Cameron Hanekom is a doubt for South Africa's November Nations Championship opener against Italy after being withdrawn at half-time during the Bulls' 54-26 URC win over the Scarlets at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday with a lower back complaint.
Bulls head coach Jake White's successor at the helm, Ackermann, confirmed that Hanekom flagged the problem early in the match but was asked to push through until the break before being replaced by Marcell Coetzee, who went on to score twice.
"He struggled a little bit with his lower back quite early in the game, and we asked him to push until half-time," Ackermann told reporters. "Credit to him for hanging in there; he got to half-time, and then the medical staff wanted to treat him, and I just felt we didn't need to risk that. He's fine, but he was battling with his lower back."
The timing is awkward for Rassie Erasmus, who names his squad for the Italy match on Monday. Hanekom has established himself in the Springbok loose forward rotation this year, earning his second cap against England at Ellis Park in July and starting against Argentina before coming off the bench in all three Tests of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, scoring a try in the Baltimore finale. He is one of seven Bulls players in Erasmus' November squad.
Ackermann also addressed the return of those seven players to Bulls duty once the November window closes. While they are nominally available from the URC's return on 5 December against the Lions, he regards their involvement in that match as unlikely in practice. Should South Africa reach the Nations Championship final, the players would not land back until the Tuesday before that Saturday fixture, leaving insufficient preparation time. Their realistic return to Bulls selection, Ackermann indicated, will depend on workload during the window and physical condition on return.