HUGE blow for Springboks as World Cup star to miss Ireland Test series :

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus is set to be without the services of Rugby World Cup-winning flanker Kwagga Smith for the July Tests against Ireland.

Smith was a standout for the Springboks during the World Cup, providing versatility and impact off the bench, particularly in the tournament’s knockout stages.

Kwagga Smith ruled out

The 30-year-old’s Japanese Rugby League One (JRLO) club, the Shizuoka Blue Revs, confirmed the news on Friday that Smith has suffered an adductor tendon rupture.

The injury is set to sideline him for at least five months, effectively ending his season in Japan. It is a hammer blow to the club, which will now be without its captain and star player.

Smith has already gone under the knife and posted an update on his Instagram account with the caption: “Thank you for all the support. The surgery went well. Let the road to recovery begin.”

After five rounds of action in the JRLO, the Springbok is the Blue Revs’ top try-scorer, having dotted down four times in five matches, just one off the League’s top scorers. He also leads the competition in turnovers won with nine in total.

Last year, Smith was one of the most effective players at the breakdown across all competitions; in fact, according to Opta, no player won more breakdown or jackal turnovers than the Bok star in 2023 when tallying up the players’ totals for the club and country.

Growing Springbok injury list

He is now the third Springbok Rugby World Cup winner to sustain an injury in Japan in the last week. His fellow countrymen, Jesse Kriel and Faf de Klerk, are also sidelined for their club, the Canon Eagles.

Both players are also in danger of missing the two Tests against Ireland, depending on their recovery, with Kriel undergoing surgery on his thumb.

“I’ve been struggling with my thumb that I need to go to get repaired and I have to have a surgery so I will be away for a while,” he said in a statement released by his club.

“Hopefully I won’t miss too many games and I will be back for the end of the season for a few games. So, I will do my best to recover as fast as possible.”

Meanwhile, De Klerk has also undergone surgery on his knee, with no timeline for his return provided.

“I’m really disappointed that I must receive surgery on my knee. But I can’t wait to get back on the field with the Eagles family as soon as possible,” De Klerk said in a statement.

The injuries are starting to rack up for Erasmus ahead of his first game back as head coach of the Springboks.

Malcolm Marx is yet to return from his knee injury that ended his Rugby World Cup campaign in the pool stages. He is set to miss the entire season in Japan and his club his Kubota Spears Funabashi recruited All Black Dane Coles as a replacement.

Meanwhile, Bongi Mbonambi is also sidelined with a knee injury he sustained in the World Cup Final. Tighthead props Frans Malherbe and Vincent Koch have also not played for the Stormers and Sharks, respectively,…