A call on the fitness of Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth will only be made later in the week.

Etzebeth picked up a foot injury during the 12-11 loss to England at Twickenham two weeks ago, which forced him to miss the 29-26 win against France in Paris last Saturday.

If Etzebeth is declared fit, he will return to the second row for Saturday’s Test against Scotland at Murrayfield, with Pieter-Steph du Toit shifting to blindside flank and Duane Vermeulen to No 8.

The Boks also confirmed that a decision on whether to recall Faf de Klerk for their final tour match against Wales will only be made after the Scotland game.

The scrumhalf has been released back to the Sale Sharks for this weekend’s English Premiership match against Saracens in London.

De Klerk started at No 9 against France, having missed the Test against England as it fell outside the international window.

Ivan van Zyl, Embrose Papier and Louis Schreuder are the other scrumhalves in the Bok squad.

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Meanwhile, Springbok assistant coach Matt Proudfoot has described Gregor Townsend’s Scotland as a formidable side. Their only loss from their last nine home Tests at Murrayfield came against the All Blacks last November.

‘Gregor has done a fantastic job with the team since he took over,’ said Proudfoot on Tuesday.

‘The challenge at the breakdown and the contact point is always crucial in Test match rugby. The difference [compared to the French game] is that Scotland are probably a lot better technically in the defensive contact situations, while the French were very physical.

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‘Their continuity play and their ability to apply a kicking game, which allows them to counter off the back of that, are some other strong points.

‘They are also a very disciplined side who are able to defend for long phases, so you don’t get to break them down easily. That means you must have a lot of patience against them.

‘We are improving as a pack and up here in the northern hemisphere it is important to gain ascendency from where we can launch attacks and put the opposition under pressure,’ Proudfoot added.

The Bok team to face Scotland will be named at 4pm (SA time) on Thursday.

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