CAPE TOWN — Hooker Schalk Brits has been called up to the Springbok squad as a precautionary measure after captain John Smit injured his groin in South Africa's Tri-Nations defeat by New Zealand on Saturday.

"The flight from Cape Town to Wellington can be as long as 20 hours and we have therefore decided to call on Schalk so that the team can have sufficient cover in that area if needed," Springbok coach Peter de Villiers said in a media release on Sunday.

The extent of the groin injury suffered by Smit, who came off just before halftime after a controversial off-the-ball incident involving All Black lock Brad Thorn, will be determined on Monday.

Thorn was handed a one-match suspension after the match for unsportsmanlike conduct after picking up Smit in the sixth minute and dumping him on his back.

New Zealand won the match 19-8.

Brits made his Springbok debut, replacing Bismarck du Plessis, in the final quarter of South Africa's 26-0 victory over Italy in June.

The Springboks face New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday for a second consecutive Tri-Nations encounter before travelling to Perth to battle Australia on July 19.