New Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will meet up with his 42-man training squad for the first time on Wednesday and he has included World Cup winning skipper John Smit, two other French based World Cup winners in Percy Montgomery and Victor Matfield and Bath outside half Butch James.
de Villiers has selected 12 of the starting line-up from the Paris triumph over England earlier in the season. Sharks duo JP Pietersen and Francois Steyn miss out, due to the Sharks contesting the Super14 Semi-finals. The coach has also drafted in 12 uncapped players.
“I want to congratulate all the players who were named and I look forward to working with them all next week. I want to emphasise that this is a training squad, not a Test squad,” he said.
“I have selected certain players to work with them in a squad environment alongside the country’s finest players, and others because I felt I had not seen enough of them during the Super 14.”
The new players named in the squad are Jongi Nokwe, Wian du Preez, Duane Vermeulen (all Cheetahs), Louis Ludik, Earl Rose, Gerhard Mostert (all Lions), Andries Bekker, Schalk Brits, Brian Mujati (all Stormers), Heini Adams, Zane Kirchner (both Bulls) and Isma-eel Dollie (Western Province).
“All the players named, including the young ones, have been on form and showed what they can do in the Super 14. I think it is time for us to give back to them after they showed South Africa that they are able to put their bodies on the line for their country,” he added.
“We want to keep and build on what we’ve got in this country. With four years in mind, we want to bring the young blood and mix them with the older players and see what we can get at the end of the four year cycle.
“You can’t buy the experience that the older guys bring. We need this experience to rub on to the younger guys.”
The Springboks beat Wales 34-12 at the Millennium Stadium in November, when Nigel Davies was caretaker coach, and will meet Gatland’s Grand Slam champions in Bloemfontein on 7 June and in Pretoria a week later.
South Africa 42-man Training Squad
Backs: Heini Adams, Gcobani Bobo, Meyer Bosman, Tonderai Chavhanga, Jean de Villiers, Isma-eel Dollie, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Peter Grant, Bryan Habana, Butch James, Enrico Januarie, Conrad Jantjes, Zane Kirchner, Louis Ludik, Percy Montgomery, Akona Ndungane, Jongi Nokwe, Wynand Olivier, Earl Rose
Forwards: Andries Bekker, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Wian du Preez, Kabamba Floors, Hilton Lobberts, Victor Matfield, Gerhard Mostert, Brian Mujati, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Danie Rossouw, John Smit (Capt), Juan Smith, Pierre Spies, Gurthro Steenkamp, CJ van der Linde, Heinke van der Merwe, Wikus van Heerden, Joe van Niekerk, Luke Watson, Duane Vermeulen
