South Africa lock Lood de Jager will miss most of the Super Rugby season, and will be a doubt to make the Rugby World Cup, with his shoulder injury being worse than first thought.
The Bulls captain sustained the injury 15 minutes into their 27-12 defeat by the Jaguares in Buenos Aires a fortnight ago, and had been expected to be ruled out for a couple of weeks.
The injury, though, is worse than first feared.
De Jager visited a specialist in Cape Town and the decision was made for the 26-year-old to have surgery, ruling him out at least four months . July is the earliest he will return to action, and he will not have much time to prepare for the Rugby World Cup.
The Springboks will be in Pool B in the competition, against holders New Zealand, Italy, Namibia and Canada, with South Africa kicking off their campaign against the All Blacks in Yokohama on Sept. 21.
De Jager missed most of the 2018 season with a chest injury before returning for South Africa's tour of Europe in November.