A 36-man Springbok squad will soon jet off on their end-of-year tour, with the travelling party set to depart for London in different groups from their respective franchises and clubs on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Springboks will kick off their November Tests with a clash against Japan on 1 November at Wembley Stadium, followed by games against France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.
That opening encounter against Japan next Saturday will kick off at 18:10 SA time.
The squad includes 21 forwards and 15 backline players, while the standby list features seven forwards – Augustus (No 8), Neethling Fouche (prop), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Salmaan Moerat (lock), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (prop), Evan Roos (No 8), and Vincent Tshituka (utility forward) – and three backs in Lukhanyo Am (centre), De Klerk (utility back), and Makazole Mapimpi (wing).
REMAINING FIXTURES AND KICK OFF TIMES FOR THE SPRINGBOKS IN 2025:
- 1 November: vs Japan, Wembley. Kick off: 18:10.
- 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: 22:10.
- 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: 14:40
- 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
- 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the squad was excited to soon get back together.
Erasmus admitted that while it would be challenging given the quality of the opposition they will be facing, the team was eager to get back on the field.
“It’s a longer tour than usual and we are facing top-class opposition, but we are looking forward to it,” said Erasmus.
“Ireland and France are currently ranked third and fourth in the world, while Italy, Wales, and Japan are in 10th, 12th and 13th place, and we’ve seen in the last few years that you cannot write off any team.
“Ireland and France are always tough opposition, and they both won four out of their five Six Nations matches, with France emerging as the eventual champions, and we know how challenging it is to beat them both at home.
“Japan have beaten us before, Italy put up a good fight against us earlier this year in Pretoria, and Wales beat Japan, proving that they are again on an upward trajectory, so it’s going to be a challenging tour.”
TOURING SQUAD:
Forwards – Lood de Jager, Ben-Jason Dixon, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Grobbelaar, Jean Kleyn, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Zachary Porthen, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese.
Backs – Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Manie Libbok, Canan Moodie, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe, Damian Willemse, Grant Williams.
Standby players
Forwards – Juarno Augustus, Neethling Fouché, Bongi Mbonambi, Salmaan Moerat, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Evan Roos, Vincent Tshituka.
Backs – Lukhanyo Am, Sebastian de Klerk, Makazole Mapimpi.
