Rassie Erasmus has admitted Ox Nché's knee injury 'seems pretty bad' after the loosehead lasted just eight minutes of South Africa's 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park on Saturday, casting serious doubt over his availability for next week's Nations Championship fixture against Scotland in Pretoria.
Nché went down shortly after contributing to the build-up for Cheslin Kolbe's opening try, and Erasmus was candid about the outlook: 'It does not look good. I don't think he will be ready for Scotland next week.' Scan results will determine the full extent of the damage.
The Springboks were already managing personnel before kick-off. Siya Kolisi was ruled out late in the week with a hamstring strain — the grade of which remains unconfirmed pending a scan on Sunday — while Eben Etzebeth withdrew following a head knock sustained in training. André Esterhuizen then left the field after a head injury incurred shortly after coming on as a replacement, adding a fourth name to the medical list.
Erasmus indicated Etzebeth could be available for Scotland but is taking a cautious approach: 'He could be okay for Scotland this week, but we wait and see.'
The late disruptions demanded a reshuffle, with Pieter-Steph du Toit moving from flank to lock and captaining the side — a position he has not played for an extended period. Du Toit took it in his stride. 'It was no issue for me. We have systems in place for these eventualities,' he said, adding that the enforced changes dropped the team's average age from 31 to 27 and gave fringe players a genuine platform.
Paul de Villiers and Cameron Hanekom both took their opportunities impressively, a point Erasmus acknowledged with satisfaction despite the broader injury concerns.
Erasmus also revealed that memories of last year's loss to Australia surfaced during the halftime interval, when South Africa's lead was less commanding. 'We did have flashbacks to last year. The chat at halftime was definitely: boys, we've been here before and we know how it feels if we don't rectify things in the second half,' he said, crediting assistant coaches Tony Brown and Mzwandile Stick for their honest input during the break.