Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said he has confidence in the 36-man squad that he named for the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour in November, that will face Ireland, France, Italy, Wales, and Japan. The squad includes debutant Zachary Porthen, who is a former Junior Springbok prop and captain, and four who are back in the Bok set-up for the first time this season. It comprises 21 forwards and 15 backline players, while the standby list features seven forwards, three backs and one wing.
“We are excited about the makeup of this squad. Most of the players in the group have been with us throughout the season, while others are back from injury or have done the job for us before in the last few years,” said Erasmus.
The Boks will face Japan in the first of five Tests on consecutive Saturdays at Wembley Stadium in London on 1 November, before lining up against France at Stade de France in Paris (8 November), Italy at the Allianz Stadium, Turin (15 November), Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (22 November), and Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff (29 November).
Erasmus said they expect to face five tough top-class opposition, in what he described as a longer tour than usual, “Ireland and France are currently ranked third and fourth in the world, while Italy, Wales, and Japan are in 10th, 12th and 13th place, and we’ve seen in the last few years that you cannot write off any team. Japan have beaten us before, Italy put up a good fight against us earlier this year in Pretoria, and Wales beat Japan, proving that they’re again on an upward trajectory, so it’s going to be a challenging tour,” said Erasmus.
Meanwhile, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is in line to become only the ninth South African Test centurion on the tour after racking up his 98th Test cap in the team’s 29-27 victory against Argentina in their final Castle Lager Rugby Championship match at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The squad will depart for London in different groups on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
