South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and back-row team-mate Pieter-Steph du Toit have been named in the Springboks’ 36-man squad that will travel to New Zealand for their two Rugby Championship Tests with the All Blacks, after overcoming injuries that ruled them out of the recent victory over Australia.
A knee injury sidelined Kolisi, while du Toit was overcoming a head injury as the Boks avenged their round one defeat to the Wallabies, but the stalwarts have now been declared fit to take on the All Blacks at Eden Park and Sky Stadium in Wellington.
Fellow Springbok titan Willie le Roux has also overcome a niggle that ruled him out of the second Test, as has front-row Jan-Hendrik Wessels, to join the squad on their flight to New Zealand, which will take off on Tuesday before their first meeting on September 6.
Wingers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe have not been able to shake off respective knee and ankle injuries to make the squad, however, with Makazole Mapimpi joining the squad.
Fixture
Rugby Championship
New Zealand
South Africa
Following his ban against Italy in July, Jasper Wiese will return to the Springboks squad, despite still being unavailable for the Eden Park meeting. His brother, Cobus, has been placed on standby.
“Siya (Kolisi, Springbok captain), Pieter-Steph (du Toit), Willie (le Roux), and Jan-Hendrik (Wessels) have been medically cleared from their niggles, while all the players who faced Australia in Cape Town have received a clean bill of health and will be ready to face the All Blacks,” head coach Rassie Erasmus said.
Springboks squad
Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks)
Backs: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers)