Warren Whiteley

Eben Etzebeth will continue as the Springboks stand-in captain for the Rugby Championship.

The 26-year-old lock had already replaced Whiteley as skipper for the last of the three tests against France in June when the loose forward was ruled out of action with a groin injury.

Whiteley is not likely to be back before the end of September, which means Etzebeth could be captain for at least five of the six Springbok fixtures in this year's southern hemisphere championship, starting with the home clash against Argentina in Port Elizabeth on August 19th.

The Lions number eight led the Springboks to victory over France in the first two Tests after being named as captain by Allister Coetzee last month.

Whiteley missed the win over Les Bleus in the third Test last Saturday, though, after doing damage during the warm-up at Ellis Park.

Coetzee revealed after his side sealed a whitewash over Guy Noves' men that his skipper would discover the extent of his injury on Monday and it was confirmed on Tuesday that he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with damaged ligaments.

The Lions number eight led the Springboks to victory over France in the first two Tests after being named as captain by Allister Coetzee last month.

Whiteley missed the win over Les Bleus in the third Test last Saturday, though, after doing damage during the warm-up at Ellis Park.

Coetzee revealed after his side sealed a whitewash over Guy Noves' men that his skipper would discover the extent of his injury on Monday and it was confirmed on Tuesday that he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with damaged ligaments.