Springboks squad v All Blacks: Rassie Erasmus recalls five World Cup winners, axes two recent starters and recalls one-Test lock
Springboks prop Steven Kitshoff has retired.
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has included Steven Kitshoff, Canan Moodie and Jaden Hendrikse in his squad ahead of the two games against the All Blacks.
The World Cup-winning trio return to the set-up ahead of the Rugby Championship meetings, which take place in Johannesburg and Cape Town in the coming weeks.
Erasmus also recalled Jasper Wiese and Andre Esterhuizen and named Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, with the 37 players set to assemble in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Hooker and scrum-half drop out
It’s an enlarged group named by Erasmus ahead of the two sold-out Tests as the Springboks look to back up their strong start to the Rugby Championship campaign.
With locks Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager and Jean Kleyn all still out injured, Janse van Rensburg, who won his only previous cap in 2021, returns to the Test squad.
However, there is no place in the squad for hooker Johan Grobbelaar and scrum-half Morne van den Berg, who started the recent fixture against Australia in Perth.
Hendrikse takes Van den Berg’s spot in the squad while versatile front-row Jan-Hendrik Wessels is set to cover the hooker jersey, according to head coach Erasmus.
Kitshoff (knee), Hendrikse (shoulder) and Moodie (finger) have all recovered from their respective injuries while Wiese and Esterhuizen are back after suspensions.
“New Zealand are ranked third in the world, and they always test us to the limit,” said Erasmus. “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.”
Erasmus added: “It’s good to have Steven, Jaden and Canan back from injury, along with Jasper and Andre. They are all Rugby World Cup winners who have delivered quality performances consistently against the top teams in the world, so they’ll bring experience and their unique skill-sets to this squad.
“As a team, we are in a good position in terms of squad depth with 32 of the 33 players on tour playing against the Wallabies – the only exception was RG Snyman who suffered a foot niggle – and we have full faith in the young players to showcase their talent once again against a completely different opponent in New Zealand.
“Adding to that, all these players, with the exception of Nicolaas, were members of our training squad in Pretoria in July and our alignment camps earlier in the year, and they’ve have been regular members of the squad in the last few years, so they understand our systems and should slot in with ease.
“Nicolaas has had a good season with Montpellier and is a capped Springbok, so we are excited to welcome him back into the fold.”
RG Snyman boost
Erasmus provided a positive update on second-row Snyman, who should be available for selection for the opening Test against the All Blacks after having two weeks to recover from the foot injury he picked up at a training session in Brisbane.
“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,” said Erasmus.
“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.
“Similarly to the coaches, they are fully aware that this will be a new challenge in intense matches between two of the biggest rivals in world rugby, but the experience they gained by facing in Australia in two tough Test matches overseas – one of which was in extreme weather conditions – will set them in good stead going into this series.”
Commenting on the decision to pick Wessels as his third-choice hooker, Erasmus said: “Jan-Hendrik is a versatile player who enjoys playing both prop and hooker and we also have Marco van Staden who can slot into the middle of the front row if needed, hence we opted against selecting another hooker.
“That said we have drawn up an extensive list of standby players who could slot in at any time if we suffer injuries.”
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Springbok squad for the New Zealand games
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
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