Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids has confirmed that star wing Cheslin Kolbe is in doubt for South Africa’s Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Gold Coast on Sunday. MARIETTE ADAMS reports.

Kolbe has been one of the Springboks’ standout performers since making his Test debut in 2018 and played an influential role in South Africa’s 2-1 series win over the British & Irish Lions recently.

The Boks have since travelled to Australia for the remainder of the Rugby Championship and their first match will be against the host nation on Sunday.

But, Kolbe could be set to miss the clash after suffering a leg injury in training this past Friday, as confirmed by Davids during an online media briefing on Tuesday.

“At this stage all our players, except Cheslin Kolbe, are ready and available. All the previously injured players are back on the field training and available for selection,” Davids said.

“Kolbe took a hit on the leg towards the end of our training session on Friday and was sent away by the medical staff for treatment and assessment.

“They are still busy with his assessment, so we’ll make a decision later today or early tomorrow [Wednesday] in terms of his availability depending on the outcome of the medical assessment. It’s nothing serious and hopefully he will be ready to play as soon as possible.”

One of the rules within Springboks set-up is that if a player does not take part in the first training session of the week leading up to a Test match, he will not be considered for selection irrespective of his availability.

When asked if Kolbe had trained with the team on Monday, Davids confirmed he hadn’t but remained mum on whether or not the Boks will break their own rule to allow the wing to play if he is medically passed fit.

“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to make that decision. He last trained on Friday, but we’re waiting for the medical results. In saying that, we’re confident that the right decision will be made in the best interest of the team.”

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