Erasmus weighs scrumhalf options as injuries sideline De Klerk and Williams

Faf de Klerk and Grant Williams, who have become key parts of the national team squad, will certainly miss the next few weeks.

De Klerk has reportedly fractured his thumb while playing for Yokohama Canon Eagles and could be absent for up to two months.

Meanwhile, Sharks No 9 Williams has been playing with a back injury sustained over three months ago in the Investec Champions Cup victory against Exeter Chiefs.

The 28-year-old missed the Durban outfit's narrow triumph over Zebre Parma on Saturday with what head coach John Plumtree described as a 'neck issue', but that will likely keep him on the sidelines for the next five weeks.

According to reports, he sustained a C7 lateral mass hairline fracture against Exeter, but continued to play through the pain. However, it has now been decided that Williams will be out of action for over a month in order for him to recover.

As for his international team-mate, 33-year-old De Klerk, he could miss the rest of the Japanese domestic campaign, but the playmaker should be fit enough for the Springboks' mid-year series if selected.

The former Lions and Sale Sharks half-back endured his injury troubles last season, playing in both Tests against Ireland in July but missing the Rugby Championship and Autumn Nations Series.

He has been invited, along with 25 other players, to the Boks' alignment camp for overseas-based individuals on March 27, which is where head coach Rassie Erasmus is set to assess his condition ahead of the upcoming Tests in 2025.

Despite getting towards his mid-30s, De Klerk hopes to play as long as possible, revealing last year about his plans in 2025 and beyond after suffering a season-ending thigh injury.

"I'm getting a bit older and I haven't really been injured in my career so using this time to spend more time with family and try to sort out the rest of my body out where there are niggles and aches and pains," he said in August 2024.

"It's really not great not to be out there but there are other positives as well which I tend to lean on more. I can see the positives to it and can hopefully prolong my career a bit more."

The scrum-half added: "I have no idea how long I have left in my career, it's pretty much body-dependent. As long as the body keeps going, I'll probably keep going.

"Unfortunately, before this injury, I've actually felt really, really good and young again on the field so I don't want to tempt fate by putting a date on it or years on it but I really don't know at least another two years."

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