Youthful flavour to Bok squad for Gqeberha double-header

There was an emphasis on youth when the Springboks named a 51-man squad, featuring 21 uncapped players, for a double-header against the Barbarians, as well as a showdown between an SA A team and Zimbabwe in Gqeberha on June 20.

With the Bulls players unavailable for selection after booking their place in the United Rugby Championship final against Leinster, Erasmus selected several junior players in his squad.

Among the crop of rising stars is KuGompo City’s Sibabalwe Mahashe, who has impressed while playing for the Lions.

The former Hudson Park loose forward will be looking to make the most of any opportunities that come his way during the next two weeks.

The extended group includes SA U-20 players Yaqeen Ahmed (flyhalf/centre), Danie Kruger (prop), Luan Giliomee (utility back), Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), Oliver Reid (prop), and Liam van Wyk (hooker), as well as Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton (loose forward/lock), Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker), Markus Muller (centre), and Zekhethelo Siyaya (utility back), all of whom were members of the expanded Springbok alignment camp squad.

A revved-up Barbarians outfit will be on the warpath and hunting for the prized scalp of the all-conquering Springboks when the sides collide at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on June 20, joint coach Felipe Contepomi says. Any perceptions that the international season opener might be a low-key affair were kicked into touch when Contepomi said the Baabaas wanted to erase memories of the 2025 clash between the teams when the Boks ran out runaway 54-7 winners in Cape Town. Contepomi, who is a joint coach alongside Scott Robertson, Patrice Collazo and Kenny Lynn, said the Baabaas wanted to be much more competitive in Gqeberha than had been the case in Cape Town (kickoff 3pm). “Hopefully it’s not the same as it was in Cape Town in 2026,” he told the Behind the Ruck podcast. “We can turn that story around and bring another story. “To hear that Bok coach Rassie Erasmus is taking it as seriously as a Test match is the best way for us to prepare. Facing South Africa is a big, big challenge, and I’m really looking forward to it. “Being part of the Barbarians is a great honour. But when they showed me the calendar and said we were playing against the world champions, it was an even bigger honour. “I love going to South Africa. The way South African people live rugby is unbelievable.” The former Argentina flyhalf, who played for the Barbarians during his career, said his team would be facing a huge challenge in Gqeberha. “The Springboks are the world champions and at the moment they are the best team in the world. If you ask 100 people, 99 will probably say they are. And when you play against the best, obviously you want to beat them. “I think being part of the Barbarians is a great honour. And I’ve been lucky enough to play in two tours with the Baabaas. And now being asked to coach, it’s a big honour — and I have lots of friends in South Africa. “Being able to be part of the Baabaas in South Africa will be a great experience, for sure. “I think two things when the name of the Barbarians comes up. First of all, because you have to be invited to be part of that club, it’s a great honour to be invited and to be part of it. For me, the most important thing that rugby gives you is friendship, knowing people, knowing different cultures. And that’s exactly what you get in a Barbarians team “And the second one, I think they still, in such a professional era, keep a very amateur spirit and sometimes even a way of rolling. So for me, an older guy who lived the last part of the amateur era with a mix of professionalism, it’s a great way of going back to rugby roots. “And look, for me, the most important thing that rugby gives you is friendship, knowing people, knowing different cultures. And that’s exactly what you get in a Barbarians team. People from everywhere in the world sharing their experiences, having a good time and just playing for each other. “So playing against the best is all that you want, and when you go and play against the best, obviously, you want to beat them. “I have lots of time for Rassie Erasmus because he’s a great coach. He knows the Boks have a target on their back because they are the best at the moment. So it’s a great honour to be able to go and play against them, and I’m looking forward to it.” A SA A team will take on the Zimbabwe Sables in a curtain-raiser to the Barbarians clash. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

The other uncapped players in the group are Paul de Villiers (flanker), Bathobele Hlekani (utility forward), Hanro Jacobs (prop), Jurenzo Julius (utility back), Imad Khan (scrumhalf), JJ Kotze (hooker), Mahashe (loose forward), Haashim Pead, Nico Steyn (both scrumhalves), Emmanuel Tshituka (flanker), and Jaco Williams (utility back).

The Boks’ Japanese-based players who have completed their club commitments will join their teammates from the outset of the camp, while the UK-based players will report for duty once their season officially concludes in line with World Rugby’s regulation 9.

The Springbok squad for the Nations Championship clashes against England (July 4), Scotland (July 11), and Wales (July 18) will be announced on June 21 after the conclusion of the United Rugby Championship.

