Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a 37-man strong squad for the two Rugby Championship Tests against arch-rival New Zealand.
The squad featured most of the members that featured in the recent tour down under, including three Rugby World Cup winners, Steven Kitshoff, Jaden Hendrikse and Canan Moodie who are all back from injury.
“New Zealand is ranked third in the world, and they always test us to the limit.
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 that is still finding their feet with a new coach and a bunch of young players coming through the ranks,” said coach Rassie Erasmus.
The coach welcomed the return of Steven, Jaden and Canan, adding that they’ve delivered quality performances consistently against the top teams in the world, and they’ll bring experience and their unique skill sets to this squad.
Erasmus also highlighted that RG Snyman will be available for selection, following his two weeks absence from injury that he picked up at a training session in Brisbane, Australia.
“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.
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,” said the coach.
The two teams will first meet for the sold-out Tests at the Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday, before the final game on 7 September at the Cape Town stadium.
The Boks will next month embark on a short tour of Argentina after the All Blacks matches.
Springbok squad for the New Zealand leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship:
Forwards: Thomas du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, Ox Nche, Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth, Salmaan Moerat, Ruan Nortje, RG Snyman, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Ben-Jason Dixon, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (c), Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden, Jasper Wiese
Backs: Jaden Hendrikse, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Jesse Kriel, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie
