Pieter-Steph Du Toit: Rassie Erasmus Provides Important Injury Update on Springboks Star

Springboks are faced with a couple of key players being on the sidelines due to injury, and they need everyone back before the new season kicks off.

The reigning World champions dominated the 2025 season by retaining the Rugby Championship after getting good results against some of the top sides and also going unbeaten during the end of the year tour.

South African rugby stars like Frans Malherbe, who recently suffered another injury setback, and Lood de Jager are expected to be on the sidelines for a major part of the 2026 season. Another player is now on the verge of missing the campaign due to injury.

Springboks anxiously assess du Toit injury concern

As the Springboks prepare for the commencement of their 2026 campaign in July, the coaching staff are closely monitoring the recovery progress of several players currently sidelined by injury.

Confirmation came earlier this month that influential loose forward Pieter-Steph faces an extended absence after returning to South Africa for surgery.

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His Japanese club, Toyota Verblitz, initially described the setback as an unspecified injury, but it has since emerged that the issue involves his shoulder once again.

Erasmus gives update on du Toit's injury

Addressing the media this week, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed that there is guarded hope that Du Toit could still be fit in time for the new season.

“It’s a shoulder operation. He had surgery last year as well — one shoulder was fixed then, but now the other one has become a problem,” Erasmus explained.

“Ultimately, the management of the injury rests with his club, but the usual recovery period is around four to five months, so we’re optimistic he could be available by the time we face England.”

Confirmed Springbok fixtures for 2026:

The Springboks will usher in their 2026 campaign with a blockbuster showdown against England at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, marking the opening round of the newly launched Nations Championship.

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That clash with England is scheduled for Saturday, 4 July, before the world champions host Scotland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on 11 July. The three-match opening stretch concludes a week later when Wales visit Kings Park in Durban on 18 July.

The Springboks then shift focus to a four-Test series against New Zealand. The opening Test takes place on Saturday, 22 August, at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The second encounter follows on Saturday, 29 August, against the All Blacks at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium. Johannesburg hosts the third Test on Saturday, 5 September, at FNB Stadium, before the series concludes with a fourth Test on Saturday, 12 September, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Later in the year, South Africa will face Italy during the weekend of 6–8 November, with the venue yet to be confirmed. That is followed by a meeting with France over the weekend of 13–15 November, also at a to-be-announced location, before the season wraps up against Ireland on Saturday, 21 November, with the venue still to be decided.

Source: Briefly News