South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has named his 54-man Springboks squad for the upcoming Tests against Italy and Georgia.
The squad includes nine uncapped players: Marnus van der Merwe, Neethling Fouche, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Cobus Wiese, Renzo du Plessis, Vincent Tshituka, Juarno Augustus, Ethan Hooker, and Ntokozo Makhaza.
Hooker, 22, is fresh from a player of the match performance on Saturday – playing on the wing rather than his preferred role as a centre – as the Sharks defeated Munster in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals, which included a solo effort to score in the second half.
All available players will assemble on Sunday, June 8, in Johannesburg, with any remaining players from the URC and Gallagher Premiership play-offs joining when their club commitments end.
The Springboks will take on the Barbarians in Cape Town at the end of the month before hosting the Azzurri for two Tests and welcoming Georgia for a one-off match.
“We were very pleased with the two Springbok alignment camps we hosted, and we are excited to have the luxury of announcing a squad with so much depth and talent,” said Erasmus.
“Having an expanded squad will not only afford us the opportunity to have productive training sessions, but it will also bode well for the younger players in the group to learn from the senior players, many of whom are Rugby World Cup champions.
“We take pride in offering talented young players a chance to work first-hand with the coaches and to expose them to standards at international level, and we are excited to see them showcase their skills at the camp.
“We used a total of 50 players last season in an attempt to balance the load on them, while at the same time building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, and with a few more talented youngsters in this group, we hope that they will learn valuable lessons and stake a strong claim for places in what will be a challenging, yet exciting season.”
Springboks squad (in alphabetical order):
Forwards: Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Renzo du Plessis (Emirates Lions), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Emirates Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks
Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker (all Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Emirates Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwilll van der Merwe (both Emirates Lions), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).
