Pollard still not ready

Fly-half Handré Pollard has been ruled out of contention for selection for the Springboks' opening Rugby Championship match against Argentina.

Pollard has been plagued by injuries for a number of years having missed the entire 2016 season through injury.

And according to Reuters, he has not quite overcome the ankle injury he has battling with since April and therefore won't be available for the clash with the Pumas at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has Elton Jantjies and Curwin Bosch as options at number 10. 

And to add insult to injury, first choice scrum-half Ross Cronje has been training on his own after he suffered shoulder and chest injuries while playing for the Lions in the Super Rugby final on August 5.

Fortunately, Coetzee has strength in depth in this position with experienced duo Francois Hougaard and Rudy Paige providing the cover.

The Boks will be looking to improve on their disastrous 2016 Rugby Championship campaign, in which they finished third, by starting with a win on Saturday.