Springboks call in double World Cup winner as key duo leave camp
Springboks winger Makazole Mapimpi in action
Double World Cup-winning Springbok Makazole Mapimpi has been drafted back into Rassie Erasmus’s squad to face the Wallabies, as a direct replacement for the injured Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Mapimpi is the only new player to be drafted into the Boks camp ahead of Test Two against the Wallabies in Cape Town, and could come straight into the starting XV, given both Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe are both out of action through injury.
The experienced Sharks winger has 47 Boks caps to his name at the time of writing, after making his Test debut in 2018.
Makazole Mapimpi called in as two drop out of Springboks squad
Mapimpi featured for the Springboks in their homecoming series against Italy last month, but did not make the initial 35-man squad for the two-Test series against the Wallabies. Despite missing out on the in-person squad, he was among several others to join virtually, with an eye on a possible call-up.
“But when we have meetings, we still have Jaden, Faf, Makazole [Mapimpi] and Salmaan [Moerat],” said head coach Rassie Erasmus. “So, although those guys aren’t here, when we are having a meeting, those guys log in virtually.”
Mapimpi will join up with the squad later this evening (Monday, 18th August) ahead of their clash with Australia on Saturday (23rd August)
Elsewhere within the squad, captain Siya Kolisi joins winger Arendse in leaving camp, with the pair among four confirmed injury blows following Saturday’s dramatic 38-22 defeat to Australia at Ellis Park, a game in which they found themselves up 22-0 after 18 minutes.
“Siya is out, I think for four weeks,” said Erasmus. “Pieter-Steph is out for a concussion, Kurt-Lee with a knee, and Edwill injured his ankle.”
At the time of writing, there is no confirmed replacement for the injured skipper, who will now miss the two-Test tour to New Zealand as a result.
