Veteran No 8 Duane Vermeulen is set to miss the Rugby Championship after undergoing groin surgery.

Vermeulen was poised to rejoin the Boks for the June series against France, but was ruled out with a shoulder injury.

His French club Toulon confirmed in an AFP report on Wednesday that the 31-yer-old was expected to be sidelined for the next three months.

Vermeulen's absence could leave the Boks short of depth at No 8 at the start of the Rugby Championship, with Warren Whiteley facing a race against time to be fit for the first game against Argentina on 19 August.

Photo: Ben Radford Corbis/Getty Images