Springbok Cheslin Kolbe

Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe suffered a sprained ankle during Toulon’s win over Lyon at the weekend, the Top 14 club announced. Photo: Twitter

BREAKING NEWS: Springbok scare as tearful Kolbe suffers injury blow

The Springbok camp will be holding its collective breath following news that talisman Cheslin Kolbe suffered what could be a serious injury while playing for Toulon on Saturday.

Springbok Cheslin Kolbe

Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe suffered a sprained ankle during Toulon’s win over Lyon at the weekend, the Top 14 club announced. Photo: Twitter

The Springbok camp will be holding its collective breath following news that talisman Cheslin Kolbe suffered what could be a serious injury while playing for Toulon on Saturday.

LIVE UPDATES: SPRINGBOKS’ ROAD TO THE RUGBY WORLD CUP

Toulon played Lyon in French Top 14 on Saturday and Kolbe was named in the starting lineup for his team.

The speedster scored in the 36th minute, but he couldn’t even enjoy the moment as he sustained an injury in the process of touching down.

He appeared to have picked up a foot injury as he bounced off the ground after diving to plant the ball over the tryline.

The 29-year-old star was in tears as a golf buggy carted him off the field and into the stands, painting a worrying image for Kolbe and Springboks, considering this year’s World Cup in France is less than six months away.

Kolbe played a pivotal role in the Springboks’ World Cup success four years ago in Japan, having featured in five of South Africa’s Tests during the 2019 campaign.

Watch: ‘Springboks are the worst team to win RWC in modern era’

NO KOLBE UPDATE YET

While there has been no official update on the extent of Kolbe’s injury, Toulon — who won the game 27-23 — wished Kolbe well on Twitter by posting a photo of their star player.

“On est avec toi Ches,” Toulon tweeted with the photo of Kolbe. The French message translates to “we are with you Ches”.

SPRINGBOK FIXTURES IN 2023

Rugby Championship

8 July: Springboks vs Australia (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)

✈ 15 July: South Africa vs New Zealand (Mount Smart, Auckland)

29 July: Springboks vs Argentina (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

World Cup warm-ups

✈ 5 August: South Africa vs Argentina (Vélez Stadium, Buenos Aires)

✈ 19 August: South Africa vs Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

✈ 25 August: Springbok vs New Zealand (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Rugby World Cup:

✈ 10 September: South Africa vs Scotland (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille) 

✈ 17 September: Springbok vs Romania (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux) 

✈ 23 September: South Africa vs Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris) 

✈ 1 October: South Africa vs Tonga (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)

ALSO READ | INSIDE ACCESS TO THE SPRINGBOKS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Quarter-finals sequence of play is as follows:QF 1 — Winner Pool C vs Runner up Pool D
QF 2 — Winner Pool B vs Runner up Pool A
QF 3 — Winner Pool D vs Runner up Pool C
QF 4 — Winner Pool A vs Runner up Pool B

ALSO READ: D-Day for Springbok World Cup squad announcement revealed

Semi-finals sequence of play is as follows:
SF 1 — Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
SF 2 — Winner QF3 v Winner QF4

Third place playoff:
Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 2

World Cup final:
Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2

ALSO READ: No need for Springboks to turn back to Elton Jantjies

Cheslin Kolbe in action for Toulon before injury.
Cheslin Kolbe in action for Toulon before picking up an injury. Photo: Twitter.