Springbok lock crisis deepens as Norton's hamstring rules him out for 10 weeks

Riley Norton’s hamstring injury has worsened South Africa’s mounting lock crisis, with the 20-year-old ruled out for eight to ten weeks and Bulls back-row Elrigh Louw called into the Springbok squad as cover.

Norton, who captains South Africa U20, was set to earn his first senior cap against England in the Nations Championship before joining the U20 side for the Junior World Championship. Instead, he pulled his hamstring during a training session — the second-to-last move of the day — leaving Rassie Erasmus without a recognised second-row on the bench for Saturday’s match against Steve Borthwick’s side.

“Riley got injured in training, unfortunately,” Erasmus said. “It was probably the second-last move of the session. He just pulled his hamstring while chasing. It wasn’t a weird incident, he just pulled it. Unfortunately it’s a bad hamstring injury. I think he’ll be out for eight to 10 weeks.”

Norton is not the only lock to have been lost to injury in recent weeks. Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager were also unavailable for the England fixture, while Salmaan Moerat had already withdrawn from camp before the squad was named. Erasmus acknowledged the pattern, noting that “the locks are certainly getting injured in our environment.”

The Springbok head coach suggested that the intensity of training sessions — particularly the demands placed on younger players integrating with senior squad members — may be a contributing factor, though he stopped short of attributing blame. He also confirmed that Jaco Williams, who had suffered a hamstring injury of his own, has recovered fully and is available for selection.

Louw’s call-up brings him back into the Springbok fold after a knee injury disrupted much of his 2025. The 26-year-old has 13 caps to his name, the most recent of which came in November 2024, and has been involved in Erasmus’ alignment camps this year. The back-row’s versatility offers Erasmus some positional flexibility as he navigates an increasingly stretched forward pack.