Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says it will be tough to trim his squad for the World Cup later this year.
Erasmus’s Springboks play their final Rugby Championship match of the season on Saturday against the Pumas in Argentina.
And with only 31 players to be named for their trip to Japan next month, Erasmus says: “There are 36 to 38 players in our camp and in our plans at this stage.
“It’ll be tough for me personally because there are going to be six or seven guys who’ll fall out of the squad and I’m already worried about that.
“We are lucky there are few injuries at this stage and hopefully it will stay that way.
RACE AGAINST TIME: Siya Kolisi. Photo: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix.
“Some guys will drop out which is tough but we will worry about that after the game at Loftus.”
After facing Argentina on Saturday, the Springboks return to South Africa to face the Pumas in Pretoria in what will serve as their second-last warmup for the tournament.
Among those players injured is captain Siya Kolisi, who suffered a knee injury while on duty for the Stormers in Super Rugby earlier this year.
Kolisi is on the road to recovery and can be expected to make the team for the Loftus assignment.
The Boks then have a final preparation match in Japan against the tournament hosts on September 6.