Springboks lock Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg withdraws from Rugby Championship due to personal reasons

South Africa lock Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg will miss the remainder of the Rugby Championship competition due to personal reasons.

The 27-year-old made his debut for the Springboks during the clash against Argentina at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium earlier in the competition. With the quarantine rules and other restrictions due to Covid-19, he is unlikely to make a return to the squad for the rest of the tournament according to South Africa head coach Nienaber.

"It is always sad to lose a player, and especially such a good team man, but Nicolaas has personal matters to attend to, and as a Springbok family we support him," Nienaber said in a statement.

"With the strict Covid-19 protocols to enter Australia, which includes a mandatory two-week quarantine, he will not be returning.

"But we are fortunate to have depth in our touring squad as we prepare for a challenging string of matches against Australia and New Zealand in the next three weeks."

South Africa have already Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert and Marvin Orie as options for the second row while Rynhardt Elstadt and Jean-Luc du Preez can also provide cover leaving Nienaber sufficient options.

South Africa are currently positioned second in the Rugby Championship table with two wins from three matches and will face Australia next at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.