Smit captained South Africa to World Cup glory last year

South Africa captain John Smit has been ruled out of the rest of the rest of the Tri-Nations after undergoing surgery on his injured groin.

The 30-year-old was injured in his side's 19-8 defeat by New Zealand on 5 July and missed their thrilling 30-28 win over the All Blacks on Saturday.

Smit's absence leaves South Africa short of options at hooker.

Second-choice Bismarck du Plessis has been banned for three games, leaving Schalk Brits as the next in line.

The Boks have also called up the uncapped 23-year-old Cheetahs hooker Adriaan Strauss as cover for Saturday's Test against Australia.

Lock Victor Matfield replaced Smit as captain in Dunedin on Saturday and is likely to take over the job for the rest of the tournament.

Despite the surgery being described as a success, no date has yet been set for Smit's return to action.

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"I've obviously been very down, but they brought a smile to my face with that result," he said

"It was an incredible win, and vindication for all the hard work that has gone in by all involved."

Matfield paid tribute to Smit's contribution to the Springbok cause after the win over the All Blacks.

"I've always said that a captain is much more than what you do on the field and he helped us put a lot of things in place in the last four or five weeks and that's what carried us through and helped us at the end," said Matfield.

"He left us a great speech before the game and I think that really lifted the guys. He's part of this win just as much as we are."