Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has posted an update on his return to fitness as he strives to be fit in time for the Rugby World Cup.
Kolisi sustained a knee injury in the Sharks’ 22-all draw against Munster in the United Rugby Championship late last month.
Positive update
The 31-year-old went under the knife at the start of the month and has now posted a clip that will give Springboks fans hope.
In the post captioned ‘Day 17’, Kolisi is on a Wattbike, seemingly moving freely, sporting a big smile and flexing.
Kolisi did link up with the Springboks this week for the first of two preparation camps this month ahead of the international season.
He is one of 15 local and Japanese-based players invited to the camp, excluding Stormers preparing to face Munster in the United Rugby Championship Grand Final.
Springboks preparation camp
Speaking from the camp, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber said that it is a bonus that he could have Kolisi and fellow injured teammate Eben Etzebeth with the squad.
“Having a few injured players here, such as Siya (Kolisi) and Eben (Etzebeth) is also a bonus, as they’ll participate in all our team meetings while our medical team have already started working with them,” Nienaber said.
The Boks boss added: “It was fantastic to see how excited the players and members of team management were to return to the national set-up when we arrived in Durban.
“This is a massive season for us, and judging by the players’ enthusiasm to get back to the training field, we are excited about the journey ahead as we prepare for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, our Rugby World Cup warm-up matches and the international showpiece in France.
“With these players having completed their franchise and club commitments, they can now turn their attention fully to the international season.”
Every minute counts
Nienaber added that every minute counts and that the coaches were able to give special attention to players due to the small group invited to the camp.
“We have a small group of players at this camp, but this affords us the luxury of giving them special attention,” he said.
“As we said at our first training camp in February, every minute with the players is crucial for us to get our structures and systems in place to ensure that we peak at the right time during the World Cup.
“We’ll have a bigger group of players at the next camp and at our Castle Lager Rugby Championship training camp in June, but this week will assist us greatly in putting the groundwork in place.
Players invited to Springbok camps (in alphabetical order): Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Verblitz), Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Jaden Hendrikse, Siya Kolisi (all Sharks), Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz), Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi (both Sharks), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Ox Nche (Sharks), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Grant Williams (Sharks).
READ MORE: Manie Libbok: Stormers star voted the United Rugby Championship Fans’ Player of the Season
The article Siya Kolisi: Upbeat Springboks captain posts update on recovery ‘Day 17’ appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
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