Springboks arrive unscathed

South Africa have arrived in Cardiff with a full compliment of players after recording a narrow 23-21 triumph in Ireland.

The Springboks lost several key squad members before departing for their European tour but they will be relieved that they picked up no further injuries at the Aviva Stadium, only the usual bumps and bruises.

“The only concern before the match was Jean de Villiers and we managed him and replaced him after 60 minutes as we planned,” said Springboks team doctor Craig Roberts.

“It is an acute muscle strain – not a tear – and it’s just a bit sore. We have to be clever in how we manage him and he should be fine to train tomorrow (Tuesday).

“He came through the game well and apart from the usual bumps and bruises there are no major concerns.”

The Springbok squad has now reached 30 after Francois Steyn joined up with the party. Steyn played for Racing Metro in the latest round of Top 14 matches at the weekend before becoming available for the match against Wales.

“The players worked hard all last week and they took that on to the field,” said Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.

“We focused on certain areas and it was pleasing to see the results. It was a new-look team but they responded well to the occasion and the tricky conditions and delivered a great performance.

“But that’s behind us now and it will mean nothing when we meet Wales on Saturday. We’ve already switched our focus to them and the different type of challenge they present.”

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