Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has been given the all clear to participate in Saturday’s opening match of the year against a World XV at his home ground of Newlands.

De Villiers, who had a full knee reconstruction towards the end of 2014, is one of six injured players who were given the all clear from the Springbok medical team on Monday afternoon to be considered for selection.

And with the confirmation that Fourie du Preez may well be back from his injury quicker than initially expected, there was a considerable lift for the Boks late on Monday in comparison with earlier in the day, when it was learned that No 8 Duane Vermeulen would have to undergo an operation and will be in a race against time to be ready for the World Cup.

The other six players back in the selection frame for this coming weekend after varying layoff periods are flyhalf Pat Lambie, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, outside centre Lionel Mapoe, flanker Schalk Burger and lock Lood de Jager.

Two of those players – Lambie and Reinach – have been out for most of the second half of the season, while De Jager was injured in the Cheetahs’ opening Super Rugby match.

There was a chance that Jan Serfontein (hip and knee) would also be ready, at least that was the case at lunch time on Monday, but after training in the afternoon a decision was taken that he would not be available this week.

The negative of having it confirmed that Duane Vermeulen has to undergo an operation that may make it a struggle for him to make it to the World Cup was partially offset on Monday by mostly good news on the Springbok injury front.

Flanker Heinrich Brussow (broken arm) has recovered well but is still a week or two away from being able to take the field.

There is a good chance that De Villiers will play on Saturday off the bench before furthering his comeback by playing off the bench for Western Province in Currie Cup warm-up matches when the Boks go to Australia the week after the World XV game to play their first Rugby Championship match.

They then return to South Africa to play the All Blacks in Johannesburg the following week.

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