Springbok squad: Four notable absentees
These are the four big name players not included in the 34-man Springbok touring party for the end-of-year tour.
Rassie Erasmus has named his Springbok squad for their three-Test tour of Europe in November and these are the notable absentees and returnees.
The Springboks will face Scotland in Edinburgh (Sunday 10 November), England in London (Saturday 16 November) and Wales in Cardiff (Saturday 23 November) on their traditional end-of-year tour.
The squad – which will be led by Siya Kolisi, a key figure along with most of the squad members in the team’s triumphant Rugby Championship campaign – will depart for a training camp in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands between England and France, on Sunday 27 October. The group will then make the journey to Edinburgh on Sunday 3 November for their opening Test of the tour.
The Bok coach admitted that selecting the squad – consisting of 18 forwards and 16 backs – was challenging given the depth they had built up this year. A total of 49 players have taken the field for the Springboks in 2024 and 35 played in the Rugby Championship.
That said, four Springbok regulars missed out on selection as they have been ruled out through injury.
They are Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Salmaan Moerat (both knee injuries), Steven Kitshoff (neck) and Lood de Jager (shoulder).
While Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Moerat and De Jager have been out of action for some time, Kitshoff’s knock is relatively new with news emerging last week that he suffered a potentially career-ending injury in Stormers training last week.
Springbok squad for the outgoing tour:
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