The Springbok side for the year-end tour to the United Kingdom will be announced after the Currie Cup Final on 25 October and coach Peter de Villiers will, therefore, have less than two weeks to prepare the team for the three Tests.

No official communication on the date of the team announcement has been forthcoming from the South African Rugby Union (SARU), but it has been learnt that the side will assemble after the weekend of the Currie Cup Final on 25 October and depart for Cardiff the following Friday.

Effectively that means that De Villiers will have less than a week's training at home and a full week before the Test against Wales in Cardiff on 8 November.

The Springboks play Tests against Wales, Scotland and England on 8, 15 and 22 November, respectively.

Plans for a fourth Test against Ireland have been shelved.

There has also been no formal communication from SARU on the composition of the side, but De Villiers has previously intimated that, with the Test series against the British & Irish Lions next year in mind, the touring squad could be without a number of senior players, some of whom have played in as many as 10 Tests this season.

Meanwhile, there is also no clarity on when Springbok Sevens coach Paul Treu will announce his contracted players for the 2008/09 International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series ? which starts in Dubai on 28 and 29 November.

He is still negotiating the release of players from their Super 14 franchises.