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Cape Town - Springbok flank Marcell Coetzee has suffered another knee injury while on duty for Irish club, Ulster.
Coetzee lasted just 19 minutes of his side's 68-21 win over Zebre on Saturday before he hobbled off.
He had only made his debut for Ulster last month despite the new season having started in September last year. That was because of the knee injury that kept him out for most of 2016 and cut short his final Super Rugby season with the Sharks.
The seriousness of the most recent injury is not known at this stage, but Sport24 approached Ulster for comment and are awaiting a reply.
Coetzee will be having a scan on Monday.
While the prospect of more time on the sidelines for Coetzee will not be something that Ulster want to think about, it is also not great news for the Springboks.
Coetzee currently has 28 caps for the Boks, but given SA Rugby's new overseas-based player policy, he would have to play in all three Tests against France in June to be considered for Bok selection beyond that series and up until 2019.
Should Coetzee miss the France series, he will only be available for Bok selection again in 2019 - assuming he doesn't break his contract with Ulster and return to South Africa.
The new SA Rugby policy states that only overseas-based Springboks with more than 30 Test caps will be eligible for selection in future.
That new policy starts on July 1, but the Bok coach will still be able to select whoever he wants in a World Cup year.
