Siya Kolisi is facing an anxious wait after leaving the Springboks' 17-10 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday with a hamstring injury, his second such problem of the season.
The captain lasted just 24 minutes at the Estadio José Amalfitani before being forced off, leaving the Boks to complete the Rugby Championship victory without him. Tries from Edwill van der Merwe and Cameron Hanekom, along with points from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handré Pollard, were enough to see South Africa over the line in a tight contest.
Kolisi confirmed he will undergo a scan to determine the extent of the damage. "I hurt my hamstring again, unfortunately. So, I'll go for a scan and see how far it is," he said at full-time. "It is really tough, but I can't be sad about it. There is nothing I can do now, other than to go and have a scan and then see how long I'm out for."
Rassie Erasmus offered a cautiously encouraging assessment, noting it was the opposite hamstring to a previous injury and that initial signs were not alarming. "He injured his hamstring, the other hamstring, but it doesn't look too bad," Erasmus said, adding that Kolisi had been dynamic in his brief time on the field. "I thought Siya was really dynamic with his carries and his clean-outs."
The timing is significant with the Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks — three Tests on home soil plus one in Baltimore — now the immediate priority. The squad is travelling back to South Africa in two groups, on Sunday and Monday, where they will link up with the rest of the playing group in Johannesburg.
Kolisi was measured in his assessment of a Springbok performance that was far from convincing. "We have a huge amount of respect for them, and we could easily have lost this game. Home or away, they're one of the toughest teams we play all year. I thought it was going to be a real battle, and we were fortunate to come through it."