Johannesburg - Springbok and Bulls winger Bjorn Basson will be out of rugby for between six to eight weeks after having to undergo an emergency operation to fix a perforated small intestine after his sides 28-13 loss to the Crusaders in Christchurch.

According to SuperSport.com, Basson was complaining of pain after the game and was rushed to hospital, where it was decided to have the emergency operation at 03:00 New Zealand time, and while it was a success, it will also mean Basson will not be able to travel home with his Bulls team-mates on Monday morning.

Basson’s wife was notified, but the winger will have to spend five days in hospital and five more days in New Zealand to heal before he is allowed to return home. He is destined to be on the sideline for between six and eight weeks, meaning he will probably be out of the entire Rugby Championship, or play a very limited part in it if he is fit again.

“Bjorn took a knock to the stomach, we think it was in a tackle that he got a knee or a hard hit and he had to have his small intestine reattached surgically. He will be out for between 6-8 weeks and we will reassess his condition when he gets back to Pretoria,” Bulls team doctor Org Strauss told SuperSport.com.

The team left for their stopover in Sydney with Strauss staying behind with Basson. The Doctor will rejoin the team for their Monday flight to South Africa, with Basson following on when he is allowed to travel.

The blow will be a big one for Bok coach Heyneke Meyer as well, as Basson is currently joint top try scorer in the Super Rugby series.