Emiliano Boffelli's ongoing back problem will keep him sidelined for "a number of weeks", Edinburgh Rugby have said. 

The Argentina international was due to be among the replacements for Friday's season opener against Leinster, but was withdrawn before kick-off after the long-running problem flared up once more. 

Boffelli missed a large chunk of last season with the issue, which was first thought to be a back spasm, but was eventually diagnosed as nerve damage and he underwent surgery. 

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt hoped having the summer off would help the issue, which he said after Friday's defeat to Leinster that Boffelli has been dealing with for a couple of years.

However, the 29-year-old is not with the squad for their two-match tour of South Africa and will now miss the first chunk of the season.

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Meanwhile, the club say they are continuing to monitor the fitness of newly-capped Scotland centre Matt Currie after he limped out of Friday's defeat with a hamstring strain. 

Currie did travel with the squad to South Africa as Everitt's side prepare to face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The club said on Monday morning that "a decision on his availability will be made later this week".

If Currie is unavailable, Matt Scott - the man who replaced him on the field on Friday having replaced Boffelli in the matchday 23 - could earn a starting role, with Mark Bennett also providing an experienced alternative in the midfield.