The team that was announced in Johannesburg on Tuesday did not include fly-half Handre Pollard, centre Lukhanyo Am, or lock Lood de Jager.

All three are on standby, though, in case anyone gets hurt during the tournament. The tournament starts in France on September 8, and the Springboks play Scotland two days later.

“The squad is very different to what we would have chosen prior to what we know now,” former centre Jean de Villiers told SuperSport.

“If you had to play a World Cup final today you would have selected all three,” he said.

John Smit, who led the Springboks to victory at the 2007 World Cup in France, said that Pollard’s loss was a big blow because it meant the team no longer had a proven goal-kicker who could win games.

“World Cups are won by goal-kickers,” said Smit. “We have to figure out who our top three goal-kickers are.”

Victor Matfield, who has played in 127 Tests for the Springboks and is the player with the most caps, said that the choice of Siya Kolisi as captain for the 2019 World Cup was “fantastic for the country.”

But all three former captains were worried about his match fitness after he had knee surgery in April and had to take a long break from playing.

De Villiers said that it would be important to define who would be in charge.

“Siya might be the captain of the squad, but he might not be the captain on the field.

“You need to be clear about the leadership roles. We have also lost two leaders in the backline in Pollard and Am.”

Matfield added, “Those three (injured players) are a big loss. We only have one recognised fly-half (Manie Libbok), although Damian (Willemse) can play there as well.

“De Jager is the best number five lock in the world. He is the guy running the lineouts.”

Smit said that Jacques Nienaber, the coach of the Springboks, and Rassie Erasmus, the director of rugby, had to make hard decisions.

“It’s difficult to take a guy who is injured to a World Cup because you cannot really send him back. What Jacques and Rassie have done is smart.

“They have picked guys who are fit and able, and they have put the rest on standby. If anything happens to one of the (selected) 33, they can call them up.”

De Villiers said that South Africa’s large number of good players “could also be our biggest weakness.” I’m not sure we know which team is the best.”

Matfield said that their warm-up games against Wales in Cardiff on August 19 and New Zealand in London on August 25 were important for getting ready for their first game against Scotland in the World Cup.

“We don’t have a pool set-up where we can play guys who are out of form, there are no really easy games.

“I think in the next two weeks we will see as close as possible to the team that will run on in our first World Cup game.”

The Scotland match will be followed by pool games against Romania, Ireland and Tonga.

Group winners and runners-up qualify for the knockout stage.

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According to Rapport newspaper, Matfield said no to the job he applied for because of family reasons and the long-term security offered to him by SuperSport as a commentator/expert.

Bulls president Willem Strauss and new CEO Alfons Meyer have asked Matfield to reconsider and the former Bulls and Bok lock will make a final decision on Monday or early in the week.

Matfield had been on the shortlist to replace John Mitchell as Bulls Super Rugby coach along with Kings coach Deon Davids and Blue Bulls Currie Cup coach Pote Human.

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Zondagh coached Western Province and London Scottish and served as director of rugby at both Saracens and Boland.

He started the Rugby Performance Centre in Riebeek West in 2005.

According to Rapport newspaper, Zondagh is held in high regard by Remgro, the Bulls’ biggest shareholder.

Matfield, who has had assistant coaching stints with the Bulls and Lions, saw off the challenge of Kings coach Deon Davids and Blue Bulls Currie Cup coach Pote Human to become the Bulls new Super Rugby coach.

The former Bok lock will be able to use both Zondagh and Bok coach Rassie Erasmus as sounding boards during the 2019 Super Rugby tournament.

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The shortlist was announced after the annual board meeting of the Blue Bulls Company and weeks of consultation led by a recommendation panel that acted in an advisory role to the board.

Davids has impressed in getting the Kings into a competitive position in the Pro14, while Matfield, a former Bulls and Bok lock, has had assistant coaching roles at the Bulls and Lions. Human coached the Blue Bulls in this year’s Currie Cup.

A final round of interviews will be held in the next few weeks, with details regarding the appointment being made shortly thereafter.

VOTE: 2018 Fans’ Choice Awards

Photo: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images

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15. Christian Cullen
A silky runner with lots of pace and a destructive counter-attacker. He glided over the field.

14. Jeff Wilson
A smart, skilful player with a high work rate. A great finisher.

13. Brian O’Driscoll
He had pace to burn, with awesome running lines, and read the game beautifully.

12. Aaron Mauger
The complete No 12 and just as comfortable at 10. A smart and skilful player.

11. Jonah Lomu
He beat you with pace, steamrolled you or side-stepped you. A rugby legend and one-of-a-kind specimen.

10. Dan Carter
There is nothing he can’t do; in a league of his own.

9. Fourie du Preez
Great kicker of the ball and one of the smartest No 9s to have played the game.

8. Duane Vermeulen 
A strong-running, no-nonsense No 8. A smart and all-round great player.

7. Richie McCaw (c)
He was hard as a rock and led from the front. Respected by all.

6. Schalk Burger
A hard-working machine; his work rate was unbelievable. A very skilful forward.

5. Victor Matfield
A lineout genius; he read them like a book. Not bad with a chip-and-chase too.

4. Martin Johnson 
A hard-working lock who led from the front. His actions spoke louder than words.

3. Ramiro Herrera
A destructive scrummager and strong ball-carrier.

2. Keven Mealamu
You don’t play 132 Tests for the All Blacks for nothing. Great at competing for the ball on the ground.

1. Os du Randt
A tough-as-nails ball-carrier and scrummager, with a high work rate for such a big man.

Breyton Paulse’s Perfect XV

Photo: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

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Swys de Bruin on Thursday officially replaced Johan Ackermann as Lions head coach, while Matfield was unveiled one of his assistants.

The two worked together at Griquas in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Matfield retired from rugby for the second time after the 2015 World Cup.

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

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