De Klerk to join Springboks in Auckland

Experienced scrumhalf Faf de Klerk will join the Springboks in New Zealand for the second leg of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign against the All Blacks, where they will play matches in Auckland and Wellington, as additional cover in the key position.

The 33-year-old is the fourth scrumhalf in the touring squad after Grant Williams, Cobus Reinach and Morne van den Berg.

De Klerk, who was a vital cog in the sides that won the last two World Cups, has suffered a spate of injuries since playing the full 80 minutes against New Zealand in the 2023 final in Paris.

His only two international appearances this season came off the bench against Italy and Georgia.

De Klerk’s inclusion in the squad increases the size of the group currently preparing for the first test in Auckland to 36 players, after Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi remained behind in South Africa earlier this week to attend to family matters.

The Springboks will face their archrivals, the All Blacks, at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday 6 September, before travelling to Wellington for their second match on the tour at the Sky Stadium on Saturday 13 September.