South Africa captain and flanker Siya Kolisi will be sidelined for four weeks due to a knee injury suffered in a shock loss to Australia at the weekend, coach Rassie Erasmus said on Monday.

Pieter-Steph du Toit has also been ruled out after suffering a concussion in South Africa’s defeat in the opening round of the Rugby Championship

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -As if the pain of a first defeat to Australia at Ellis Park in 62 years was not enough, South Africa face a heavy injury toll from the 38-22 defeat in Saturday's Rugby Championship opener,

South Africa's Springboks will kick off their Rugby Championship defence with a clash against the somewhat resurgent Australia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus insists his side have only got closer together after their dramatic defeat to Australia.

The Wallabies outplayed, outthought, and outran the Springboks to pull off a shock 38–22 win at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Of the 37 players in South Africa's Rugby Championship squad, nine (so, a quarter) went to high school in the Cape Winelands, a tiny region just outside Cape Town with a reputation for rugby excellence.

Legacy is sure to be a driving force for the Springboks as they hunt down the unprecedented achievement of a third consecutive World Cup triumph.