Kolisi had surgery to his knee at the end of April and he’s been doing intense rehabilitation since, in the hope of making a full recovery before the Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in France in September and October.
“I’m feeling good, and my rehabilitation is going well,” said Kolisi.
“I’ve been working hard to recover as well as possible, and it’s great to be able to do so in the team environment. Some of the players have been helping me as well, so I’m taking things day-by-day.
“Obviously, it’s not a great feeling to be injured, but I’ve been here before and it’s nice to have the support of the coaches and players, as well as the medical and conditioning team, who have been fantastic.
“I’m progressing each week and I’ve steadily been able to do new things, so I’m confident with how things are going. Hopefully I’ll be able to play in one or two of the Rugby World Cup warm-up games.”
The Springboks will kick off the 2023 international season against Australia at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday 8 July in the shortened version of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
This Test will be followed by clashes against New Zealand at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland (Saturday 15 July) and Argentina at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg (Saturday 29 July).
The team will then play three Rugby World Cup warm-up games – against Argentina in Buenos Aires (5 August), Wales in Cardiff (19 August) and New Zealand in London (25 August) – before travelling to Corsica for a one-week camp en route to Toulon for their opening Rugby World Cup fixture against Scotland on Sunday 10 September.
