The South Africa captain Jean de Villiers will miss nexth months tests against Scotland and Wales after being ruled out with a knee injury.
The 33-year-old centre withdrew from the team's training camp and a scan has confirmed he'll be out for eight weeks.
Veteran lock Victor Matfield and Bismarck du Plessis are two possible candidates to take over as skipper for the two-test series against Wales and the match against Scotland.
It's hoped De Villiers will be fit in time to play New Zealand, Australia and Argentina in the rugby championship which starts in August.
