Nienaber has an indication of the players that will make the squad for their title defence, but there is still room for players to impress him.

The Boks will have their first training camp in Cape Town, however, it is for those players who haven’t had a break since the British & Irish Lions Tour.

Nienaber said that form will certainly be a factor before finalising his squad, however, through consistent selection over the last few years, a core of players has already been established.

"I think form can definitely still influence selection," said Nienaber.

"I think if you looked at the squads that we selected in the bio-bubbles with Covid-19 and also the players that we used in the last year or two, you'll probably get an idea of who's in the mix for the World Cup.

"But then there are also examples like a Herschel Jantjies in 2019. He wasn't even on the radar back in 2018 and then got himself into the World Cup through good performances."

The Boks coach also added that there is still a long way to go before they get to the point where the squad will be named. Injuries will also be a big factor before finalising the squad to travel to France.

"I can't imagine it will be before the competitions (United Rugby Championship and the Rugby Championship) are concluded. There could be injuries, so it makes no sense to name a squad and then have to rename it."

The Springboks will kick off their season on 8 July when they tackle the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport