Over the weekend, the back-to-back world champions made a strong statement at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, running in seven tries as they powered their way to a convincing 45-21 victory against England to kick-off their campaign on a high note.

However, the impressive performance came at a cost, with several key players picking up injuries, while there were already concerns in the camp before kick-off.

Captain Siya Kolisi and veteran lock Eben Etzebeth were both initially named in the starting XV but were forced into late withdrawals. Etzebeth sustained a knock to the head and was unable to complete his return-to-play protocols in time after failing his HIA, while Kolisi was ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

The injury list grew during the Test itself when loosehead prop Ox Nché suffered a knee injury shortly after making one of his trademark powerful carries. The versatile André Esterhuizen was also forced from the field after appearing to sustain a concussion when his head ended up on the wrong side of a tackle.

There is particular concern in the Springbok camp regarding Nché’s injury, with fears that the powerful front-ranker could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines depending on the outcome of further scans.

André Esterhuizen. Photo: X

Meanwhile, the lock department is also being stretched thin, with as many as eight second-row options currently unavailable. The list includes the likes of RG Snyman, Jean Kleyn, Etzebeth and Riley Norton, among others.

While the injury concerns are far from ideal, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus believes it also provides opportunities for other players to prove their worth. Two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, who captained the side against England, and Ben-Jason Dixon were both called upon to cover at lock, adding further depth and versatility to the squad.

Erasmus admitted injuries are an unfortunate reality of the game but said exposing more players to Test rugby remains vital, especially in a demanding competition where squad depth could prove decisive.

Pieter-Steph du Toit. Photo: SA Rugby

“Ox has got a knee injury - I think it’s pretty bad, but as is the normal process, we’ll have to do the scans and find out what’s wrong,” said Erasmus.

“We wouldn’t have taken him off because the game wasn’t definitely in the bag, as you saw.

“Those two players, obviously, to get caps into guys is important. It’s a new competition and bonus points do count. I saw this morning when the other teams played, they were going for bonus points. They were chasing it in New Zealand and Australia, and that’s probably something we weren’t planning to do.

“We were planning to just win this Test match because we think England are a class team, but then injuries happened.”

“For those boys to play at this intensity against a team like that, with Tom Curry and Henry Pollock, they are a good team. They’re on a losing streak now, but before that they were on an 11-game winning streak, so they know how to win.

“For those boys to get used to this level is important. I don’t think the guys who played there were brilliant, but they certainly weren’t out of their depth at that level, and that’s good.”

The Springboks will now shift their focus to Scotland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where Erasmus is expected to again rely on the depth of his squad as they look to build momentum in the Nations Championship. Erasmus will name his team for the clash on Monday.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg