Springboks squad: Sparkling scrum-capped wings to miss All Blacks Tests as Rassie Erasmus selects 36-man group ahead of Eden Park showdown
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and one of the scrum-capped wings, Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Kurt-Lee Arendse has been ruled out of the Tests against the All Blacks after Rassie Erasmus named his wider South Africa training squad for the double header.
Arendse missed out on their victory over the Wallabies due to injury and has not recovered in time to face New Zealand.
Another scrum-capped wing, Edwill van der Merwe, will also not travel, with Makazole Mapimpi, who provided cover for their absence, being selected in the 36.
There is better news elsewhere, though, with Siya Kolisi, Willie le Roux and Jan-Hendrik Wessels all fit for the Springboks ahead of the Eden Park clash on September 6.
“This group of players have been working hard together since our first training camp in June, and most of them have been playing together for years, while the newer players in the squad showed in the Castle Lager Incoming Series and in the last two matches against Australia that they are ready for this challenge,” head coach Erasmus said.
“Siya (Kolisi, Springbok captain), Pieter-Steph (du Toit), Willie (le Roux), and Jan-Hendrik (Wessels) have been medically cleared from their niggles, while all the players who faced Australia in Cape Town have received a clean bill of health and will be ready to face the All Blacks.”
Contrasting news for Wiese brothers
Number eight Jasper Wiese has been brought into the squad having been suspended following a red card in the mid-year series, but he will only be available for the second Test in Wellington.
His brother, Cobus, is the only non-enforced absence from the initial squad, with the back five forward being placed on standby.
“The Castle Lager Rugby Championship is still wide open with all four teams having won a match in the first two rounds, so this tour is going to be vital for us, and we’ll certainly take confidence from the win against Australia last week when we board the plane,” Erasmus added.
“Facing the All Blacks in New Zealand is a massive challenge, but all the teams in this competition are ranked among the top sides in the world, and each one has the potential to beat one another on the day.
“In the last two months alone, Australia defeated us at Ellis Park and went down narrowly in their British & Irish Lions Series defeat, while Argentina defeated New Zealand last weekend and the British & Irish Lions, so we are not paying much attention to our historic records in New Zealand.
“We learned valuable lessons from our first game against Australia, and we know exactly what we have to do to reach our standards and improve as the competition progresses, and I don’t think we need more motivation than that.”
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Springbok squad for All Blacks Tests
Forwards: Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese
Backs: Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse
