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Rassie Erasmus names 54-man Springboks squad with 9 uncapped players
By Josh Raisey
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has named his 54-man Springboks squad for the upcoming Tests against Italy and Georgia.
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The squad includes nine uncapped players: Marnus van der Merwe, Neethling Fouche, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Cobus Wiese, Renzo du Plessis, Vincent Tshituka, Juarno Augustus, Ethan Hooker, and Ntokozo Makhaza.
Hooker, 22, is fresh from a player of the match performance on Saturday – playing on the wing rather than his preferred role as a centre – as the Sharks defeated Munster in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals, which included a solo effort to score in the second half.
All available players will assemble on Sunday, June 8, in Johannesburg, with any remaining players from the URC and Gallagher Premiership play-offs joining when their club commitments end.
The Springboks will take on the Barbarians in Cape Town at the end of the month before hosting the Azzurri for two Tests and welcoming Georgia for a one-off match.
“We were very pleased with the two Springbok alignment camps we hosted, and we are excited to have the luxury of announcing a squad with so much depth and talent,” said Erasmus.
“Having an expanded squad will not only afford us the opportunity to have productive training sessions, but it will also bode well for the younger players in the group to learn from the senior players, many of whom are Rugby World Cup champions.
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“We take pride in offering talented young players a chance to work first-hand with the coaches and to expose them to standards at international level, and we are excited to see them showcase their skills at the camp.
“We used a total of 50 players last season in an attempt to balance the load on them, while at the same time building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, and with a few more talented youngsters in this group, we hope that they will learn valuable lessons and stake a strong claim for places in what will be a challenging, yet exciting season.”
Springboks squad (in alphabetical order):
Forwards: Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Renzo du Plessis (Emirates Lions), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Emirates Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker (all Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Emirates Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwilll van der Merwe (both Emirates Lions), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).
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is your definition of a troll just anyone who says things you don’t like?
Says the troll
you’re having a pretty strange and emotional response to a conversation about the development of youth talent
Those 3 away games against the other top 4 looks menacing to say the least. Ireland, is our bogey team, don’t really mind losing to them, as long as it is not England! France, we have a good record against and NZ will be baying for our blood. Keep focus for the 3-peat, even if we drop a couple of games.
Serious looking squad.
It will be interesting to see which way he goes with it, in terms of backing the uncapped players.
He knows what he’s doing in using the four year cycles to build but the boks had the luxury of not expecting to win the RC regularly. Feels different now they’ve a RC to defend. They should be winning it with that squad.
Is this the season when Pollard officially becomes a 20 min, bench player?
So, looking for certain that 2026 will be the year we (finally) see a significant influx of new players into the Boks squad.
Wessels and Hanekom could be excellent players going forward. Sacha F-M was excellent last year, and Moodie deserves to (finally) be given an extended run of games, but the overall takeaway from this squad is just a reiteration of the fact that the production line of talent has run pretty dry for several seasons now.
Is it the production line that’s running dry or Rassie’s unwillingness to pick certain talented youngsters at this stage? The likes of Julius, Hartzenberg, Ludwig, JF van Heerden, Paul de Villiers and Bradley Davids have the potential to become top international players (and may yet do so), but given the current depth in SA rugby it’s very difficult to break into the Bok set-up. I think the talent is there.
Toughest test year since that FOURTH WORLD CUP WIN (That one’s for Turlogh / RedMist). I can’ see a double win in NZ, Aussies will be either battle hardened after the BIL or massively depleted depth wise due to injuries.
France at home (which always seems to be the case seeing as they don’t like travelling due to their “club rugby completion”) will be good game - which we’ll comfortably win.
Leaving Ireland which we’ll slaughter with ease because by then Nienaber would have completely and utterly destroyed the game there, mission accomplished.
You misspelled turdflow.
You’re not getting Nienaber back. He’s staying. Cook his passport and eat it.
Great looking squad. There’s a Three-Peat squad in there for sure. Power. Great group. Exciting times.
What a season we have in store for us as bok supporters. It’s not going to be easy balancing selecting new players with the old guard, but a wonderful problem to have nonetheless.
The All Black Tests are must-wins. That’s the PRIMARY goal for the year. Those are the games these players are preparing to win as a priority. Pressure cooker stuff. That’s the key experience Rassie will want the newer players to get out of going for the grandest and rarest prize in Sport. A series win against the All Blacks in New Zealand.
As well as to close out the careers of a few players in what is certainly one of the best group of bok players of a generation.
What team sport “trophy” could be rarer? Let me know in the comments below, like and subscribe.
[Please note - this is not an invite to the 3 stooges. Yes we know. You’ve done it. Great. Thanks. Really.]
Personally, I don’t see the boks beating the ABs twice. And I’m happy to be wrong.
But if I could wish for just one win in NZ - it would be at Eden Park. The Holy Grail.
If you take away the nine uncapped players that leaves 45 which is what Rassie is aiming for - one hardened veteran and two younger lesser capped players in each position.
Extremely tough Test schedule - much tougher than last year. AB games, France and Ireland obviously the most important matches but the Tests against what will be a battle-hardened Australia won’t be easy either - especially if Rassie is keeping one eye on those AB games and thinking of resting some players.
Agree with that. Also - not seeing the Boks losing twice.