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Cape Town - Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, Marcell Coetzee and Willie le Roux have all been ruled out of the return match against Argentina in Buenos Aires next weekend because of injuries.
De Villiers fractured his jaw in the Rugby Championship defeat against the Pumas at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, which will rule him out for up to four to six weeks. The Bok captain will be able to continue with the bulk of the training sessions during this time.
Coetzee suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee which will rule him out for approximately six weeks. The injury is unrelated to the knee injury he suffered a few weeks ago in Brisbane.
Le Roux sprained his ankle early in the match against Argentina and will not be considered for the trip to Buenos Aires. He will undergo scans early in the week to determine the exact nature of the injury.
Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts said that players possibly returning from injury, such as Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and JP Pietersen, will be assessed on Monday before a decision on their availability for next weekend will be taken.
Although Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Willem Alberts, Warren Whiteley and Jan Serfontein were declared fit to play last week, Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer decided to give them an additional week to recover and they will be considered for selection next week.
Apart from De Villiers, Coetzee and Le Roux, other injured players who will not be considered for the trip to Buenos Aires, are Jannie du Plessis, Coenie Oosthuizen, Francois Louw and Duane Vermeulen.
Morné Steyn has been released from the squad for the week to be with his wife, who is due to give birth to their second child on Monday.
Frans Steyn, although still recovering from injury, is on compassionate leave following the passing of his brother and a decision on when he will rejoin the squad to be assessed will be taken at a later stage.
