A Cheslin Kolbe injury ruled the Springbok wing out of the remainder of the series against the All Blacks, coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed after South Africa’s 28-24 win at FNB Stadium on Saturday, 5 September 2026.
Kolbe broke his jaw inside the opening 10 minutes of the third Test in Soweto and would not travel to North America for the fourth and final match, as reported by Planet Rugby.
The injury ended his involvement in the four-match series.
What the Cheslin Kolbe injury meant for the Springboks
The series ran under the “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” banner, a four-Test programme between South Africa and New Zealand. The Soweto match was the third instalment, and the Springboks’ four-point margin turned a level series into a lead with one fixture left to play.
A fractured jaw usually calls for surgical fixation and an extended period on a restricted diet, which places it among the longer layoffs an outside back can face.
The injury was sustained inside the opening 10 minutes of a Test that South Africa went on to win by four points.
Erasmus addressed the loss when he set out the squad that would board the charter flight to Baltimore. The coach kept the detail brief, naming the injury without setting out a recovery timeline or a return date:
“Cheslin broke his jaw.”
Who travelled after the Cheslin Kolbe injury
Four other players stayed behind in South Africa alongside Cheslin Kolbe. Erasmus named Carlu Sadie, Boan Venter and Ntuthuko Mchunu among them, together with Ben-Jason Dixon, who had not cleared concussion symptoms in the days after the Test.
The coach set out the cover and the absentees in one answer, confirming the back-three options available before listing the players who would remain in South Africa while the rest of the squad travelled north:
“Damian Willemse will be ready for next, so will Aphelele Fassi. Carlu Sadie, Boan Venter, and Ntuthuko Mchunu will all be staying behind with Cheslin as well as Ben-Jason Dixon, who still has concussion symptoms.”
Scrum-half Herschel Jantjies was added to the travelling squad to provide cover at number nine.
Damian Willemse and Aphelele Fassi were named as the back-three options who would carry the load left by Kolbe’s withdrawal.
What happens next in Baltimore
Both squads boarded the same charter flight to Baltimore for a series finale staged in the United States rather than in either home country. South Africa arrived at that fixture 2-1 ahead after the 28-24 result in Soweto, leaving the four-match contest to be settled in a single Test.
Victory in Baltimore would give South Africa the series outright, while New Zealand needed a win to level the contest at 2-2.
Kolbe’s recovery period would determine his availability beyond the tour, with no return date attached to the announcement at the time it was made.
