Springbok's captain Siya Kolisi undergoes surgery on injured knee

Kolisi suffered a partial tear to his anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) last weekend playing for Durban-based Sharks in the United Rugby Championship and there had been fears he would be ruled out of the Boks’ defence of their world title.

"Siya has been consulting specialists all week and the consensus is that if he has the surgery now, he is likely to be available for the World Cup," a source told South African website IOL.

The player, his club and South African Rugby have all remained tight-lipped over the injury this week, leading to much speculation over his prospects of leading the side in France.

Kolisi's wife Rachel was quoted by television station ENCA on Friday as confirming Kolisi had the surgery, which was initially said to rule him out for up to nine months - though that prognosis appears to have improved drastically.

Kolisi is key for the Boks as a player and captain and is one of the most respected figures in the global game.

South Africa, who name their final 33-man squad for the World Cup on August 8th, begin their title defence against Scotland in Marseille on September 10th.