Jean de Villiers has set his sights on next year’s World Cup after undergoing surgery to rebuilt his left knee.
The Springboks captain dislocated his knee cap South Africa‘s defeat to Wales on Saturday and had to have a full reconstruction of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments.
De Villiers will miss the 2015 Super Rugby with the Stormers but the World Cup, which starts in ten months, is a realistic target.
He said: “My focus will now be on the arrival of our third child in the coming days. Thereafter it will be about recovering as soon as possible so I can start with my rehabilitation.
“I still have my sights set on going to next year’s Rugby World Cup and will do everything in my power to get to England.”
South Africa team doctor Craig Roberts said: “The procedure went well, but at this stage it is difficult to determine an exact time-frame for a return to play.
“The use of an artificial graft should speed up his rehabilitation and hopefully increase his chances of making a successful return to the playing field.”