The World Champions have been counting their losses over the last month, with several key players taking damage during their various domestic competitions.
Bringing the plethora of injuries further into focus is the intense season ahead, where the Springboks are set for a demanding 14-match season. The inaugural Nations Championship brackets the highly anticipated Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour. This leaves little respite for the Boks.
But fear not. In the midst of the ongoing Boks' training camp, Erasmus updated the press on the situation.
"Much has been said about our injury issues, but the truth is that it is not that serious," he said.
"I don't want people to look at the list and think we're in trouble, because that's not the case. We've actually got a lot of players available and the challenge at the moment is figuring out how to give everyone game time.
"Only two or three guys will not be available this year because of injury, and a lot of guys will be making their comebacks in the next few weeks. By the time we play England, we will be close to full strength."
Getting into specifics, Erasmus gave positive updates on Eben Etzebeth, Malcolm Marx, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker and scrumhlaf duo Morne van den Berg and Cobus Reinach.
"Eben will be ready, Malcolm is also ready," Erasmus confirmed.
"Sacha should be ready about four weeks before the New Zealand matches, and Ethan is on a similar timeline.
"Krappies could possibly be available by the time we play New Zealand, or even for the Scotland and Wales Tests.
"[Reinach] could be ready for England, but it would be a push. We desperately want to beat England, but it would be foolish to take that risk.
"If you look at the really long-term injuries, the guys who will only be ready next year, it's probably only RG [Snyman] and Kwagga [Smith].
"Those are the players who would regularly feature in our match 23. The other injuries are mostly players still finding their feet in the system or guys who haven't consistently been part of the match-day squad."
In addition, Erasmus revealed that lightning-quick scrumhalf Grant Williams has fully recovered from the recurring neck issue that saw him miss out on the back end of the Sharks' season.
Faf de Klerk says his passion for representing the Springboks remains as strong as ever after earning a recall to the national setup following his return to South African rugby with the Cheetahs.
The Springboks wrapped up their on-field preparations with their final training session in Johannesburg on Friday, leaving coach Rassie Erasmus content.
Rising Junior Springbok star Riley Norton has received incredibly high praise from Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus in the midst of their training camp.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the matches between the Boks and Barbarians and the SA 'A' team against Zimbabwe were vital to set the tone for the bumper season.
