Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk suffers fresh injury blow

The 34-year-old scrumhalf was injured 32 minutes into Yokohama Canon Eagles' opening-round defeat to the Shizuoka Blue Revs on 14 December after attempting a tackle on wing Valynce Te Whare.

Yokohama confirmed earlier this week that the double World Cup winner has temporarily withdrawn from the Japan Rugby League One season, the third consecutive campaign in which injury has disrupted his involvement.

The setback comes at a difficult time for De Klerk's international prospects. After playing a key role in South Africa's back-to-back World Cup titles, his involvement has reduced significantly, with just three Test appearances in 2024 and two in 2025.

He has been overtaken in the scrumhalf pecking order by Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams and Morne van den Berg, with his most recent Springbok appearance coming off the bench against Georgia in July.

De Klerk had been targeting a consistent run of matches in Japan to strengthen his case for national selection, but the injury leaves him sidelined once again.

In a video message to supporters, he said he was disappointed to be leaving but is focused on returning in the best possible condition and hopes to feature later in the season.

Yokohama's regular season runs until 9 May, but De Klerk's absence reduces his opportunities to make a timely impact as South Africa continue to plan with younger options at scrumhalf.

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