Springbok lock Andries Bekker will miss the rest of the 2010 season with a back injury which will require surgery.

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The 2,08-metre tall forward has been ruled out of action for four months, having suffered the injury during South Africa’s 32-17 loss to the All Blacks in Wellington two weeks ago.

Having also missed South Africa’s first Test of the year – against Wales in Cardiff in June, because of a foot injury – Bekker was last week forced to return from the Boks’ Australasian trip with an ‘acute disc injury’.

This injury will now require surgery, which was officially confirmed on WP Rugby’s official Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon. The Twitter entry read as follows: “Andries Bekker will be operated on to fix a back injury. Out for four months.”

Afterwards, Western Province coach Allister Coetzee revealed at his team’s weekly press conference that Bekker’s injury was a recurrence of an old injury. However, the WP boss added: “It is not career threatening.”

Bekker was consistently one of the top locks throughout the Super 14, helping the Stormers into their first-ever Super Rugby Final, and his lengthy lay-off comes as a major blow to the Springboks’ already misfiring Tri-Nations campaign; not to mention Western Province’s Currie Cup season.