The world champions, South Africa, will have to launch defence of their title in France without a clutch of high-profile injured players including the Leicester fly‑half Handré Pollard and star centre Lukhanyo Am. The lock Lood de Jager will also miss the start of the tournament but the captain, Siya Kolisi, has been declared fit enough to be included in a squad containing 21 players with previous World Cup experience.
Pollard (calf), Am (knee) and De Jager (chest problem) have officially been placed on standby but can now only be added to the squad in the event of an injury to someone else. Pollard’s continuing absence leaves Manie Libbok as the first‑choice fly-half in the squad while the influential Am, who sustained a knee injury in the team’s 24-13 win against Argentina in Buenos Aires, is expected to be out of action for the next four weeks.
