Sunday 30 November 2014 14:35, UK
South Africa captain Jean de Villiers looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a dislocated knee in his side's 12-6 defeat to Wales.
A statement released by the Springboks on Twitter confirmed the injury and said the Stormers centre would undergo scans to determine the extent of the damage.
The 33-year-old, who has a long history of knee injuries, was carried off the field on a stretcher and received oxygen after the sickening incident midway through the second half at the Millennium Stadium.
De Villiers was attempting to secure possession at the ruck after a restart and had planted his studs in the turf when the Wales forwards - quite legally - cleared out the breakdown. Screams could be heard on the television footage of the incident.
"Losing our captain was a big setback," said South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer.
"Jean has had so many knee injuries. Victor Matfield's a great leader. But I feel really sorry for Jean. I hope he will be back for the World Cup."
Medical staff took several minutes to treat De Villiers on the pitch, and he received a standing ovation from the crowd on his departure.
De Villiers ruptured knee ligaments five minutes into the start of his first Test back in 2002, and has since suffered further serious knee problems as well as shoulder problems.
Despite his injury problems, De Villiers has amassed 106 Test caps and took over the Springbok captaincy in 2012 although he has managed just 160 minutes of competitive action at World Cups despite being selected for three tournaments.
World Cup-winning captain John Smit, one of De Villiers' predecessors as Boks skipper, tweeted that the nation should "keep JDV in our prayers tonight".
