There was a positive prognosis for the likes of double World Cup winners Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit ahead of the Springboks opening test in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship next month and even more good news about a bunch of players that will return before the Boks take on the All Blacks in two tests when they return.
Coach Rassie Erasmus said before jetting off to Australia that Pieter-Steph du Toit had been cleared to play in the tests against the Wallabies on August 10 and 17, but that he had been hampered from training because of flu symptoms.
Still, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue with the game still 10 days away, and Du Toit is expected to return to training when the team gets to Australia.
Marx, meanwhile, is “90 per cent ready” to play next week - according to Erasmus - after he fractured a tibia in a horrible crocodile roll during the second test against Ireland. While it was initially feared that the injury may keep him out longer, Marx has shown great recovery, although the jury is still out whether the will be ready for the first game.
Erasmus is known to have a policy that if players aren’t fit at the beginning of the test week, that they won’t be available for selection and unless Marx passes that test, he may only be seen in the second test.
Erasmus said that Steven Kitshoff was also ready to return to the field, but that he needed match-day time before he would rejoin the Boks. The Boks have included rookie Jan-Hendrik Wessels as their back-up and he could well get a run against Australia either at prop or hooker.
“Kitsie needs to play some rugby. Malcolm is 90 per cent to play next week. That’s why we take a Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who can cover loosehead prop and hooker,” said Erasmus.
“Pieter-Steph will be ready to play next week, and that makes your team selection interesting, because then you can play around with your bench selection, picking two locks or two loose forwards in a 6-2 split because he can cover No 5.
“But that must be a fit Pieter-Steph. He had a bit of a bruised knee and now he has the flu. So he couldn’t train fully for us over the last few days.”
There was also some positive news on the injuries to Faf de Klerk, Canan Moodie and Damian Willemse, with all three expected to return to the side when they return from Australia. Apart from them, the Boks will also welcome back the two suspended players in the squad - Jasper Wiese and Andre Esterhuizen to the team as they complete their bans.
“Apart from that, there’s not really one guy carrying injuries within the 33. And then guys who are probably coming back - Faf has a groin injury, which won’t take too long but we left him at home,” he added.
“Jaden Hendrikse is coming back. Also, Canan Moodie is ready to play next week and Damian Willemse I guess in another three weeks.”