The Springboks will face a nervous wait on the status of Makazole Mapimpi after Jacques Nienaber confirmed the winger suffered a cheekbone injury against Tonga on Sunday.

In his second appearance at the 2023 tournament, Mapimpi was forced off in the first half following a head-on-head collision with Tonga scrumhalf Augustine Pulu.

The incident was checked by referee Luke Pearce, who was happy that it only warranted a penalty and not a yellow card.

Mapimpi did not return to the field after failing his Head Impact Assessment and he was replaced by Jesse Kriel, who scored a try as the Springboks claimed a 49-18 victory.

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Nienaber confirmed after the match that the veteran speedster’s future participation in the tournament is in serious doubt.

“He unfortunately had a blow-out fracture of his cheekbone,” said Nienaber.

“He’ll probably go for specialist scans [Monday] morning to determine the severity of it.”

The injury is similar to the one suffered by France captain and star scrumhalf Antoine Dupont, who had to undergo surgery and have a metal plate inserted in a bid to recover in time for the quarter-finals.

Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP