Siya Kolisi‘s Springboks will tour in November without four 2023 Rugby World Cup winners: Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Andre Esterhuizen and Handre Pollard have all been ruled out through injury.
Kolbe is recovering from a broken jaw, Etzebeth is dealing with a lower-limb problem, Esterhuizen has an ankle injury and Pollard has a hamstring issue. All four are missing from Rassie Erasmus‘ 37-man squad for the second leg of the Nations Championship. The Springboks face Italy on 7 November, France on 13 November and Ireland on 21 November, before the Finals Weekend in London from 27 to 29 November.
Six Uncapped Players Earn Call-Ups
Erasmus has used the absences to look more closely at several of South Africa’s emerging talents. He has named six uncapped players in the squad: Yaqeen Ahmed, Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton and Emmanuel Tshituka. All six are receiving their first national call-ups for the Boks’ last four Tests of 2026.
Each of the six has already been involved in the Springbok set-up. Ahmed, Giliomee, Muller and Tshituka represented the SA ‘A’ team against Zimbabwe. Norton, a former Junior Springbok captain, played for the Boks against the Barbarians in the opening matches of the season. De Klerk attended the national alignment camp last season.
Despite the absence of the four injured stars, the Springboks will still field a largely settled group. Captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende are all included as the team looks to turn its lead at the top of the standings into another title. South Africa finished top of the table in the Nations Championship Southern Series in July, after beating England, Scotland and Wales. They then were crowned the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry champions.
Erasmus Backs Young Players
Erasmus welcomed the young players into the group and said their performances over the last two seasons were key to their selection.
“We’ve had all six players on our radar for a while now, and they’ve delivered consistently for their respective franchises in the last two seasons, so they thoroughly deserve their call-ups,” said Erasmus.
“We’ve seen what most of them are capable of first-hand in our season-opening matches and at our training camps, so we are delighted to see what they have to offer on this tour.
“Building squad depth has always been one of our key pillars as a team, and all those players have shown that they have what it takes to compete at top franchise level, while Riley, Luan and Yaqeen were also part of Junior Springbok squads that have won the Junior World Championship, and Luan also played for the Blitzboks, so they know what it takes to perform at top level.
“There is no doubt facing some of the top teams in elite international rugby will be a completely different challenge, but we have full faith in them to do their best on tour.”
On the injured players left out of the travelling squad, Erasmus said: “It’s always sad to lose players of that calibre, but we are pleased with the cover we have in those positions, and it also offers other players the opportunity to put up their hands.
“The majority of the players in this group have been with us for most of the season and know what our expectations are, and also what to anticipate at this level, so we are excited about the group we’ve selected for this vital leg of the season.”
Erasmus Previews the Three Tests
Erasmus also looked ahead to the challenge of facing Italy, France and Ireland, games that will shape the team’s chances in the Finals Weekend.
“Each one of these teams will pose different threats and challenge us in various ways, and the fact that these matches now form part of a competition will add even more impetus to these games,” said Erasmus.
“Italy may be ranked 11th in the world at this stage, but they are a quality team who have tested us to the limit at times, so we will not be fooled by the standings. They will be playing at home in front of a passionate crowd, and they’ll be desperate to work their way into a good position for the remainder of the competition, so we will certainly not underestimate them.
“France will also throw everything at us as usual, and with the side being ranked fourth in the world, it shows what they are capable of. It is never easy against them, and there have been times when we had to dig deep for the desired result. Two of the last five matches between the sides finished in a one-point win, one of which was the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal. Two were decided by three and four points respectively, with each team winning one of those, so we know it’s going to be another epic battle.
“Ireland will present an equally stern challenge. They’ve won four of the last six matches against us, including our 2023 RWC pool match, although we won our last outing in Dublin a year ago, so neither team will hold back.”
Erasmus added: “Both France and Ireland have also won two of their three Nations Championship matches to date and will be eyeing a spot as the top-placed Northern Hemisphere team, so we need to be sharp, accurate, and adaptable in all our remaining matches to achieve the desired results if we want to finish the league stages as the top team.
“This is an intense competition and every point counts, and every team we face as well as those in our pool will be wary of that, so we have a big job ahead, and it will be important to hit the ground running.”
Springbok Squad for the Second Leg
Props: Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen (all DHL Stormers), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls).
Hookers: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls).
Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Salmaan Moerat (Stade Rochelais), Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears), Riley Norton (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat).
Loose forwards: Paul de Villiers, Siya Kolisi (both DHL Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Emmanuel Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Utility forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls).
Scrumhalves: Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions), Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers).
Flyhalves: Yaqeen Ahmed, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (both DHL Stormers), Luan Giliomee (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners).
Centres: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Markus Muller (DHL Stormers), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls).
Outside backs: Sebastian de Klerk (Vodacom Bulls), Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe (all Hollywoodbets Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).