Jaco Kriel to undergo shoulder surgery again

Springbok flanker Jaco Kriel has been ruled out for the entire Super Rugby season after being forced to undergo another shoulder operation.

Kriel sustained the shoulder injury playing for the Springboks in a Rugby Championship match against Australia on September 9. It was then decided he would undergo surgery.

But it appears that operation was unsuccessful and now Kriel will need to go under the knife again.

Kriel was instrumental in guiding the Lions to the Super Rugby final last season as the competition's leading try-scoring forward with nine tries.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances the operation that Jaco Kriel underwent on his shoulder was unsuccessful and needs to be repeated on Thursday 8 March 2018," a statement from the Lions read.

"The Lions Rugby Company will communicate further information as it becomes available without compromising the players privacy."

According to recent reports, Kriel has been linked with a move to Gloucester to join Johan Ackermann's brigade next season so it could mean the stalwart does not pull on a Lions jersey again.

“I’ll obviously be out of contract by mid-2018 and I haven’t exactly lined up anything after that,” said Kriel at the time when the reports first surfaced.

“That’s something I’ll have to think about at a later stage but I’m still at the Lions. That’s about what I know about the report that was written about me.”

Kriel has played for the Lions 57 times and has been capped 11 times by the Springboks.