Springbok second row Selborne Boome has had to withdraw from the World Cup squad after fracturing his thumb and has been replaced by Western Province's Fritz van Heerden.
The injury occurred during the Springbok's lacklustre display in their warm up game on Sunday, and the recovery time is expected to be between 6 and 8 weeks.
Coach Nick Mallett has acknowledged that it is a serious blow to the squad. "For him (Boome) to miss out on the World Cup at such a late stage is tremendously disappointing," said the coach.
Van Heerden won the nod to replace Boome ahead of Gauteng Lions' AJ Venter who was widely expected to slot in after a fine display in last Saturday's Currie Cup final. However Mallett has gone with the former Leicester player who won the last of his 13 caps in 1997.