Springboks release Salmaan Moerat from camp with uncapped team-mate called up

La Rochelle-bound second-row Salmaan Moerat has been released from the South Africa squad due to injury and has been replaced by his uncapped team-mate Ruben van Heerden.

Just days after being named in Rassie Erasmus’ 51-man squad, the 28-year-old has become the latest South African second-row to succumb to injury this year.

South Africa have not disclosed the nature of the injury, but Moerat has already been sidelined in 2026 due to toe surgery. He was included in the squad by Erasmus alongside Eben Etzebeth, who missed the tail end of the Sharks season with a hip injury, and Lood de Jager, who only this past weekend made his return from a seven-month lay-off due to hip surgery for Saitama Wild Knights’ third-place play-off in Japan Rugby League One, playing 56 minutes in his side’s victory. RG Snyman, meanwhile, is a long-term absentee after rupturing his ACL in March.

Moerat’s Stormers team-mate van Heerden, 28, will team up with the Springboks squad on Wednesday evening in Johannesburg ahead of a double header on June 20 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, where South Africa A will face Zimbabwe before the Boks take on the Barbarians.

The double header comes two weeks before the world champions host England at Ellis Park in the opening round of the Nations Championship.

Fixture

Rugby Union Hybrid Friendlies

South Africa A

03:00

20 Jun 26

Zimbabwe

All Stats and Data

Updated South Africa squad (in alphabetical order):
Forwards: Phepsi Buthelezi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers), Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Bathobele Hlekani (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Hanro Jacobs (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), JJ Kotze (DHL Stormers), Danie Kruger (DHL Stormers), Sibabalwa Mahashe (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Ntuthuko Mchunu (DHL Stormers), Siphosethu Mnebelele (Vodacom Bulls), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Riley Norton (DHL Stormers), Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers), Oliver Reid (DHL Stormers), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers), Carlu Sadie (Bordeaux-Begles), Emmanuel Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruben van Heerden (DHL Stormers), Liam van Wyk (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Backs: Yaqeen Ahmed (DHL Stormers) Lukhanyo Am (DynaBoars), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Luan Giliomee (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Jurenzo Julius (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Imad Khan (DHL Stormers), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Vusi Moyo (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Markus Muller (DHL Stormers), Haashim Pead (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Zekhethelo Siyaya (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Nico Steyn (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jaco Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).