World Cup-winning prop CJ van der Linde and uncapped Sharks lock Gerhard Mostert will be added as cover to the Springbok squad preparing for the away leg of the Tri-Nations Series, the South African Rugby Union (Saru) said on Monday.
A decision on the two players’ participation was expected to be taken later in the week, Saru said in a statement.
The Springboks began their Johannesburg preparations on Monday having wrapped up the Cape Town leg of their training.
Van der Linde was called in for further medical assessments on a groin injury that had seen the 69-Test veteran overlooked for inclusion in the Springboks’ preliminary Rugby World Cup squad.
“We’ve been hard hit by injury in several positions, and although we’ve not made any decisions we’re preparing for all eventualities,” Springbok coach Peter de Villiers said.
“CJ has had medical opinion that says he does not require an operation on his groin injury and we will assess him in training over the next couple of days.
“We have a number of injuries at prop and have very little experienced cover, but we won’t compromise on his well-being if he is not right in our opinion.”
Mostert has been added as cover for Johann Muller who has been troubled by a hamstring injury suffered in Cape Town last week.
He forced his way into contention in 2011 with some strong performances for the Sharks in the second half of the Super Rugby competition.
Mostert was included in Peter de Villiers’ first Springbok training group in 2008 as a relatively unknown 22-year-old, but has been hampered by intermittent injuries over the intervening seasons.
“Johann is struggling with the hamstring he injured in Cape Town. We’ll continue to monitor him before making a decision on whether he can travel later this week,” De Villiers said.
“Gerhard is a player I have long admired and he was in the selectors’ thinking before this group was named.”
The Springboks leave for Australia on Friday. — Sapa