Franco Mostert is set to get a starting opportunity as the Springboks look to bounce back against France in Marseille without injured lock Lood de Jager.

De Jager suffered a should injury in the first half of the narrow loss to Ireland in an attritional Test in Dublin.

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The 29-year-old has had a nightmare run of shoulder injuries since 2019 and assistant coach Deon Davids confirmed on Monday that he won’t be available when the Springboks take on world France on Saturday.

“He’s not available for the game and he’s just left the team this morning for further consultation,” Davids said.

“As soon as the doctor informs us, we’ll take it from there, but we don’t have a timeline in terms of when he’ll return.”

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De Jager’s absence will open up an opportunity for Mostert, who replaced him off the bench in Dublin, to get a start. Marvin Orie, who was originally set to play for the South Africa ‘A’ side against Munster on Thursday before De Jager got injured, is another option for the No. 5 jersey.

“Lood is a quality player and losing him as a No 5 lock is something that we will feel,” Davids added.

“Fortunately, we’ve got experienced campaigners in Franco and Marvin who will be able to slot into that place.

“They are accustomed to Test rugby, and it is their opportunity now. Lood’s void is one that we have to fill, and we feel those two guys are capable of doing that.”

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