Boks receive clean bill of health

Brisbane - All 31 players in the Springbok tour squad were given the green light to be considered for selection for their Rugby Championship opener against Australia.

The South Africans will only have two full training sessions and a light captain’s run before facing the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts said all the players in the squad were available for Saturday’s Test following Tuesday’s training session at the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane.

“We always knew this was going to be a shorter week than normal and we planned for it, which is why we worked really hard in the last two weeks in South Africa,” said Roberts.

“In any game you play, there is always the risk of injuries, as it’s about exposure and to be honest, I was a bit concerned about our match against the World XV last Saturday. It came after two very big training weeks and we were bringing back a few players from injury, but we got through it with flying colours.”

Roberts said that although a high number of players struggled with injuries a couple of weeks ago, that number has come down. The team to face Australia will be announced on Wednesday.

“We’re very happy with the progress a lot of the players have shown,” said Roberts.

“Obviously we still have a number of guys who are not yet ready to play, but every player will be managed individually in the coming weeks.

“As we’re moving closer to the World Cup, the window of opportunity to get players back and ready starts diminishing. If we get major injuries now, it could rule players out of the World Cup and I’ll start getting really nervous in the final six weeks before the tournament kicks off.”

Springbok squad in Brisbane:

Forwards: Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Marcell Coetzee, Lood de Jager, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Francois Louw, Frans Malherbe, Victor Matfield, Teboho “Oupa” Mohoje, Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Adriaan Strauss, Heinke van der Merwe, Warren Whiteley

Backs: Damian De Allende, Bryan Habana, Jesse Kriel, Patrick Lambie, Willie le Roux, Lionel Mapoe, Lwazi Mvovo, Rudy Paige, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Jan Serfontein, Morne Steyn