Cheslin Kolbe was carted off the pitch on Saturday with a suspected ankle injury as Toulon beat Lyon in the French Top 14.

The Springbok winger left the field in the 36th-minute after scoring a try at Stade de Gerland. The 29-year-old is suspected to have suffered a sprained ankle as he bounced off the ground after diving to touch down.

Kolbe, who made the last of his 24 Test appearances in November, was in tears as a golf buggy carried him to the stands, a worrying image with this year’s World Cup in France less than six months away.

The Bok dynamo, who scored a famous try at the showpiece event in 2019 to help South Africa clinch their third world title. Though Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse, who each made a Test debut in 2022, have shown great promise, Kolbe’s withdrawal would deal a big blow to the Springboks’ plans.

© Agence France-Presse

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