Johannesburg – Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has listed his 46-man squad, including two South African under-20 team players, for the inaugural Nations Championship to open with the English team on Saturday, 4 July, in Johannesburg.
SA under-20 captain Riley Norton (lock/loose forward) and fly-half Vusi Moyo were drafted into the senior squad of six uncapped players and a host of returning Vodacom Bulls players who were unavailable for the Barbarian match of Saturday in Gqeberha due to their United Rugby Championship commitments.
There are 28 forwards and 18 backline players, with Paul de Villiers (flanker), Norton, Ruben van Heerden (lock) and Carlu Sadie (prop) being the four uncapped forwards, while Moyo and Jaco Williams (wing) are the two new backs in a largely experienced squad. 
“To score 80 points is nice…but we need to eliminate defensive lapses and be better as a unit when we play against England,” Erasmus said on X.
After the match with England, South Africa will face Scotland in Pretoria on July 11 and Wales in Durban on July 18. The Springboks will fly for the one-off Test against Los Pumas on August 8 in Buenos Aires.
Johan Grobbelaar (hooker), Wilco Louw, Gerhard Steenekamp (both props), Ruan Nortje (lock), Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (utility forwards), Cameron Hanekom (No. 8), Embrose Papier (scrumhalf), Handre Pollard (flyhalf), Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing), and Canan Moodie (utility back) of the Bulls are included.
Papier, who was named the SA Vodacom URC player of the Season, played the last of his seven Test matches in 2018, making this his first appearance in the Springbok squad in eight years.
Thomas du Toit (prop) also returns to the squad after completing his season with English club Bath.
“We are pleased with the quality of the group we have selected, and it’s also exciting to see the next generation of players coming through in Riley, Vusi, Paul, Carlu, Ruben and Jaco,” said Erasmus.
“They all proved against the Barbarians and SA ‘A’ teams that they have what it takes to play at the highest level, and as coaches, we are fortunate that we’ve had the opportunity to work with them in the last two weeks.
“They are all familiar with the way the Springbok environment operates and the standards expected at this level, and they have shown that they are comfortable in the setup, so we are excited for them to make this step-up.”
Erasmus added: “Embrose and Herschel have also made strong statements with their performances this season, and we are looking forward to welcoming them back in the squad.”
“All of the players with the exception of Embrose have been in our system in the last few seasons, so they know our structures well and will have next week to get back into the swing of things before we begin our proper test week preparations.”
