The Springboks have received what could be a massive boost as inspirational skipper Siya Kolisi has been seen training this week after suffering an injury in the side’s 31-27 win over the All Blacks last weekend.

Kolisi arrived at the post-match press conference with a swollen face after the victory with head coach Rassie Erasmus suspecting it was a facial fracture. This immediately made the captain a doubt for the ‘rematch’ against the All Blacks this weekend.

However, the good news for Springboks fans is that the swelling on Kolisi’s face looks to have gone down and he is, in fact, training with the squad. This may well be why Erasmus has delayed his team announcement from the standard Tuesday slot to Thursday this week.

Siya Kolisi arrives for Springbok training on Wednesday. The swelling on his face has gone down significantly and he looks good to go! @Sport24news pic.twitter.com/tKBhDX3vcB

— Lloyd Burnard (@LloydBurnard) September 4, 2024

Change needed at wing

While Kolisi still remains a doubt it is certain that prolific wing Kurt-Lee Arendse will not feature in Test II against the All Blacks after he suffered a nasty head knock in Johannesburg. The Bulls man is not adhering to the return-to-play protocols.

Reports suggest that Makazole Mapimpi is still with the Sharks in Durban and not training with the side in Cape Town possibly opening the door to Canan Moodie’s return from injury.

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The balance of the tournament

The Rugby Championship is firmly in the Springboks grasp at the moment with the South Africans eight points above second-placed New Zealand at the halfway mark of the competition.

The race to the title is certainly not over with the Cape Town battle crucial in deciding who will lift the trophy after six rounds. The Springboks will also be desperate to get the Freedom Cup (contested between South Africa and New Zealand) back in their hands with the All Blacks having won it the last 10 times.

It is all to play for at DHL Stadium this weekend before the tournament progresses to its latter stages.

READ MORE: Justin Marshall: Where the Springboks have an advantage over ‘every team in the world’