed on Monday. During the game, they said it was his shoulder and that's why he came off.

"But I really can't say anything else because I'd speculate. I have no clue."

Etzebeth himself didn't reveal much about his affliction afterwards. 

"It was in a carry, so ja," was his pithy response.

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There were no other immediate concerns in a match that was far more attritional than was anticipated beforehand, with some Boks looking visibly fatigued once referee Angus Gardner blew the final whistle, though that might simply have been a reaction to the heat that greeted the players.

Meanwhile, Nienaber credited the Scots for displaying their famed nuggety approach.

Indeed, despite being able to repel their opponents relatively comfortably, there was never truly a distinct feeling that the Boks could let their guard down.

"We could all see what they were doing, how they pushed France in the warm-up matches, and