Rugby World Cup winners Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Andre Esterhuizen and Handre Pollard have been ruled out of the Springboks’ November tour through injury.
Kolbe (broken jaw), Etzebeth (lower limb), Esterhuizen (ankle) and Pollard (knee) are missing from Rassi Erasmus’ 37-man squad for the second leg of the Nations Championship, which includes games against Italy (Nov 7), France (Nov 13) and Ireland (Nov 21-Nov 2) before the final in London (Nov 27).
Erasmus took the opportunity to take a further look at some of the rising stars of South African rugby by naming six uncapped players in the squad.
Yaqeen Ahmed, Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton and Emmanuel Tshituka have all earned their first national call-ups for the Boks’ final four Tests in 2026.
All six players have already been included in the Springbok squad. Ahmed, Giliomee, Muller and Tshituka represented the SA ‘A’ team against Zimbabwe and Norton – a former Junior Springbok captain – played for the Boks against Barbarians in the opening games of the season, while De Klerk attended the national camp last season.
Even without the aforementioned quartet, they will feature alongside a largely settled group of players, including captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende, as the Springboks look to turn their lead at the top of the table into another title.
The Springboks finished top of the table Nations Championship Southern Series in July following wins against England, Scotland and Wales, before being crowned the inaugural champions of rugby’s biggest rivalry.
Nations Championship
North
P
W
L
D
PF
Well
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
In total
1
3
2
1
0
12
2
3
2
1
0
11
3
3
2
1
0
10
4
3
2
1
0
10
5
3
1
2
0
5
6
3
0
3
0
0
South
P
W
L
D
PF
Well
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
In total
1
3
3
0
0
15
2
3
3
0
0
15
3
3
1
2
0
8
4
3
1
2
0
7
5
3
1
2
0
4
6
3
0
3
0
0
Erasmus was delighted to welcome the talented young players to the fold and said their performances and promise over the past two seasons were key factors in their selection.
“We’ve had all six players on our radar for some time, and they’ve been consistent performers for their respective franchises over the past two seasons, so they fully deserve their call-ups,” Erasmus said.
“We’ve seen what most of them are capable of first-hand in our season-opening matches and in our training camps, so we’re excited to see what they have to offer on this tour.
“Squad depth has always been one of our key pillars as a team, and all these players have shown they have what it takes to compete at the top level of the franchise, while Riley, Luan and Yaqeen were also part of the Junior Springbok squads that won the Junior World Cup, and Luan also played for the Blitzboks, so they know what it takes to perform at the top level.
“There is no doubt that facing some of the best teams in elite international rugby will be a completely different challenge, but we have every confidence in them to give their all on the tour.”
Of the injured players left out of the traveling squad, Erasmus said: “It’s always sad to lose players of that caliber but we’re happy with the cover we have in those positions and it offers an opportunity for other players to put their hands up.
“Most of the players in this group have been with us for most of the season and know what our expectations are and what to expect at this level, so we are excited about the group we have selected for this vital part of the season.”
Commenting on the prospects of facing Italy, France and Ireland in the coming weeks, which would ultimately decide the team’s fate in the final weekend, Erasmus was looking forward to the challenge.
“Each of these teams will pose different threats and challenge us in different ways, and the fact that these games are now part of the competition will add even more momentum to these games,” said Erasmus.
“Italy they may be 11th in the world at this stage, but they are a quality team who have tested us to the limit at times, so the table will not deceive us. They will be playing at home in front of a passionate crowd and will be desperate to fight for a good position by the end of the competition, so we certainly won’t underestimate them.
“France they will also throw us all as usual and fourth place in the world shows what they are capable of. It’s never easy against them, and there were times when we had to dig deep to get the result we wanted, with two of the last five matches between the sides ending in one-point wins – one of which was in 2023. Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, while two were decided by three and four points respectively, with each team winning one of them, so we know it will be another epic battle.
“Ireland will present an equally stiff challenge. They have won four of their last six matches against us, including our RWC 2023 pool match, although we won our last outing in Dublin a year ago, so neither team will be holding back.”
Erasmus added: “Both France and Ireland have also won two of their three Championship of Nations matches to date and will be looking for a place as the top team in the Northern Hemisphere, so we need to be sharp, precise and adaptable in all our remaining games to get the results we want if we are to finish the championship stage 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 it, so we have a big job ahead of us and it will be important to hit the ground running.”
Springbok squad for the second game of the Nations Championship:
Props: Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen (all DHL Stormers), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls).
Whores: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls).
Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Salmaan Moerat (Rochelais Stadium), 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).
Auxiliary 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).
Centers: 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).