The Springboks have confirmed that captain Siya Kolisi is on track to return from his knee injury in time for the World Cup warm-up matches.

Kolisi went under the knife last month after suffering a knee ligament injury while in action for the Sharks in the final round of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

The surgery has placed Kolisi in a race against time to prove his fitness for the World Cup, with the Springboks set to announce the 33-man squad – that will travel to France – on August 8.

During a press conference held in Pretoria, where an expanded 40-player squad has been training, director of rugby Rassie Erasmus provided an update on the loose forward’s fitness.

Erasmus confirmed that the Springboks are aiming to get Kolisi involved in the World Cup warm-up games, as he has progressed well in his injury rehab.

This means that the Springboks will have a new captain during the truncated Rugby Championship, which gets underway on July 8.

Following the Rugby Championship, the Springboks have three World Cup warm-up fixtures scheduled: Against Argentina in Buenos Aires on August 5, Wales in Cardiff on August 19, and then New Zealand at Twickenham on August 25.

The games should give Kolisi enough time to improve his match fitness before the defending champions get their World Cup campaign started against Scotland on September 1.