Erasmus to keep standby players in the loop

SPRINGBOK coach Rassie Erasmus has rewarded form players from the recent international matches against Italy and Georgia for the upcoming Rugby Championship matches against Australia. Still, there is no room for several stalwarts.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

Missing out are Lukhanyo Am, Faf de Klerk, Makazole Mapimpi, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Neethling Fouche (prop), and Vincent Tshituka as Erasmus trims his squad to 20 forwards and 17 backline players.

The Springboks will face the Wallabies in Johannesburg on Saturday, August 16, and again a week later in Cape Town on August 23.

“It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands during the recent home internationals, but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad for the Rugby Championship,” said Erasmus.

“This group includes several experienced players and a few younger guys, who grabbed their chances in the last few Tests, so we are pleased with this squad for the first two matches. We have also informed the players on standby of our plans and what we expect from them, so that all of them are ready to step up if needed.”

Erasmus elaborated on the composition of the squad, saying: “We probably have three players who can cover each position, which is important in this competition, so it was a thorough process to narrow down the group to 37 players.