Kolisi: 'The hard work starts now'

UPDATE: Springbok captain Siyamthanda Kolisi is officially on the road to recovery after he underwent surgery on his knee in Cape Town on Friday.

In an Instagram post on Saturday, Kolisi provided an update which was accompanied by a picture of him and his family in hospital.

"Op went well, the hard work starts now," said Kolisi.

"Thanks for all the prayers, messages and support."

Kolisi suffered the injury in his team’s final-round United Rugby Championship clash against Munster last weekend.

Reports revealed that the 31-year-old suffered a partial tear to his anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) as well as injuring his meniscus on both sides of his knee.

It was believed that surgery would rule him out of the World Cup, but now there is a view that it would increase his chances of making the Boks' World Cup squad.

"We are going to read a lot of positive and negative reactions after the surgery, but the truth is no one can be sure right now how long his recovery will take," a source told AFP on Friday.

The Springboks open the Test season with a Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Pretoria on July 8.

They will then face the All Blacks in Auckland on July 15 before finishing their Rugby Championship campaign with a match against Argentina in Johannesburg on July 29.