Coach Jacques Nienaber is confident Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am will be fit for the World Cup, after the injured Springboks were named on a standby list for the global tournament.

Pollard (calf), Am (knee) and lock Lood de Jager (chest problem) were the three notable omissions when the Springboks announced the 33-player squad for the World Cup in France.

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However, the two recovering backs were included in a five-player standby group that will travel with the Boks to the UK tomorrow for their final two warm-up matches against Wales and New Zealand.

“The big thing with Handre is that he needs to get through a Test match week,” Nienaber said. “His rehab went well, but he needs to go through a Test match week and the demands that come with that week.

“He needs to handle that, from where he has to produce a performance on a Saturday, from where he has to back it up in the following weeks without putting him in too early.

“Handre will be able to start training with us, while Lukhanyo has a two- to four-week injury, but it’s still very acute. We’ll probably get a better gauge of how he’s doing by the end of the week, but that’s why we’re taking them with us.

“We believe they both have the potential of being fit and ready to go for Scotland and maybe the week after.”

Read more: ‘Nervous’ Boks await formidable Scots

Here’s what Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber had to say when asked about the injuries to Lukhanyo Am, Handre Pollard and Lood de Jager 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/8Lt5QRGBqQ

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 9, 2023

The Springboks have only named one out-and-out flyhalf in Manie Libbok in the squad, with Damian Willemse offering further support as a utility player.

However, Nienaber said that while Pollard would be called up in case of any injuries, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and fullback Willie le Roux will also be looked at as backup flyhalves.

“If there’s an injury, [Pollard] can come in and that’s probably the most obvious one,” he said. “If a player does something to deselect themselves, or they do something weird, which is in their hands, but I don’t think that will happen.

“Faf will be the backup 10 and Willie, who has played the bulk of his rugby at 10 in Japan, but, if anything happens, it’s most probably Faf who will be back up.

“We have Cheslin [Kolbe] who has played 10 for Toulon and Toulouse, so we have a couple of third-choice options.

“If we lose a flyhalf now, Handre would be the guy that would probably slot straight back in.”

🗣️ “Faf will be the back-up 10 and we have Willie. We still have Cheslin who’s played 10 for Toulon.”

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber clarifies the decision to pick four scrumhalves and the versatility in the squad. pic.twitter.com/HPUdH914Nm

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 10, 2023