Faf, Mapimpi miss out as Rassie names strong squad for Aussie tests

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus moved a step closer to his most experienced side as he chose a strong 37-man squad that has no less than 24 World Cup winners for the first two tests of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship defence against Australia next month.

Five players who made their test debuts were kept in the squad, but there was no place for veterans like Faf de Klerk and Makazole Mapimpi who missed out on selection. The question must now be asked if this is the start of Erasmus moving some of the World Cup winners out and replacing them with younger players.

In De Klerk’s case, Morne van den Berg and Cobus Reinach are the scrumhalves along with Grant Williams, while Edwill van der Merwe’s four tries in three tests seem to have given him the nod ahead of Mapimpi, who has already publicly said he won’t be going to the 2027 World Cup.

The Bok coach also invited three young guns, who were members of the triumphant Junior Springbok World Rugby U20 Championship squad – Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead – to train with the group during their two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg starting on Sunday, 27 July, to orientate them into the Springbok culture.

The five players who earned their first Springbok test caps in July are Ethan Hooker (utility back), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter (both props), Marnus van der Merwe (hooker), and Cobus Wiese (utility forward).

While Erasmus was hoping to give these players more caps anyway, in the case of Venter, the continued absence of Gerhard Steenekamp and Nthuthuko Mchunu opened the door for his selection. Lukhanyo Am’s continued absence also leaves a spot for Ethan Hooker, while Frans Malherbe’s season-ending injury has given Asenathi Ntlabakanye a chance to spend more time with the Boks.

Marnus van der Merwe is the third hooker, while Cobus Wiese seems to have benefited from his brother Jasper’s suspension, and his performance at eight and versatility probably gave him the nod. Wiese is currently serving a four-week suspension, ruling him out of this squad.

Meanwhile, Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the Gallagher Premiership, although he is eligible to be called up at any stage should the need arise

A handful of players, in turn, have been released to their respective franchises to build up game time in the Carling Currie Cup competition, although a few of them have been placed on standby for the Wallaby tests.

Am, De Klerk and Mapimpi are on standby, along with other absentees Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Neethling Fouche and Vincent Tshituka.

Two of the players whose performances got them the nod for the Aussie tests are Ruan Nortje, the man of the match against Georgia and Marco van Staden, who was the team’s internal man of the match against Italy.

In total, Erasmus’ squad includes 20 forwards and 17 backline players. The Springboks will face the Wallabies in Johannesburg on Saturday, 16 August, and again a week later in Cape Town on 23 August.

'SMALLER, MORE MANAGEABLE SQUAD'

“It’s always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands during the Castle Lager Incoming Series, but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Castle Lager Rugby Championship,” said Erasmus.

“This group includes several experienced players and a few younger guys, who grabbed their chances in the last few tests, so we are pleased with this squad for the first two matches.

“We have also informed the players on standby what our plans are and what we expect from them, so that all of them are ready to step up if needed.”

Erasmus elaborated on the composition of the squad, saying: “We probably have three players who can cover each position, which is important in this competition, so it was a thorough process to narrow down the group to 36 players.

“One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world.”

Of the young guns invited to train with the squad for the next two weeks, Erasmus said: “We are tremendously proud of the Junior Springboks for winning the World Rugby U20 Championship and we were thrilled to see the talent coming through the junior ranks, so we opted to invite three of them to join us to expose them to our structures and the standards required at top international level.

“We believe this camp will benefit them significantly, and we are excited to see how they slot in and train with us.

“Unfortunately, we had to limit the size of the squad to ensure maximum outputs and more individual attention at our training sessions, so although more players could have been invited, we could only select three.”

Erasmus expected a completely different challenge in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship to that against the Barbarians, Italy, and Georgia, and said: “Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina are all ranked in the top seven in the world, and if one considers that we won the Castle Lager Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019 last year, it is clear that this will be a completely different kettle of fish.

“All three teams have beaten us in the last few years and they play a different style of rugby to the other opposition we have faced thus far, but we are pleased with the foundation we laid in the last few weeks and we know exactly what areas of our game we need to work on going into the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.”

Erasmus will announce his squad for the two-match tour to New Zealand in September before making the journey Down Under, where they will face their arch-rivals at Eden Park in Auckland on 6 September, and the Sky Stadium in Wellington on 13 September, respectively.

The team will wrap up their campaign with test matches against Argentina in Durban on Saturday, 27 September, and in London on 4 October.

SPRINGBOK SQUAD FOR TWO TESTS v AUSTRALIA

Forwards

Props: Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Boan Venter (Edinburgh)

Hookers: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets)

Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), RG Snyman (Leinster), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls).

Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz),Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls)

Utility forwards: Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls)

Scrumhalves: Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers),), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks),

Flyhalves: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls),

Midfielders: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls)

Back three: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).

Those missing out: Thomas Du Toit (rest), Neethling Fouche, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Vincent Tshituka, Faf de Klerk, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am (all on standby), Jasper Wiese (suspended)

Still injured: Gerhard Steenekamp, Elrigh Louw, Cameron Hanekom, Jean Kleyn