Kurt-Lee Arendse of Vodacom Bulls collides with Luke McGrath of Leinster on his way to scoring his sides first try during the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Vodacom Bulls at RDS Arena in Dublin, Ireland. (Gallo Images)

• Bulls winger Kurt-Lee Arendse has joined the list of Springbok walking wounded ahead of the fast-approaching Test season.
• The 15-cap Bok fractured his cheekbone during the Bulls’ United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Benetton at Loftus on Saturday.
• He is set to go under the knife on Sunday morning, and time will tell how this affects his Bok ambitions.
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Kurt-Lee Arendse joined the growing number of World Cup-winning Springboks either in a race against time or ruled out of the world champions’ Test series against Ireland.

Having started the Bulls’ 30-23 win in their United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final against Italian side Benetton brightly by scoring seconds into the game and in the 18th minute, Arendse went off in the 30th minute after a sickening clash of heads with opposition centre Malakai Fekitoa as he tried to tackle the former All Black.

Arendse was initially taken off the field for an HIA (Head Injury Assessment), but he would fail to emerge from the tunnel, having fractured a bone in his cheek.

Arendse will now go for surgery on Sunday morning to fix the break in what the Bulls’ director of rugby, Jake White, hopes will give him an Antoine Dupont-esque chance at a speedy enough recovery to line up against the Irish in July.

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“It looks like he’s fractured the bone in his cheekbone,” White began.

“It’s such a fracture that when I say it’s not too bad, it’s a fracture they can put a plate in to try and get him ready as quickly as they can for the Tests.

“Every kid wants to be in the Tests, and credit to our medical staff for finding the doctor who will do the surgery tomorrow morning so quickly.

“It’s a little like the Dupont injury. Dupont got the operation the next day [and was ready to play against the Springboks in the World Cup quarter-final a few weeks later].”

The 15-capped Springbok with 13 tries joins Bulls World Cup winners Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden on the sidelines, with Moodie having had an operation on a broken left index finger this week and Van Staden likely to return from banging the knee which recently kept him out for a few weeks next week.

Having already lost utility back Damian Willemse to a finger ligaments injury, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, who was due to announce a training squad to be based in Pretoria ahead of the first Test of the season – against Wales at Twickenham – after the Stormers’ quarter-final against Glasgow, will be tearing his hair out as his options are dwindling with each passing round that the South African franchises are in the URC.

With Duane Vermeulen retired, Jasper Wiese has already ruled himself out of contention via a lengthy ban for a dangerous clean while playing for Leicester, while possible successor Evan Roos got a head knock that ruled him out of Saturday’s Glasgow game.

As things stand, Roos’ concussion is said to be mild, but there’s no telling which direction head injuries can take.

Other injuries Erasmus is monitoring is Eben Etzebeth (back), Lukhanyo Am (shoulder) and Jaden Hendrikse (also shoulder).