Rugby World Cup winners Jaden Hendrikse, Steven Kitshoff, Canan Moodie and Jasper Wiese have been included in the Springboks’ squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against the All Blacks.
After picking up the maximum 10 points from their two games against Australia Down Under, the world champions return home for two matches against their biggest foes.
Three RWC winners have been included in the #Springboks squad for the first time this year - more here: https://t.co/Eid4mB8FB3 💪#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/OVgSB6d4cb
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 20, 2024
Hendrikse, Kitshoff and Moodie have not featured for the Springboks this season due to injury, while Wiese has completed his suspension after a dangerous tackle in the English Premiership.
Andre Esterhuizen is also back in the side after serving his suspension for a red card in the Bloemfontein Test match against Portugal, while Montpellier’s Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg will get a chance to add to his solitary cap.
Explaining his decision to include the experienced stars to his squad, Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus said: “New Zealand are ranked third in the world, and they always test us to the limit...”
He went on to say: “It’s good to have Steven, Jaden and Canan back from injury, along with Jasper and Andre.
“They are all Rugby World Cup winners, who have delivered quality performances consistently against the top teams in the world, so they’ll bring experience and their unique skillsets to this squad.
“As a team we are in a good position in terms of squad depth with 32 of the 33 players on tour playing against the Wallabies – the only exception was RG Snyman who suffered a foot niggle – and we have full faith in the young players to showcase their talent once again against a completely different opponent in New Zealand.
“Adding to that, all these players, with the exception of Nicolaas, were members of our training squad in Pretoria in July and our alignment camps earlier in the year, and they’ve have been regular members of the squad in the last few years, so they understand our systems and should slot in with ease.
“Nicolaas has had a good season with Montpellier and is a capped Springbok, so we are excited to welcome him back into the fold.”
IOL Sport