Nineteen of the 44 players at the first Springbok training camp of the year in Johannesburg were unable to take full part in Monday's field session because of injury.

The following players took little or no part in training – Jesse Kriel, Pat Lambie, Jean de Villiers, Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jan Serfontein, Coenie Oosthuisen, Oupa Mohoje, Willie le Roux, Rudy Paige, Heinrich Brüssow, Kobus van Wyk, Robbie Coetzee, Siya Kolisi, Dean Greyling, Elton Jantjies, Juan de Jongh, Ruan Botha, Lionel Mapoe, Arno Botha, Bjorn Basson, Schalk Burger, Trevor Nyakane and Francois Venter.

Another five players were only able to take part in some drills.

Heyneke Meyer emphasised that the Boks will keep the interests of Vodacom Super Rugby franchises in mind when it comes to managing injured players.

'We receive weekly feedback on all players from the franchise medical teams and have always enjoyed a good relationship with them. We knew from the outset that a number of players would be unable to train, which is why we decided to invite a big group to these camps.'

The Bok coach said he was happy with the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the players at the camp. 

'It’s wonderful to see how excited the players are. I believe there is not one player we invited who is not good enough to play for South Africa,' said Meyer. 'By inviting a decent number of players, we’re exposing them to the Springbok culture and ethos. They will challenge each other for places in the squads for the Rugby Championship and the World Cup. It'll be difficult to make final selections, but that's what we’d like to see.'

Photo: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images