Rassie Erasmus hints at Springboks squad rotation with lock ‘touch and go’ for England
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and an inset of Lood de Jager.
The current 46-man squad is not the only players that Rassie Erasmus will utilise this July, the Springboks boss has confirmed.
It’s not uncommon for the Boks to have such a big squad, particularly in July, with Erasmus eager to get a look at a plethora of players as they build towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Still, the head coach says that there could be other faces brought into the squad that is set to be named after the Nations Championship opener against England at Ellis Park next Saturday.
Springboks’ plans for Scotland and Wales
Unlike in Rugby World Cups, Erasmus is not limited to the number of players he is allowed to include and is free to make changes, and he plans to do just that, considering the injuries and that the first three Tests are in South Africa.
“We have plans for the second, the third game, and the team that will play first against England. We hope to give some players chances in different games,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“So, the squad that’s with us now is not the only players we will pick from. I know it’s a big squad; it’s 46, but there are another 15 to 17 guys who are either injured or we are resting them a little, and we think they’ll be more suited to play maybe against Scotland or Argentina or New Zealand.
“This is not the only squad that we are going to use. It’s not like a World Cup when you announce a squad that you can only pick players from that squad. So next week Sunday after our first game, we might send a few guys back to rest and draft a few others in.”
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
Lock injury crisis
Some players are struggling with injuries, and keeping them in the squad not only allows the staff to closely monitor their rehab progress but also keeps them up to date with the Boks’ structures.
One of the players they are keeping tabs on and are hopeful that could feature against England is Lood de Jager, who has had his fair share of setbacks since he missed the 2023 Rugby World Cup due to illness.
Rassie Erasmus: Riley Norton is what the Springboks need not JJ van der Mescht
He missed the majority of the Japan Rugby League One season with the Wild Knights, playing just once for the side. De Jager could ease the Boks’ locks crisis with Franco Mostert now a doubt for all three Tests in July.
“Lood is touch and go for England,” he revealed. “The week after that, he will be available, Franco will be ready for the Scotland game, although we can maybe push him two or three weeks earlier, but we’ve got sufficient cover, we feel, for the first Test match.
“This squad is not the only guys that we will use for the first three Test matches, and after that there are some massive matches and the squad will definitely rotate.”
