Rassie Erasmus names Springbok squad for NZ Tests

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has included three Rugby World Cup winners in the national squad for the first time this year as he welcomes back Steven Kitshoff (prop), Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf) and Canan Moodie (utility back) from injury for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand.

Erasmus has also recalled Jasper Wiese (No 8), Andre Esterhuizen (centre) – both RWC winners in 2023 – and Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (lock) when the 37-man squad assemble in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The Bok coach has opted to increase the squad from 33 players to 37 for the two sold out Tests against their archrivals, at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg (31 August) and the DHL Stadium in Cape Town a week later (7 September).

With locks Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager and Jean Kleyn still on the injured list, Janse van Rensburg, who played his first and only Test match against Argentina in Port Elizabeth in 2021, earned his first call-up back to the national squad.

Erasmus’ squad features 31 of the 33 players who travelled to Australia for their two opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship Tests against the Wallabies in Brisbane and Perth, where they collected a full house of points for the first time in history on tour. Those results also marked the first time since 1998 that the Boks registered back-to-back victories on a tour to Australasia.

With Hendrikse back from injury and Jan-Hendrik Wessels equally adept at prop and hooker, Morne van den Berg and Johan Grobbelaar were excluded from the group for these two Tests, although they will remain on standby along with the other players included in Erasmus’s initial 45-man group in the event of injuries.

Kitshoff (knee), Hendrikse (shoulder) and Moodie (finger) have all recovered fully from their respective injuries and have played in the Carling Currie Cup, while Wiese and Esterhuizen are back in contention for selection for the first Test against the All Blacks following suspensions.

Apart from Mostert, De Jager and Kleyn, the other players ruled out of contention for selection due to injury are Evan Roos (No 8), Herschel Jantjies and Faf de Klerk (both scrumhaves).

“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 skillsets 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.”

Erasmus delivered good news saying Snyman should be available for selection for the opening Test against the All Blacks after having two weeks to recover from the foot niggle 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 experienced 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 select Wessels as his third-choice hooker, Erasmus said: “Jan-Hendrik 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.”

Casting an eye on the Tests against New Zealand, Erasmus said: “They are one of the best teams in the world and they tend to deliver top drawer performances against us time and time again, so we have to be charged up physically and mentally for the challenge ahead.

“It’s good that we are facing them at home in front of our passionate supporters in sold-out stadiums, although they have a strong support base in Cape Town, so we are under no illusions about what lies ahead.

“That said, it’s vital for us to continue building on the momentum that we gained in our first two games.

“We are currently at the top of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship table, but one result can change that, so we realise the importance of giving everything in these matches to keep alive our hopes of winning the title for the first time since 2019.”

The Springboks arrived back in South Africa in two groups on Monday and Tuesday. After the All Blacks Tests, they will wrap up the Castle Lager Rugby Championship with a short tour to Argentina where they will line up against Los Pumas in Santiago on 21 September before returning to Nelspruit for their last match of the tournament at the Mbombela Stadium on 28 September.

Springbok squad for the New Zealand leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship:

Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls).

Hookers: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks).

 Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster), Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (Montpellier).

 Loose forwards: Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92), Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers).

Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).

Flyhalves: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers).

Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles).

Outside backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls).