The head coach of the Bobokhoko, Rassie Erasmus, has brought back the prodigal sons of the national team, Lukhanyo Am and Faf de Klerk, to the squad that will face the Barbarians in the opening game of the new season on June 20, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha.
Out of the 51 players announced by Erasmus, 21 of them will be in the camp for the first time for this national team who are world champions.
There are also young players who were prominent in the national under-20 team in this squad, including its captain, Riley Norton.
In this squad there are also Emmanuel Tshitsuka, Paul de Villiers and Sibabalwa Mahashe, to name a few of the first to approach the national team.
The most prominent thing about this squad is the return of Am and De Klerk who were a big part of the Springboks when they won the last two world titles consecutively in Japan and France.
It has been a long time since these players have been absent from the Springboks due to various reasons from injuries to loss of form, especially Am who was still practicing with the Japanese team.
The Springboks camp in Johannesburg has started, as the first games of the new season with the Barbarians and the Springboks “A” against Zimbabwe are approaching.
There are many players that Erasmus is expected to use in Springboks “A” since the Vodacom Bulls will not call them following the return of this team from Pretoria, in the final match of the United Rugby Championship (URC) against Leinster on June 19, in Dublin, Ireland.
Among the players named by Erasmus for the first time in this squad, we can count Yaqeen Ahmed (flyhalf/centre), Danie Kruger (prop), Luan Giliomee (utility back), Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), Oliver Reid (prop), Liam van Wyk (hooker), Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker), Markus Muller (centre) and Zekhethelo Siyaya (utility back).
Other players who will be part of the national team for the first time in this camp include Babelebe Hlekani, Hanro Jacobs, Jurenzo Julius, Imad Khan, JJ Koetze, Jaco Williams, Nico Steyn and Haashim Pead, most of whom are prominent in the Under-20s.