Bok Lood de Jager set for first start in six months

The towering lock last ran out for the Springboks in the second round of the Rugby Championship last July in New Zealand, where the Boks went down 35-20. Shortly after, de Jager was sidelined with a "chest issue" that was later diagnosed as pericarditis - the swelling of the tissue surrounding the heart.

After months of stringent tests, a heart specialist finally cleared the 31-year-old for activity. In early December, de Jager was spotted on the training paddock for Japan League One side Saitama Wild Knights.

Now, after getting through a training match last week, de Jager has been named in the Wild Knights' starting line-up to face the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dyanaboars on Saturday. Bok teammate Damian de Allende will feature at 12 for the Japanese franchise.

In terms of the Springboks 2023 plans, de Jager's return is timeous indeed. On Tuesday, 2023 World Cup-winning lock Jean Kleyn was ruled out for the rest of the season after he decided to have knee surgery while he waits for an eye issue to clear up.

With five months until Ireland arrive in South Africa for a tantalising two-match series, de Jager has plenty of time to play his way back into Rassie Erasmus' squad.

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