- The Springboks have named a 37-man squad for their two home Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand.
- The team welcomes back a few World Cup-winning stalwarts like Steven Kitshoff, Jaden Hendrikse, Canan Moodie, Andre Esterhuizen and Jasper Wiese.
- The Boks will tackle the All Blacks in Johannesburg (31 August) and Cape Town (7 September).
- For more news on the Springboks, visit our dedicated section.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a 37-man squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand in South Africa.
The Boks will tackle their arch-rivals at Ellis Park on 31 August and Cape Town Stadium on 7 September.
The world champions have been boosted by the return of a few heavyweights who were sidelined by injuries of late.
Three World Cup winners – Steven Kitshoff (prop), Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf) and Canan Moodie (utility back) – are back for the first time this year, while Erasmus also recalled Jasper Wiese (No 8), Andre Esterhuizen (centre) – both World Cup winners last year – and Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (lock).
The Bok squad has been increased from 33 players to 37 and the players will assemble in Johannesburg on Thursday.
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Lock trio Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager and Jean Kleyn are still injured, which sees Janse van Rensburg – who played his first and only Test against Argentina in Port Elizabeth in 2021 – earn his first call-up back to the national squad.
With Hendrikse back from injury and Jan-Hendrik Wessels equally adept at prop and hooker, Morne van den Berg and Johan Grobbelaar were excluded from the group for the Tests against New Zealand, although they will remain on standby along with the other players included in Erasmus’s initial 45-man group in the event of injuries.
Kitshoff (knee), Hendrikse (shoulder) and Moodie (finger) have all fully recovered from their respective injuries and have played in the Currie Cup, while Wiese and Esterhuizen are back in contention for selection following suspensions.
Other players ruled out due to injury are Evan Roos (No 8), Herschel Jantjies and Faf de Klerk (both scrumhalves).
Springbok squad for the New Zealand leg of the Rugby Championship:
Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls)
Hookers: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks)
Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster), Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (Montpellier)
Loose forwards: Ben-Jason Dixon (Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)
Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Grant Williams (Sharks)
Flyhalves: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers)
Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)
Outside backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Canan Moodie (Bulls)
“New Zealand are ranked third in the world, and they always test us to the limit,” Erasmus said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We also saw last week what they can do under pressure when they defeated Argentina 42-10 after going down in their first Test against the Pumas.
“We know these two Tests will provide a completely different challenge to what we’ve faced against an Australian team, which is still finding their feet with a new coach and a bunch of young players coming through the ranks.”
The Bok mentor welcomed the availability of several World Cup winners.
“It’s good to have Steven, Jaden and Canan back from injury, along with Jasper and Andre. They are all Rugby World Cup winners, who have delivered quality performances consistently against the top teams in the world, so they’ll bring experience and their unique skillsets to this squad.
“As a team we are in a good position in terms of squad depth with 32 of the 33 players on tour playing against the Wallabies – the only exception was RG Snyman, who suffered a foot niggle – and we have full faith in the young players to showcase their talent once again against a completely different opponent in New Zealand.
“Adding to that, all these players, with the exception of Nicolaas, were members of our training squad in Pretoria in July and our alignment camps earlier in the year, and they’ve have been regular members of the squad in the last few years, so they understand our systems and should slot in with ease.
“Nicolaas has had a good season with Montpellier and is a capped Springbok, so we are excited to welcome him back into the fold.”
Erasmus delivered good news on Snyman, saying he should be available for selection for the opening Test against the All Blacks after having two weeks to recover from the foot niggle he picked up at a training session in Brisbane.
“RG should be able to train with us this week again and, if that’s the case, he will be in contention for selection for the Test against New Zealand in Johannesburg,” said Erasmus.
“We are also excited to see what some of the young players can do in these two Tests if they get a run after making a strong impression on the coaches so far this season.
“Similarly to the coaches, they are fully aware that this will be a new challenge in intense matches between two of the biggest rivals in world rugby, but the experience they gained by facing Australia in two tough Test matches overseas – one of which was in extreme weather conditions – will set them in good stead going into this series.”
Regarding his decision to select Wessels as third-choice hooker, Erasmus commented: “Jan-Hendrik is a versatile player who enjoys playing both prop and hooker and we also have Marco van Staden, who can slot into the middle of the front row if needed, hence we opted against selecting another hooker.
“That said we have drawn up an extensive list of standby players who could slot in at any time if we suffer injuries.”
The Boks started the Rugby Championship like a house on fire by beating Australia in Brisbane (33-7) and Perth (30-12).
They are, however, expecting a sterner test from New Zealand.
“They are one of the best teams in the world and they tend to deliver top drawer performances against us time and time again, so we have to be charged up physically and mentally for the challenge ahead,” Erasmus added.
“It’s good that we are facing them at home in front of our passionate supporters in sold-out stadiums, although they have a strong support base in Cape Town, so we are under no illusions about what lies ahead.
“That said, it’s vital for us to continue building on the momentum that we gained in our first two games.
“We are currently at the top of the Rugby Championship table, but one result can change that, so we realise the importance of giving everything in these matches to keep alive our hopes of winning the title for the first time since 2019.”
After the New Zealand Tests, South Africa will conclude their Rugby Championship campaign with Tests against Argentina in Santiago (21 September) and Nelspruit (28 September).
