'Hopeful' Nienaber wouldn't mind pressing Kolisi and Pollard into World Cup action without a warm-up
Pedigree is likely to afford Siya Kolisi and Handre Pollard the maximum amount of time to be ready for the World Cup.There's still no concrete indication on when the influential Springbok duo - considered the nexus of the national team's leadership - will be ready for competitive action.
This development will have some jittery playing opportunities before the showpiece tournament in France is steadily running out.Captain Kolisi would always be embroiled in a race against time after injuring his knee during the Sharks' regular season, but a seemingly innocuous calf problem has suddenly rendered Pollard a major doubt. READ | Nick Mallett | Springboks still on track for France after emotional All Black defeatAny participation in the Rugby Championship - which will conclude with the Boks' meeting with Argentina at Ellis Park next Saturday - had been dismissed from the outset though now there's significant uncertainty over whether they'll see any action before the opening World Cup match against Scotland on 10 September.Bok mentor Jacques Nienaber, however, would be more than comfortable sending Kolisi and Pollard "cold" into action, banking on their experience and class to compensate for lack of match fitness. "Hopefully, they'll make their returns before the World Cup commences, but if there's a possibility that they might only be available near the end of the tournament, we'll need to have a discussion again," he said from the team's base in Pretoria on Thursday. "The thing with Siya and Handre is that they've repeatedly shown us what they're capable of at international level and that's a fact that counts in their favour when it comes to selection."What I'm trying to say here is that you'd probably take those two men to