Erasmus said he was looking forward to seeing how the younger players adapted to the demands of senior international rugby.

“We named a large group of players, as we will be selecting a Springbok and SA A team for the season-opening double-header in Gqeberha, and this will be beneficial in the long-term as we build the squad, looking forward to next year’s Rugby World Cup and beyond,” he said.

“There is also an exciting mix of experienced campaigners and young players in this squad, and this formula has worked well for us in the past to ensure a clear pathway to build depth within the group.

More significant building blocks have been put in place to ensure the Springboks are ready to hit the ground running in their opening match of the season against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on June 20, coach Rassie Erasmus said. Last week’s alignment camp in Cape Town included a series of boardroom sessions presented by the coaches in the build-up to the Boks’ opening game at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kickoff 3pm). Though some of the players at the alignment camp may not make the Bok side to face the BaaBaas, they will be strong candidates for inclusion in an SA A team to face the Zimbabwe Sables in a curtain-raiser (kickoff 12:00). “Every year after an alignment camp, we say we are happy with where we are currently, but I guess it will only be clear when we start playing,” Erasmus said. “What we’ve tried to introduce with the alignment camps was to bring in young players who haven’t been part of our system and others who have only been to one or two camps, so in that sense, the players are starting to feel more comfortable. “They also got the opportunity to know the coaches and a little more about the structures. “There were also injured players who were not in attendance and some guys who attended virtually, so there were different goals, but we believe most of them were achieved. “That said, it’s easy to talk now. Obviously, it has to translate onto the field.” Erasmus said more than 60 players in the two alignment camps spread the net to ensure that everyone received a fair start. “Then there are the on-field aspects, where some guys may still be playing, and others will be flying in from abroad. In general, however, I think we are in a good place as a group, and everyone knows what we expect of each other when we start training.” Erasmus named a purpose- and goal-driven squad for the team’s second in-person alignment camp, with former Hudson Park schoolboy Sibabalwe Mahashe and the highly rated Zekhethelo Siyaya invited to their first camp. Embrose Papier, Francke Horn, Andre-Hugo Venter and Henco van Wyk, who have all attended alignment camps in the past, have also been included in the group. With several experienced national players who have been in the set-up for several seasons sidelined due to injury, Erasmus said the purpose of this camp had been to expose players to the team’s structures and systems with an eye on the next two seasons and beyond. Attendees at the camp were 10 uncapped players in Paul de Villiers, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horn, Mahashe, Riley Norton, Haashim Pead, Siyaya, Emmanuel Tshituka, Van Wyk and Jaco Williams, six of whom were invited to the first alignment camp in March. Erasmus will name his training squad for next month’s camp in the next two weeks, when the Boks will begin their on-field preparations for the season-opening double-header between the Springboks and Barbarians and the SA A team against Zimbabwe. This will be followed by three back-to-back Test matches against England in Johannesburg (July 4), Scotland in Pretoria (July 11), and Wales in Durban (July 18) as part of the Nations Championship and a match against Argentina in Buenos Aires (August 8) before four Tests against the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September. The Boks will then travel to Australia to face the Wallabies in Perth (September 27) before the second leg of the Nations Championship kicks off in Europe, with matches against Italy (November 7), France (November 13) and Ireland (November 21), before the Finals Weekend in London (November 27 to 29). Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“The coaches have been working around the clock to put the systems in place in the past few months, and the in-person and virtual alignment camps have given most of the players a taste of what to expect, so it’s now a matter of implementing what they learnt in the boardroom onto the field.

“We are under no illusions about the challenge ahead this season with two matches against the Barbarians and the SA A team against Zimbabwe playing out on the same day, which will be followed by two new competitions in the Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

“So it will be important for the group to build cohesion as quickly as possible and make the most of our field sessions and team meetings to be as well prepared as possible when we take the field.”

Springbok squad:

Forwards: Lood de Jager, Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Neethling Fouche, Bathobele Hlekani, Hanro Jacobs, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, JJ Kotze, Danie Kruger, Sibabalwe Mahashe, Malcolm Marx, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Salmaan Moerat, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Oliver Reid, Evan Roos, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka, Liam van Wyk, Andre-Hugo Venter, Boan Venter, Jasper Wiese.

Backs: Yaqeen Ahmed, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Faf de Klerk, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Luan Giliomee, Quan Horn, Jurenzo Julius, Imad Khan, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Manie Libbok, Vusi Moyo, Markus Muller, Haashim Pead, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Nico Steyn, Edwill van der Merwe, Damian Willemse, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams.

- Additional reporting SA Rugby Communications

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