Yokohama Canon Eagles scrum-half Faf de Klerk has returned home to South Africa to undergo surgery on his right hand.
The two-time World Cup winner, 33, suffered the injury against TJ Perenara’s Black Rams Tokyo on March 15 and was replaced at half-time.
After missing one game, Saturday’s round 12 loss to Kubota Spears, Yokohama announced on Monday that the Springboks star will temporarily leave the team.
South African outlet Rapport reported that the former Sale Sharks player de Klerk has fractured his thumb.
“It's very unfortunate, I have to leave back to South Africa to get an operation on my hand,” he said in an announcement on the club’s website.
“I'm coming back in six weeks time to come and support the team. So please all the supporters, thank you for the support so far, please keep supporting the boys, they really need it in the last games.”
Keisuke Sawaki’s Yokohama side are currently in sixth position in Japan’s top-flight - which would be enough to earn them a play-off spot - with six regular season games remaining.
League One has expanded this year’s play-off competition from four to six teams and the Kanagawa outfit face competition from Kurt-Lee Arendse’s Mitsubishi Dynaboars, Cheslin Kolbe’s Suntory Sunoliath and Perenara’s Rams for sixth-place.
Yokohama still has to play local rivals the Mitsubishi, Kwagga Smith’s high-flying Shizuoka Blue Revs, Brodie Retallick’s fifth-placed Kobe Steelers and Richie Mo’unga’s champions Toshiba Brave Lupus.
The final regular season game against Toshiba takes place on May 10 at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo.
Mbombela native de Klerk, who missed last year’s Rugby Championship and Autumn Nations Series due to injury, will be in a race against time to feature in the closing rounds and boost his team’s bid for a play-off berth.
The Yokohama crowd favourite will have extra motivation to play a part in the business end of the season having missed their play-off semi-final loss to Saitama Wild Knights and third-place play-off defeat to Suntory through injury last year. De Klerk cut a forlorn figure as he acted as a waterboy in both games.
Yokohama host Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s relegation-threatened Toyota Verblitz in Oita on Sunday.
Picture courtesy of Yokohama Canon Eagles
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