The Bulls say Springboks scrumhalf Fourie du Preez will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a right knee injury that will probably rule him out for the rest of the Super Rugby season.

The Bulls confirm on Monday that Du Preez suffered a grade two medial ligament tear in the defending champions' victory over the Sharks on Saturday.

Team doctor Org Strauss said the highly-rated No. 9 "is very lucky that his knee didn't sustain more damage."

Du Preez's knee bent back awkwardly in a first-half collision with a team mate, although he finished the game. Strauss says "we expect him to react positively to rehabilitation."

Du Preez is a key player for the Bulls and the Springboks, who also defend their World Cup title this year.

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