Cameron Hanekom has emerged as a doubt for the Springboks' Nations Championship clash with Italy after struggling through the first half of the Bulls' United Rugby Championship victory over the Scarlets on Saturday.
The loose forward was substituted at the interval during the 54-26 win at Loftus Versfeld, replaced by Marcell Coetzee, who scored twice in the second half. Bulls coach Johan Ackermann revealed Hanekom had played through lower back pain before the decision was made to withdraw him.
"He struggled a little bit with his lower back quite early in the game," Ackermann said. "We asked him to push until half-time, and credit to him, he hung in there. At half-time the medical team wanted to treat him, and I just felt that we don't need that. We've got Marcell, so let's just make it a straight swap just to protect him as well. He's fine, but he was battling with his lower back."
Hanekom featured in three of the four Tests against the All Blacks and has established himself in the Springbok setup this season. The 24-year-old is one of seven Bulls players selected in Rassie Erasmus's squad for the November internationals. Erasmus is set to name his team on Monday for the Italy fixture.