Cape Town - Springbok and Bulls flyhalf Handre Pollard underwent ankle surgery on Monday.
The Bulls announced last week that Pollard had suffered an injury to his right ankle in training and would be sidelined for between eight and 10 weeks.
Pollard is therefore unlikely to be unavailable for the Springboks’ three-Test series against France in June.
The 23-year-old has had a tough time with injuries of late, having missed the entire 2016 season after rupturing knee ligaments.
He played 20 Tests for the Springboks between 2014 and 2015, with his last international appearance coming against Argentina in the third-place playoff at the Rugby World Cup in England.
Meanwhile, Bulls team doctor Herman Rossouw said there were no new injury concerns following the weekend’s 20-14 win over the Cheetahs in Pretoria.
The Bulls have a bye this week, before hosting the Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on May 6.