Rassie Erasmus the bearer of good news as Springboks' injury infirmary starts clearing out

Despite losing Jean Kleyn to injury after the Barbarians clash, the Springboks’ injury infirmary is starting to clear out, with a host of key players set to return over the next week.

The Springboks have already welcomed back big lock Lood de Jager last week after a two-year absence, while fullback Damian Willemse, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and second-row legend Eben Etzebeth is in the matchday squad for this Saturday’s first Test against Italy in Pretoria.

But next weekend will see the return of the great Pieter-Steph du Toit, who had been on the sidelines since the Springboks’ 2024 November Tour match against England.

Du Toit, who is contracted to Toyota Verblitz, missed the Japanese League One season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Coach Rassie Erasmus revealed that the current World Player of the Year is in line to be fit for the second Italy Test in Gqeberha.

Quicksilver Sharks scrumhalf Grant Williams is also set to feature next weekend after missing the Durban side’s United Rugby Championship playoff matches and the Boks’ games against the Barbarians and this Saturday’s first Test against Italy.

The good news for Nelson Mandela Bay rugby fans is that their hometown hero Siya Kolisi also set to return to action in the second Test after a neck injury kept him out of the Barbarians game. The Bok captain was also not considered for this weekend because of an Achilles niggle.

Erasmus, however, confirmed his captain should be ready to lead the team out next weekend.

“Siya had a stiff neck, but it’s all cleared up. Now he has an Achilles issue. It’s not a strain, but he is really stiff there. We just want to make sure he is okay,” Erasmus told a news conference in Pretoria ahead of the Loftus Versfeld clash.

“There isn’t a player who will play more than eight or nine matches this year, so we just want to make sure his achilles is 100 percent ready. But it’s nothing serious, he had some scans to confirm it. Siya should be back next week.”

The only long-term injury concern is tighthead Frans Malherbe, who is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the year. But the Springboks have plenty of cover at tighthead in the big frames of Wilco Louw and Vincent Koch, who has been selected to take on Italy this weekend.

Erasmus confirmed yesterday that Kleyn suffered a knee injury against the Barbarians and could be on the sidelines for the next six weeks.

Jesse Kriel will continue to lead the Boks in Kolisi’s absence, becoming the 67th player to lead the Boks in a Test match when he takes the field on his old stomping ground this weekend.

There was a train of thought that Etzebeth, the most capped Springbok of all time, should captain the Boks this weekend, but Erasmus confirmed that he wanted to give Kriel the opportunity to captain the team in an actual Test match.

“We don’t want to just hand out the captaincy. We want to give it to people who deserve it. The ones we do give it to, it’s so they understand what the captain needs when they are not captain,” Erasmus said.

“We know what we get out of Eben, he probably won’t go an 80. Not that Eben can’t go an 80, but we’ll probably make a sub there between him and Lood. We want to keep the captain on the field.

“There is some nice continuity with Jesse. He has always been a good leader and did well to control the game (against the Barbarians) in that rain with the other senior players in the team.

“It’s nice for him to be captain in a Test match and not just a Barbarian game.”

@JohnGoliath82