Rassie Erasmus has named six uncapped players in his Springboks squad for the northern hemisphere leg of the Nations Championship.
Yaqeen Ahmed, Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton, and Emmanuel Tshituka have all earned their first national call-ups for the Springboks‘ final four Tests of the season.
Meanwhile, World Cup winners Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Andre Esterhuizen, and Handre Pollard have been ruled out of contention for selection due to injury.
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Winger De Klerk and back-rower Tshituka are the eldest of the new additions to the squad at 26 years old, respectively, with fly-halves Ahmed and Giliomee and centre Muller all representing the South African u20s team earlier this year, while lock Riley Norton sustained an injury that ruled him out of the World Rugby U20 Championship.
The Springboks squad will assemble in Italy in different groups on Sunday and Monday, SA Rugby confirmed.
“We’ve had all six players on our radar for a while now, and they’ve delivered consistently for their respective franchises in the last two seasons, so they thoroughly deserve their call-ups,” said Erasmus.
“We’ve seen what most of them are capable of first-hand in our season-opening matches and at our training camps, so we are delighted to see what they have to offer on this tour.
“Building squad depth has always been one of our key pillars as a team, and all those players have shown that they have what it takes to compete at top franchise level, while Riley, Luan and Yaqeen were also part of Junior Springbok squads that have won the Junior World Championship, and Luan also played for the Blitzboks, so they know what it takes to perform at top level.
“There is no doubt facing some of the top teams in elite international rugby will be a completely different challenge, but we have full faith in them to do their best on tour.”
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Ahmed and Giliomee are set to provide cover at fly-half following the injury to Pollard, with the latter offering utility having shone for the Sharks and Bulls at full-back this season. Erasmus has also included the likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok – two staples of the team in recent seasons.
Norton will compete for a place in the second row following the injury to Etzebeth, but there is no shortage of options with Lood de Jager, Ruan Nortje and Franco Mostert also included in the 37-man squad, while Salmaan Moerat has been recalled, having made his return from injury with French club La Rochelle.
Up front, Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen and Gerhard Steenekamp have been named as the prop options for the Boks whilst Erasmus has named just two hookers in his squad: Malcolm Marx, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Marco van Staden is set to offer cover in the position as he has been listed along with Pieter-Steph du Toit as one of the two utility forwards.
Paul de Villiers, captain Siya Kolisi, Cameron Hanekom and Jasper Wiese are the loose forwards in the squad along with Tshituka, while Elrigh Louw and Cobus Wiese have been overlooked.
Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, and Grant Williams are the three scrum-halves selected, while teenager Muller is included alongside fellow centres Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Canan Moodie.
De Klerk is named along with fellow outside backs Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse.
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Springbok squad for the second leg of the Nations Championship:
Forwards: Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen, Gerhard Steenekamp, Malcolm Marx, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Lood de Jager, Salmaan Moerat, Ruan Nortje, Riley Norton, Franco Mostert, Paul de Villiers, Siya Kolisi, Cameron Hanekom, Emmanuel Tshituka, Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden.
Backs: Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Yaqeen Ahmed, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Luan Giliomee, Manie Libbok, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Markus Muller, Canan Moodie, Sebastian de Klerk, Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian Willemse
Unavailable through injury: Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Andre Esterhuizen, and Handre Pollard
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Erasmus on November opponents
“It’s always sad to lose players of that calibre, but we are pleased with the cover we have in those positions, and it also offers other players the opportunity to put up their hands,” Erasmus said of the injured players omitted from the travelling squad.
“The majority of the players in this group have been with us for most of the season and know what our expectations are, and also what to anticipate at this level, so we are excited about the group we’ve selected for this vital leg of the season.”
Commenting on the prospect of facing Italy, France, and Ireland in the coming weeks, Erasmus added: “Each one of these teams will pose different threats and challenge us in various ways, and the fact that these matches now form part of a competition will add even more impetus to these games.
“Italy may be ranked 11th in the world at this stage, but they are a quality team who have tested us to the limit at times, so we will not be fooled by the standings. They will be playing at home in front of a passionate crowd, and they’ll be desperate to work their way into a good position for the remainder of the competition, so we will certainly not underestimate them.
“France will also throw everything at us as usual, and with the side being ranked fourth in the world, it shows what they are capable of. It is never easy against them, and there have been times when we had to dig deep for the desired result, with two of the last five matches between the sides finishing in a one-point win – one of which was the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, while two were decided by three and four points respectively, with each team winning one of those, so we know it’s going to be another epic battle.
“Ireland will present an equally stern challenge. They’ve won four of the last six matches against us, including our 2023 RWC pool match, although we won our last outing in Dublin a year ago, so neither team will hold back.”
“Both France and Ireland have also won two of their three Nations Championship matches to date and will be eyeing a spot as the top-placed Northern Hemisphere team,” he continued.
“So we need to be sharp, accurate, and adaptable in all our remaining matches to achieve the desired results if we want to finish the league stages 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 that, so we have a big job ahead, and it will be important to hit the ground running.”
Springboks fixtures
Italy v South Africa
Date: Saturday, 7 November 2026
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
Kick-off: 12:40 (local), 11:40 (UK), 12:40 (France), 13:40 (South Africa), 22:40 (AEDT), 00:40 (8 November, New Zealand), 08:40 (Argentina), 20:40 (JST), 06:40 (EST)
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman (NZR) and Sam Grove-White (SRU)
TMO: Brett Cronan (RA)
FPRO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Broadcasters: Sky Italia (Italy), SuperSport (South Africa / Africa), ITV / ITVX (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), FloSports (USA), Wowow (Japan)
France v South Africa
Date: Friday, 13 November 2026
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 21:10 (local), 20:10 (UK), 21:10 (France), 22:10 (South Africa), 07:10 (14 November, AEDT), 09:10 (14 November, New Zealand), 17:10 (Argentina), 05:10 (14 November, JST), 15:10 (EST)
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (RFU) and Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
Broadcasters: TF1 (France), SuperSport (South Africa / Africa), ITV / ITVX (United Kingdom), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), FloSports (USA), Wowow (Japan)
Ireland v South Africa
Date: Saturday, 21 November 2026
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 16:40 (local), 16:40 (UK), 17:40 (France), 18:40 (South Africa), 03:40 (22 November, AEDT), 05:40 (22 November, New Zealand), 13:40 (Argentina), 01:40 (22 November, JST), 11:40 (EST)
Referee: Christophe Ridley (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (RA) and Anthony Woodthorpe (RFU)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
Broadcasters: Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), SuperSport (South Africa / Africa), ITV / ITVX (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Sky Italia (Italy), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), FloSports (USA), Wowow (Japan)