Bok captain Kolisi to prove fitness in Currie Cup

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is in a race against time to be fit for the Rugby World Cup, and the Bok management will treat him "conservatively" to ensure that he is ready to get onto the plane to Japan in September.

Kolisi is suffering from a bone bruise on his knee, something that is painful and a difficult rehab prospect for any player. Add the pressure that Kolisi is under while trying to get onto the field, and the sensible decision has been taken to give him extra time to be ready again.

And if he isn't treated properly, the chances of getting Kolisi onto the plane for Japan would be "less than 50 percent", according to Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

The situation is similar to Lions captain Warren Whiteley, who like Kolisi, is likely to return via the Currie Cup rather than come straight back into the Springbok squad.

But for now, Kolisi is allowed more leeway than most as the Boks need their inspirational leader when they leave for the World Cup in two months' time.

Coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed as much to the media on Wednesday, saying that Kolisi's return would be judged conservatively so that he returns fully fit onto the field and ready for the World Cup campaign.

"He has more or less the same injury as Warren Whiteley. And in Warren's case they didn't treat it as conservatively and he has been out for quite a long time. We are going to be a little bit more conservative with Siya to make sure he is ready for the World Cup, which is the most important tournament of the year," Erasmus said.

“He is getting his scan results on Friday, and we will take it from there and we will take it from there. But the most probable route is that after the scan on Friday we will see what the return to play protocol will be but I guess it will probably be to get on the plane with us to New Zealand. He will probably stay behind and play one or two Currie Cup games and get him back into rugby in the last Argentina game if his tests are positive.

“And then on the plane to Japan. That is the most likely route to see that he goes to the World Cup. I think if we push him too early now for New Zealand and Australia, then there will be more than a 50 percent chance that he won't go to the World Cup. So we would rather do everything to get him to the World Cup.”

Erasmus also clarified that players not at the Bok camp currently are not necessarily out of the mix, but were rather given time to recover from injuries at their franchises than in Pretoria with the squad.

This includes the Du Preez twins, fullback Damian Willemse, Whiteley and even Jan Serfontein, who is recovering from an ankle injury.

"The guys we haven't selected that were in the mix last year – guys like Damian (Willemse) and Jean-Luc and Dan Du Preez. There are a few guys like that. We've just decided that the guys that we will train with now – apart from Siya – will be available for the first test against Australia. We wouldn't like a lot of guys in the group that we would have to rehab all the time. We would rather let them do that at their franchises and the moment they are ready we can draft them in.

“There has been a few that are unlucky not to be here, but they are not here because they won't be in the World Cup squad, they are just not here because they can't train with us. The moment the guys are two, three weeks out we aren't drafting them into the squad – except for Siya, because he is our captain.

"Eben (Etzebeth) looks good for the first game, and Kwagga (Smith) will be ready for the first game as he had a hamstring injury. Apart from that everybody else is training that is in the squad."