(Reuters) – Springboks captain Siya Kolisi could miss his country’s Rugby World Cup title defence in France later this year after being advised to have surgery on a knee injury, South Africa’s Independent Online has reported.
The loose forward, who lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan four years ago, suffered the injury playing for the Durban-based Sharks against Irish province Munster in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Saturday.
The Independent, citing a source “with knowledge of the injury”, said he had suffered a partial tear to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and damaged the meniscus on both sides of the joint.
The report said the 31-year-old had been advised by one of the two specialists he has consulted to have an operation to fix the problem, which would mean a spell on the sidelines of up to nine months, but was seeking a third opinion.
South Africa open their title defence against Scotland in Marseille on Sept. 10.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
