AJ Venter has returned to the Springbok rugby squad after a short honeymoon. Luke Watson is still in the group too, but there is no room for Bulls flanker Wikus van Heerden.
The South African team’s leadership on Monday decided to retain 35 players in the national squad.
Wings Akona Ndungane and JP Pietersen, centre Jaque Fourie and loose forwards Venter and Joe van Niekerk are back in the squad from which the team for the second test against England will be chosen.
However, it seems Van Heerden’s off-on relationship with the Springbok team will not end soon.
Springbok team manager Zola Yeye said on Monday it was no certainty that Fourie would be fit to be considered for the match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Fourie is still undergoing medical tests.
Flyhalf André Pretorius remains injured and not in the squad. Concern is also growing about veteran prop forward Os du Randt’s leg injury.
Yeye was unwilling to comment on selections but said the large squad that had attended the training camps during the past weeks had not disrupted the selection process.
“The players do not know in which matches they are going to play. This keeps them hungry and promotes competition among those in the squad,” he said.
De Jongh Borchardt reports that England should consider wrapping their match-winning flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson in cotton wool until the start of the World Cup tournament.
Wilkinson was in the wars again in the first test in Bloemfontein last week and there is concern that he may not remain fit to be able to play in France.
Wilkinson was unable to stamp his authority on the match because his forwards were outgunned but it was clear that the 28-year-old star was as competitive as ever.
“Jonny was our leading defender; he enjoys tough competition,” England’s backline coach, Mike Ford, said on Monday.
“He always wants to be where the action is but sometimes he should simply stand back and let someone else do the dirty work.
“He can probably do with a rest but we have not discussed selections for the second test. However, we know he should be looked after with a view to the World Cup.”
Wilkinson’s Newcastle teammate Toby Flood may stand in for him in Pretoria after replacing Andy Farrell at inside centre in Bloemfontein.