Rassie's Springbok tour squad shows that nobody is immune to the axe

There is a “changing of the guard” feel to the 36-man Springbok squad about to depart for Europe, with some World Cup winners relegated to the sidelines and a growing group of youngsters replacing them.

Ageing veterans such as fullback Willie le Roux, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and tighthead prop Vincent Koch have not made the cut, while another two senior Boks, Bongi Mbonambi and Makazole Mapimpi, have been placed on standby.

The uncapped Stormers prop Zachary Porthen is the latest young Turk to get the nod from Rassie Erasmus. He joins an exciting new wave of players under the age of 24 in Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Erasmus is determined to finish the year on top of the World Rugby rankings as the draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup looms (on December 3), so he has picked a squad he believes gives him the best shot at winning all five tour games. By relegating some double World Cup winners, the coach is sending out a clear message that nobody is untouchable — form, not reputation, is what counts.

Another veteran looking over his shoulder is captain Siya Kolisi, who will be 36 in Australia in two years. He is in line to become only the ninth South African Test centurion on tour after racking up his 98th cap in the 29-27 victory against Argentina in their final Rugby Championship match at Twickenham a few weeks back.

Among the injured players not considered for selection are Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Frans Malherbe, Trevor Nyakane, Jean-Luc du Preez and Aphelele Fassi.

“We are excited about the makeup of this squad,” said Erasmus. “Most of the players in the group have been with us throughout the season, while others are back from injury or have done the job for us before in the last few years.

“It’s also great to see a young player like Zachary, who has emerged through our junior structures, come through the ranks into the senior set-up, and we are excited to see what he can do at this level.”

Erasmus added: “With five tough matches lined up, we always planned to select a manageable squad, and we have a solid bunch of players on standby, some of whom have been with us during stages this season, and uncapped players such as Sebastian de Klerk and Juarno Augustus, who have continued to impress us with their performances.

“With Neethling Fouché and Salmaan Moerat currently in the process of returning from injury, it’s important for us that they get more game time for their URC franchises, which was the main reason for excluding them from the 36-man squad.

“Obviously, players not included on the standby list could also be called up should the need arise.”

Looking ahead at the tour, Erasmus admitted that while it would be challenging given the quality of the opposition, the team was eager to get back on the field.

“It’s a longer tour than usual and we are facing top-class opposition, but we are looking forward to it,” said Erasmus.

“Ireland and France are currently ranked third and fourth in the world, while Italy, Wales and Japan are in 10th, 12th and 13th place, and we’ve seen in the last few years that you cannot write off any team.

“Ireland and France are always tough opposition, and they both won four out of their five Six Nations matches, with France emerging as the eventual champions, and we know how challenging it is to beat them both at home.

“Japan have beaten us before, Italy put up a good fight against us earlier this year in Pretoria, and Wales beat Japan, proving that they are again on an upward trajectory, so it’s going to be a challenging tour.

“We have delivered a few good performances but also a few disappointing ones this season, so this will be a good opportunity to test ourselves and see if we can build consistency from week to week. That said, it is going to take a massive effort.”

Springbok tour squad

Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Ben-Jason Dixon (Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nché (Sharks), Ruan Nortjé (Bulls), Zachary Porthen (Stormers), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), André Esterhuizen (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handré Pollard (Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Morné van den Berg (Lions), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers), Grant Williams (Sharks).

Players on standby

Forwards: Juarno Augustus (Ulster), Neethling Fouché (Stormers), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Evan Roos (Stormers), Vincent Tshituka (Sharks).

Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Sebastian de Klerk (Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks).