Springboks Squad Named for New Zealand Tour as Erasmus Unveils Full-Strength Team for All Blacks

• Rassie Erasmus has unveiled a full-strength Springboks squad for their tour of New Zealand, signalling South Africa’s intent to defend their Rugby Championship title
• The team will face the All Blacks in two crucial Tests on 6 and 13 September, with both matches expected to be fiercely contested given the historic rivalry
• The squad will travel ahead of the series to allow time for acclimatisation, although prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye will miss out after failing a doping test

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has named a full-strength squad for South Africa’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, despite missing the services of prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who failed a doping test ahead of the series.

The team will face the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland on 6 September, before meeting them again in Wellington on 13 September. Both fixtures are crucial as South Africa aims to defend its Rugby Championship title.

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Erasmus has retained faith in the players who featured in the opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches against Australia. The Boks lost 38-22 to the Wallabies in Ellis Park but bounced back with a 30-22 win in Cape Town on 23 August.

Who is part of the squad?

Number 8 Jasper Wiese, currently serving a suspension following a red card against Italy, will be eligible for the Wellington clash.

Captain Siya Kolisi, sidelined due to injury for the Cape Town game, has been cleared to return, along with Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Willie le Roux, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

What did Erasmus say about the upcoming All Blacks tour

Erasmus acknowledged the challenge of facing New Zealand but expressed confidence after the team’s recent victory over Australia.

“We learned valuable lessons from our first game against Australia, and we know exactly what we have to do to reach our standards and improve as the competition progresses, and I don’t think we need more motivation than that.”

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Erasmus added that they were under no illusions that both games would be massive and that every match against the All Blacks was epic, given the rivalry between the teams.

The coach also said that the Springboks had won their last four matches against the All Blacks dating back to 2023, which marked only the second time in history that South Africa had defeated them four times in a row, and added that there was no doubt this would motivate both teams.

He stated that the team needed to build on what they had been working on during the Castle Lager Incoming Series and the Castle Lager Rugby Championship and take another step up before facing New Zealand in two weeks.

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Erasmus also mentioned that the squad would be travelling to New Zealand the following day, which would give them sufficient time to acclimatise to the time zone, and he believed the team would be settled and ready for the task ahead by the time they took the field.

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Matt Williams lashes out at Rassie Erasmus

Briefly News previously reported that former Scotland coach and long-time Springboks critic Matt Williams has lashed out at Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus.

This is not the first time in recent weeks that tensions have flared between the two. The feud, which has gained public attention, began with Williams’ criticism of Erasmus and the Springboks’ style of play, particularly targeting the tactics used by both the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions during the 2021 Test series.

Source: Briefly News