No Beast, but look who is back with the Boks
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: South Africa received a timely boost, ahead of the Springboks’ year-end tour.
A preliminary training squad 20 for the forthcoming year-end to the United Kingdom and France was announced on Sunday.
Duane Vermeulen, Trevor Nyakane and Lodewyk de Jager made a return to the group, while Tendai Mtawarira was ruled out of the tour due to injury.
The majority of the squad players have already assembled on Sunday for camp, which will last for a week – before they depart in two groups to London next Saturday.
Overseas-based players and those involved in the Currie Cup Final were not considered for the Stellenbosch camp.
De Jager is back in the Springbok mix following a lengthy injury lay-off, while Nyakane, who joined the Springboks for their last two Rugby Championship to continue his rehabilitation and conditioning, is also included in the group.
Vermeulen played for the Boks in the 2-1 series win over England in June, but did not feature in the Rugby Championship.
“It is good to welcome back a player of the calibre of Lood – he will add experience to a position where we already have some very good competition for places. Duane, of course, will also bring similar valuable experience to the group,” `Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said.
Erasmus also confirmed that Mtawarira, the most experienced player in the Bok squad on 107 Test Caps, was not considered due to an injury he sustained against the All Blacks in Pretoria earlier this month.
According to Erasmus, the Springbok coaching staff are looking forward to start working with the players again, following a short break after the Rugby Championship.
“It’s a tough tour and our preparation time is limited, but we have set ourselves some goals and as has been the case the entire season, we would like to see the squad continue to grow as a group and add to our depth with the 2019 World Cup less than a year away,” said Erasmus.
The Springboks open their tour on Saturday, November 3 at Twickenham in London – when they face England for the fourth time this year.
The Springboks won the June series against Eddie Jones’ men two-one in June.
A week after the Twickenham Test, Siya Kolisi and his Springbok teammates tackle France at the Stade de France in Paris.
On November 17, Scotland hosts the Springboks at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, before the tour concludes with a visit to the Cardiff to play Wales on Saturday, November 24.
Erasmus will announce the full Springbok tour squad for the year-end after next Saturday’s Currie Cup final, when Western Province host the Sharks in Cape Town.
South Africa:
Forwards: Schalk Brits, Lodewyk de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Steven Kitshoff, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Trevor Nyakane, Rudolph Snyman, Duane Vermeulen, Warren Whiteley.
Backs: Damian de Allende, Aphiwe Dyantyi, André Esterhuizen, Elton Jantjies, Jesse Kriel, Embrose Papier, Handré Pollard, Ivan van Zyl.
