Erasmus has been working with a preliminary Springbok training squad of 20, but will add a further 14 players after South African rugby’s annual showpiece occasion this weekend. They kick-off their tour against England at Twickenham on Saturday, 3 November, and close the Under Armour Series in the Welsh capital on Saturday, 24 November.
Duane Vermeulen, Trevor Nyakane and Lood de Jager all make a return to the group, but veteran prop Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira has been ruled out of the tour due to injury. The 107-times capped loose head will be a big loss to the Boks.
De Jager is back in the Springbok mix following a lengthy injury lay-off, while Nyakane, who joined the Springboks for their last two Rugby Championship matches to continue his rehabilitation and conditioning, is also included in the group. Vermeulen, the former Toulon No 8 no playing in Japan, played for the Boks in the 2-1 series win over England in June, but did not feature in the Rugby Championship.
“It is good to welcome back a player of the calibre of Lood – he will add experience to a position where we already have some very good competition for places. Duane, of course, will also bring similar valuable experience to the group,” said Erasmus.
“It’s a tough tour and our preparation time is limited, but we have set ourselves some goals and as has been the case the entire season, we would like to see the squad continue to grow as a group and add to our depth with the 2019 Rugby World Cup less than a year away.”
The former Saracens hooker Schalk Brits is included in the tour party and there is space for players currently playing overseas. Wales made it three wins in a row over South Africa when they beat the Boks in Washington DC in the summer.
SPRINGBOK SQUAD (Initial 20)
Forwards (12)
Schalk Brits (Hooker, Unattached, 11 caps)
Lood de Jager (Lock, Blue Bulls, 36 caps)
Pieter-Steph du Toit (Flanker / Lock, Western Province, 42 caps)
Eben Etzebeth (Lock, Western Province, 73 caps)
Steven Kitshoff (Prop, Western Province, 33 caps)
Siya Kolisi (Flanker, Western Province, 37 caps)
Frans Malherbe (Prop, Western Province, 25 caps)
Malcolm Marx (Hooker, Golden Lions, 20 caps)
Trevor Nyakane (Prop, Blue Bulls, 37 caps)
RG Snyman (Lock, Honda Heat, Japan, 8 caps)
Duane Vermeulen (No. 8, Kubota Spears, Japan, 42 caps)
Warren Whiteley (No. 8, Golden Lions, 21 caps)
Backs (8)
Damian de Allende (Centre, Western Province, 33 caps)
Aphiwe Dyantyi (Wing, Golden Lions, 9 caps)
André Esterhuizen (Centre, Sanix Blues, Japan, 5 caps)
Elton Jantjies (Outside Half, Golden Lions, 29 caps)
Jesse Kriel (Centre, Blue Bulls, 36 caps)
Embrose Papier (Scrum Half, Blue Bulls, 4 caps)
Handré Pollard (Outside Half, Blue Bulls, 35 caps)
Ivan van Zyl (Scrum Half, Blue Bulls, 3 caps)
