Boks sweat over Kitshoff injury

Ulster have confirmed that Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff will return to South Africa after suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Kitshoff suffered the injury during Ulster’s Challenge Cup quarter-final against Clermont, where he played 55 minutes before being substituted.

In the latest injury report on Ulster’s website, the Belfast club confirmed that after undergoing a scan, Kitshoff will not play again this season as a specialist determined that his injury will rule him out of the rest of the Vodacom URC campaign.

The two-time World Cup winner will return to South Africa this week, to consult with a knee specialist over a treatment plan.

It is unclear at this stage whether Kitshoff will recover in time for the Springboks’ Test series against Six Nations champions Ireland in July.

The injury brings Kitshoff’s one-season stint with Ulster to a premature end, as he will re-join the DHL Stormers next season after agreeing an early release from his contract with the Irish club.

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