Rassie brings in Bulls duo after injury blow

SQUAD UPDATE: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has tweaked his squad ahead of the November Tests.

Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) and Wilco Louw (prop) were called up to the Springbok squad, following the injury withdrawal of utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Wessels, who is equally adept at prop and hooker, was named in the initial 34-man squad on Tuesday.

However, he has subsequently been ruled out of contention after it emerged that he suffered an ankle injury in the Bulls’ United Rugby Championship clash against the Scarlets last Saturday, prompting Erasmus to call up his franchise teammates.

Louw played the last of his 14 Tests in 2021, although he was named on the Boks’ standby list for the July Tests earlier this year.

Grobbelaar, meanwhile, has been a regular member of the Bok squad this season and started the Tests against Portugal in Bloemfontein and Australia in Perth.

Their inclusion in the group increases the number of players in the squad to 35 – comprising 19 forwards and 16 backs.

“It’s always sad to lose a player to injury and we wish Jan-Hendrik all the best on his road to recovery, but this opens up the door for Johan and Wilco to make their mark against quality opposition in Scotland, England and Wales,” said Erasmus.

“Jan-Hendrik offered us the luxury of serving as a prop and hooker, but with his versatility out of the picture, we decided to call up a specialist prop and hooker.

“Johan has been part of the squad this season and is really growing in his role and in the team, while Wilco has been delivering consistently superb performances for the Vodacom Bulls this season, and he has been knocking on the door for a while now, so I have no doubt he will want to grab this chance with both hands.

“We are certainly excited to see what they bring to the squad, while Wilco’s inclusion also adds to our player stocks as we continue to build our squad depth.”

The Springboks will depart for a training camp in Jersey, the largest of the largest Channel Islands between England and France, on Sunday, October 27. The group will then make the journey to Edinburgh on Sunday, November 3 for their opening Test of the tour.

The Boks will face Scotland in Edinburgh (Sunday, November 10), England in London (Saturday. November 16) and Wales in Cardiff (Saturday, November 23) on their traditional end-of-year tour.

Springbok squad for the year-end tour

Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls).

Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks).

Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Heat), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster).

Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (captain, Sharks), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (D-Rocks).

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

Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (Stormers), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers).

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

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