Eben Etzebeth twisted an ankle during a training session at the Springbok camp in Cape Town this week.

The Springbok captain was taken for an MRI scan, which revealed a low-grade ligament injury, but he should be available for the match against Ireland on 11 November.

Etzebeth and Handré Pollard both sustained concussion against the All Blacks at Newlands and are currently busy with their final return-to-play protocols.

The other players who attended the camp were Lood de Jager, Jesse Kriel, Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Damian de Allende, Beast Mtawarira and Coenie Oosthuizen.

Bok doctor Konrad von Hagen said the main aim of the camp was to assess the medical status of the group and to top up on their strength and conditioning levels.

‘The players enjoyed two weeks of active rest after the conclusion of a very demanding Rugby Championship, which also included a huge amount of long-distance travel.

‘The third week [this week], we used to reassess their medical status and focused on fine-tuning their strength and conditioning.’

The 11 players who attended the camp also focused on sharpening their core skills and spent a lot of time on the technical aspects of their tour preparations.

‘This group of players were last in action almost three weeks ago against New Zealand in Cape Town, so apart from the much-needed rest, it is also very important that they are rugby ready when the full squad gets together next week in Johannesburg,’ explained Bok coach Allister Coetzee.

‘The challenges are obviously completely different to what we faced against France in June and during the Rugby Championship. So the manner in which we prepare before and during the tour is very important.’

Coetzee will announce his squad of 34 players on Sunday, and the squad will assemble in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon.

Photo: Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images