Flanker Juan Smith faces a race against time to be fit for South Africa's next Tri Nations assignment against Australia on Saturday.

The Cheetahs captain suffered an abdominal muscle strain during the first half of their 29-22 loss against New Zealand at the weekend in Soweto.

Smith was then hauled off after 58 minutes and replaced by Francois Louw as the Springboks slipped to a fourth consecutive loss.

He did not take part in training on Monday but team doctor Craig Roberts was confident that with treatment, the player should recover in time and be considered for selection when the team is named on Tuesday.

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