Springboks find loophole to pick English-based player against Wales as Warren Gatland still without seven stars

South Africa will reportedly be able to call upon one of their English-based players for their clash with Wales at Twickenham later this month.

Rassie Erasmus will be without several of his World Cup-winning stars for their first Test since retaining the Webb Ellis Cup last year, with the likes of Siya Kolisi, Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe all missing out.

After naming a squad earlier this week for a training camp in Pretoria, the Springboks initially confirmed they would be without any of their stars in England and France, due to the Test being outside the international window.

Wales will be without their own English-based players, with seven of Warren Gatland's 37-man squad off-limits for the clash at Twickenham on June 22.

However, the Boks have received something of a boost - with one English-based player now understood to be available to them.

Harlequins centre Andre Esterhuizen will be eligible for selection, with Planet Rugby reporting that a loophole in the rules means they can pick the Sharks-bound midfielder as he's due to re-join a South African side.

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The loophole could also have an impact on Jasper Wiese's eight-game ban. The Leicester Tigers back-row saw his time at Welford Road come to an abrupt end with a red card that landed him a hefty suspension.

Initially, it seemed likely that out-of-window matches against Wales and Portugal wouldn't count towards those eight games, given he wouldn't be available for selection. However, the Springbok management could now make a compelling case for the Japan-bound forward being eligible for both - meaning he would return to action sooner than anticipated.

As for Wales, they've known for some time the players they will be without, having named a bigger squad with a plan to cut it down to 34 before flying out to Australia.

Last weekend saw the Ospreys' season end with defeat to Munster in the URC play-offs, while Castres missed out on the Top 14 post-season. As such, the six Ospreys players in the Wales squad, as well as Castres' Scarlets-bound prop Henry Thomas, should be available for the Springbok fixture.

However, Wales will be without Six Nations captain Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza, Dillon Lewis, Archie Griffin, Tommy Reffell, Nick Tompkins and the uncapped Josh Hathaway for the South Africa match.

Wales have long been unable to pick English-based players for matches outside of the Test window. While other leagues, such as Japan, have taken a softer stance, the PRL have always been firm in their approach.

In the past, both Northampton Saints and Bath have been fined for releasing George North and Taulupe Faletau respectively to play outside of the window.