Jean Kleyn’s hopes for a busy southern hemisphere winter with the Springboks are seemingly over after an unspecified injury sustained against the Barbarians.

Saturday’s outing was seen as important for Kleyn, as he hadn’t made it onto the pitch with his country since a cameo in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.

He was meant to start last November against Wales in Cardiff, but was a late withdrawal due to what was described at the time as “a niggle” sustained in training.

What ultimately transpired was a four-month stint on the sidelines with a quad muscle injury that needed an operation at Munster to heal, and the fact that he will now go home to Limerick from Cape Town suggests another frustrating stint on the sidelines.

Kleyn was a Springboks starter against the Baa-Baas but rather than flying on to Johannesburg with Rassie Erasmus’ squad ahead of next Saturday’s clash with Italy in Pretoria, he will instead head back to Ireland and rehab there.

“We feel for Jean…”

A statement read: “Springbok lock Jean Kleyn has been ruled out of the squad travelling to Johannesburg for the opening match of the Castle Lager Incoming Series after sustaining an injury during the team’s 54-7 victory against the Barbarians on Saturday.

“Kleyn, who started the match with lock partner Lood de Jager, will return to Irish club Munster to recover from the injury and undergo the necessary rehabilitation.

“The Springboks made the journey from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Sunday to begin their preparations for the opening match of the Castle Lager Incoming Series against Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on July 5.

“They will line up against Italy again a week later at the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Gqeberha before taking on Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit in the closing match of the series on July 19.”

“We feel for Jean, but injuries are part of the game. We are fortunate to have good depth at lock within the squad, so there is no need for us to replace him at this stage,” said Springbok coach Erasmus.