In the chess match that is international rugby, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has laid down his next move with military precision—naming a 37-man squad bristling with battle-hardened champions and hungry young warriors for the Australian leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
Like a general surveying the field before a major campaign, Erasmus has selected 24 Rugby World Cup-winners—men forged in fire and hardened by glory—to lead the charge against the Wallabies in Johannesburg (16 August) and Cape Town (23 August).
Flanking them are five fresh Test debutants, including the versatile Ethan Hooker and rugged front-row bruisers Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter, and Marnus van der Merwe, with the athletic Cobus Wiese ready to wear multiple hats in the pack.
But Rassie isn’t just rolling with his veterans—he’s seeding the soil for the next generation. The triumphant Junior Springbok trio of Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead—still tasting the sweet residue of U20 World Cup victory—have been called up to train with the senior squad.
It’s an orientation camp, yes, but also a golden passport into the Bok culture: tough love, sharp detail, and relentless standards.
We are tremendously proud of the Junior Springboks. We opted to invite three of them to expose them to our structures and the standards required at top international level. This camp will benefit them significantly.
The squad selection, however, wasn’t without its heartbreaks. Erasmus wielded his scalpel with care, cutting the group down to a lean, mean 37, all while keeping a few old warhorses saddled and ready in the stables.
On standby are Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Faf de Klerk, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Neethling Fouché, and Vincent Tshituka—all seasoned gladiators who could gallop into battle at a moment’s notice.
It’s always challenging to reduce the squad. But we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Championship. This group includes several experienced players and a few younger guys who grabbed their chances in the last few Tests.
Among the missing are powerhouse prop Thomas du Toit, temporarily sidelined for rest per an agreement with Premiership club Bath, and dynamo No. 8 Jasper Wiese, currently cooling his heels on a four-week suspension.
Erasmus has shaped his unit like a finely tuned scrum—20 forwards and 17 backs, each slot accounted for, each piece ready to mesh into the greater machine.
We probably have three players who can cover each position. One of our key pillars is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to the top teams in the world.
But the stakes are higher now. The Rugby Championship is no tea party with tier-two nations. It’s a full-throttle test of grit and guile, where every mistake is punished and every inch must be earned.
Last year we won the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019. But this is a different kettle of fish. Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina are all ranked in the top seven in the world. All three have beaten us in recent years and bring a very different style of rugby.
The Springboks have laid a solid foundation through July’s matches against the Barbarians, Italy, and Georgia. But now, the temperature rises. The Bok boiler room will need to roar. The backline will have to sizzle.
And the young guns will need to prove they can stand shoulder to shoulder with legends when the Wallabies come charging into Ellis Park.
Thereafter, the Bok caravan rolls into enemy territory—Eden Park and Sky Stadium in September, followed by back-to-back battles with Argentina in Durban and London.
The road is long, the trials fierce. But Rassie has drawn his blueprint, stacked his squad, and stirred the Springbok stew. Now, it’s time to cook under pressure.
Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship Tests against Australia:
Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls).
Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).
