Reason to feel positive as Rassie’s selection showcases SA’s depth

There has been a lot of talk about the Springbok injuries building up to the kick-off to the international season that is now less than two weeks away, but if that was leading to a feeling of negativity among fans, it should have been swept away by Rassie Erasmus’ first squad selection.

It needs to be remembered that the Bok coach has called up his 51-man squad to cover two games - the Bok opener to the season against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on 20 June and the South Africa A clash with Zimbabwe on the same day and at the same venue.

So there’s a lot of youthful talent to get excited about, with several of the players who were part of the Junior Boks’ comprehensive triumph in last year’s Junior World Championship getting a chance to show Erasmus and his fellow coaches what they can do by being part of the senior camp.

Players like Jaco Williams, Batho Hlekani, Hashim Pead, Luan Giliomee, Oli Reid and Vusi Moyo have already been blooded at URC level this season while Imad Khan has experienced his breakout season with the DHL Stormers, but some prodigiously talented young players have yet to play senior rugby who are a part of the camp.

An example is last year’s Wynberg Boys High flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, who showed good signs when he started at No 10 in all the Junior Bok games in the Under-20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha. Some are talking about him being another Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, which is high praise indeed and also a high expectation, but he certainly has all the hallmarks of a great player in the making.

ESTABLISHED STARS LOOK LIKE THEY ARE FIT TO GO

But while the depth of young talent is one reason for Bok supporters to be joyful, perhaps the biggest positive about Erasmus’ squad selection, which obviously doesn’t feature the Vodacom Bulls players playing in the Vodacom URC final on 19 June, is the number of established players who have been included and can therefore be assumed to be making their way back from injury.

There has been much talk of a lock crisis but Lood de Jager played his comeback game after injury for his Japanese club this weekend. Eben Etzebeth is also in the squad and should be refreshed after his long layoff, and there are additional experienced Bok locks in the group in the form of Franco Mostert and Salmaan Moerat, and remember of course, that Ruan Nortje and Cobus Wiese aren’t there because they are with the Bulls.

Pieter-Steph du Toit, who like De Jager is ready to play again after a long layoff, can also play lock if required, and Ben-Jason Dixon, arguably the next in line behind Du Toit when it comes to No 7 flanks, can also be used in the second row, while Junior Bok captain Riley Norton is a highly promising lock who is part of the group with an eye to the future and is listed as a loose-forward and lock on the squad list.

SCRUMHALF INJURY CRISIS LOOKS LIKE IT’S BEEN ALLEVIATED

Scrumhalf was supposed to be another area of concern and there have been a few injuries there, but Grant Williams, injured for most of the second half of the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ URC campaign, is in the group. Veteran Faf de Klerk has also been recalled, while another Bulls absentee is Embrose Papier, who had his outstanding URC season capped by being named player of the tournament, and he was also the man of the match in the Bulls’ come-from-behind win over Glasgow in the Edinburgh semifinal.

Below those experienced players, there is plenty of youthful scrumhalf talent in the form of Hashim Pead and Imad Khan. So while obviously Erasmus would prefer to have Cobus Reinach, who ended the last international season as the first choice No 9, and ditto Morne van den Bergh, he should feel satisfied with what he has.

Indeed, given that Malcolm Marx is also in the group and we haven’t heard anymore negative news about the bicep injury that forced him from the field in Japan last week, he can say that in almost all positions. Aphelele Fassi is back in the group, but Erasmus also has another fullback in red-hot form in Damian Willemse in his extended squad.

The list of SA U20 players in the squad are Ahmed (flyhalf/centre), Danie Kruger (prop), Giliomee (utility back), Moyo (flyhalf), Reid (prop), Liam van Wyk (hooker), as well as Junior Springbok captain Norton (loose forward/lock), Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker), Markus Muller (centre), and Zekhethelo Siyaya (utility back), all of whom were members of the expanded Springbok alignment camp squad.

URC FORM IS REWARDED

The other uncapped players in the group are players who have mostly been rewarded for excellent URC form: Paul de Villiers (flanker), Bathobele Hlekani (utility forward), Hanro Jacobs (prop), Jurenzo Julius (utility back), Khan (scrumhalf), JJ Kotze (hooker), Sibabalwa Mahashe (loose forward), Pead, Nico Steyn (both scrumhalves), Emmanuel Tshituka (flanker), Jaco Williams (utility back).

The Japanese-based players who have completed their club commitments will join their teammates from the outset of the camp, while the UK-based players will report for duty once their season officially concludes in line with World Rugby’s Regulation 9.

The Springbok squad for the Nations Championship clashes against England (4 July), Scotland (11 July), and Wales (18 July) will be announced on Sunday, 21 June, following the conclusion of the Vodacom URC and a day after the Barbarian and Zimbabwe games.

“We named a large group of players as we will be selecting a Springbok and SA ‘A’ team for the season-opening double-header in Gqeberha, and this will be beneficial in the long term as we build the squad, looking forward to next year’s Rugby World Cup and beyond,” said Erasmus.

“There is also an exciting mix of experienced campaigners and young players in this squad, and this formula has worked well for us in the past to ensure a clear pathway to build depth within the group.”

Springbok squad (in alphabetical order):

Forwards: 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), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Riley Norton (DHL Stormers), Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers), Oliver Reid (DHL Stormers), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers), Emmanuel Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), 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).