Rugby World Cup: Alex Cuthbert latest to withdraw from Wales team to play Springboks

Wales have been hit by a third late withdrawal from their side to play South Africa in aRugbyWorld Cup warm-up game in Cardiff on Saturday after wing Alex Cuthbert dropped out as a precaution, officials have confirmed. Cuthbert has a tight calf and will be replaced in the starting team by Tom Rogers. Louis Rees-Zammit comes onto the replacements bench.

Flyhalf Dan Biggar (back) and fullback Liam Williams (hamstring) withdrew from the team on Thursday, though coach Warren Gatland was at pains to stress that both were as a precaution. Gatland will announce his 33-player squad for the World Cup in France on Monday. Cuthbert’s place is now in serious doubt, having not featured in any of Wales’ warm-up games, or their training camps in Switzerland and Turkey.

Springboks delighted to have captain Kolisi back after injury

The return from injury of Springboks captainSiyaKolisi ahead of the Rugby World Cup is "massive" for South Africa, according to wing Cheslin Kolbe, who also believes the squad has more depth than when they lifted the trophy in Japan four years ago. Bok captain Kolisi suffered a serious knee injury in April, casting major doubt over his availability for the team's title defence, but he has been selected for the first time this year against Wales in a warm-up fixture in Cardiff on Saturday.

"It's massive for us as a team to haveSiyaback in the mix," Kolbe told reporters on Wednesday. "The way he has set his mind to return to play and focus on his rehab, putting in the extra hours with the physios, shows what type of person he is and what this team means to him. "He means a lot to us as players with his experience and the energy he brings. Even when he was not playing, he was on the sidelines giving input, helping a lot of the guys."

The Boks may not be favourites in many people's eyes to claim back-to-back World Cup wins, but Kolbe says that in many ways, they are better equipped for victory than four years ago. "We have got much more depth in the squad than 2019. It is actually scary. If someone gets injured, we know the next guy coming in will fill that role and is capable of doing even better." "The nice thing about this team is that no one is bigger than the next person and whoever gets the opportunity to play, we encourage that person to give him confidence and make sure he is well-prepared."

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