Uncapped Wilco Louw was called up by South Africa Saturday after fellow prop Coenie Oosthuizen broke his arm during a 23-23 Rugby Championship draw in Australia.
Photo from archive
A South Africa Rugby statement confirmed the injury and said Louw would arrive in New Zealand Monday ahead of the Springboks' Test against the All Blacks in Albany next weekend.
Tighthead Louw has earned rave reviews this year for Super Rugby and Currie Cup displays with Cape Town-based Western Stormers/Western Province.
He scored for Western Province Saturday in the Currie Cup with seven of the nine tries coming from forwards in a 57-14 home triumph over defending champions Free State Cheetahs.
Louw, Trevor Nyakane and Ruan Dreyer are the contenders for the No. 3 shirt and a place on the bench in the top-of-the-table clash against the All Blacks.
Nyakane understudied Oosthuizen for the first three rounds of the Rugby Championship after Dreyer debuted in a the final Test of a 3-0 mid-year whitewash of France.
Defending champions New Zealand have 14 points halfway through the six-round championship, South Africa 11, Australia three and Argentina none.
Oosthuizen sustained the injury during the second half in Perth and will visit a specialist in Durban when he returns home.
