Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been hospitalised after sustaining burns in a freak accident, SA Rugby announced.

For his chemical burns from an accident involving a strong detergent, Erasmus “is recovering in hospital following a medical procedure,” SA Rugby said in a statement.

“He is otherwise in good health and expects to return to full-time working within weeks.”

Erasmus, a 51-year-old former Springbok back-rower who played in the 1999 World Cup semi-final, was in charge of South Africa’s back-to-back World Cup wins in 2019 and 2023.

Erasmus took over as head coach again after Jacques Nienaber left in November of last year. Along with being head coach, he was also director of rugby before and during the 2019 World Cup.