Springbok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse could be unavailable to the Boks for longer than initially anticipated, which is bad news with three vital Tests still to go in the Rugby Championship.

Arendse picked up a hamstring injury in the Ellis Park loss to Australia last month and was initially expected to return to the Bok fold for the double-header against Argentina at Kings Park and Twickenham.

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But according to Rapport, the Bulls medical team say Arendse also picked up a knee injury which will delay his return by another two weeks. The medical team say the injury won’t require surgery.

Rapport quotes a source saying Arendse “is not definitely out of the Argentina series, but he is likely to miss it due to the knee injury. We’ll see shortly how quickly he recovers.”

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The 27-Test flyer has been missed by the Boks in the subsequent Tests against the Wallabies and Saturday’s 24-17 loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park. Canan Moodie – who has almost exclusively been used as a centre by coach Rassie Erasmus – has been deputising at wing in Arendse’s absence.

There is however some good news on the selection front. No 8 Jasper Wiese’s four-match suspension for headbutting an Italian player is now over and he is eligible for selection for Saturday’s must-win clash against the All Blacks in Wellington.

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Photo by Anton Geyser/Gallo Images