South Africa will be without captain Jean de Villiers for the remainder of the Rugby World Cup after he fractured his jaw against Samoa on Saturday.

The Springboks skipper was substituted with nine minutes of the Pool B clash at Villa Park with his side already well on the way to a 46-6 win.

News that De Villiers will now miss the rest of the tournament comes as a big blow to coach Heyneke Meyer, the centre having only just returned from a similar injury on the other side of his jaw before the World Cup.

"Jean is not only our captain and one of the most experienced players in the squad, but he is also the glue of this team and to lose him is very sad," said Meyer.

"We are all very heart-broken for him and we will miss his influence a lot. He has been very unlucky with injuries, but his character clearly showed when he had to go back on the field when Jesse Kriel picked up an injury.

"Jean has fought back from all his injuries and this is the kind of character and fighting spirit we will need to show going forward in this competition.

"While this is a huge and emotional set-back for the team, we will now have to regroup and refocus before we start our preparations for Saturday’s match against Scotland."

Team doctor Craig Roberts confirmed the extent of the 34-year-old's injury after having scans late on Saturday following the match.

He said: "Jean took a heavy blow to the right side of his jaw in the 72nd minute of the match. X-rays and scans after the game confirmed our fears that it was fractured. 

"The left side of his jaw was fractured on the previous occasion. He will return to South Africa for further specialist treatment."