Positive Bok Injury Report As They Prepare For Their Test Against Australia

 

Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids said only Cheslin Kolbe have a minor injury that could influence the selection of the Springbok team to face Australia on Sunday.

Commenting on Kolbe’s injury, Davids said the coaches would make a call on his availability for selection on Wednesday.

“All of the injured players are back on the field, it is only Cheslin Kolbe who took a knock to the leg on Friday,” Davids said.

“He has had medical assessments and it didn’t show anything serious, so I’m sure he’ll be good to go as soon as possible. He didn’t train on Tuesday, but we will make a call on his availability for selection by tomorrow.”

The Springboks were back on the training field after having the weekend off following a booster conditioning week, and all the players except for wing Cheslin Kolbe, who took a knock to the leg last Friday, participated in the session.

With the focus in the camp solely on Sunday’s clash at the CBUS Super Stadium, Davids anticipated a tough battle against the hosts, who will be determined to bounce back from their Bledisloe Cup whitewash against the All Blacks, and said they would not underestimate them.

“Historically we have not had a good win record in Australia, but as a team we want to pick up where we left off,” said Davids.

“Australia are a good side, and they are very competitive. We won’t look too much into their past results because they played most of those matches against New Zealand, and with the team building, they can only grow.

“In their last game they created a lot of opportunities and I think they will feel as though they let themselves down in their execution and decision-making.

“So, we’ll make a big mistake if we look at their past results, and we know there is still a lot we can also improve on."

Davids expected the Wallabies to test the Boks' resolve with their phase-play, and said they need to be strong all around to counter the home side's strengths, especially when it comes to their lineout play.

“In my past experiences of coaching against Dave Rennie (Australia head coach), it was clear he has an attacking philosophy,” said Davids.

“They play with ball in hand and create pressure that way.

“From a lineout perspective, Australia are a very competitive side, but it is also an area we would like to improve on.

“So, I think it will be a well-contested area of the game. For us it is important that we execute our plans well well because we would like to deliver quality possession and create a good base to build from.”

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