Coach Rassie Erasmus Welcomes New Faces to the Squad Ahead of Portugal Clash

• Elrigh Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Quan Horn, Andre-Hugo Venter and Ruan Venter have been added to the Boks squad ahead of the match against Portugal on Saturday, 20 July 2024
• The Springboks will be looking to bounce back against Portugal after losing 25-24 against Ireland on Saturday, 13 July in Durban
• Fans backed the Boks to recover from the loss against Ireland on social media while they said the side must remain focused on winning more titles

Five new players have been added to the Springboks squad before their match against Portugal on Saturday, 20 July 2024.

The four-time world champions suffered a last-minute 25-24 defeat to Ireland on Saturday, 13 July, and will be looking to recover against Portugal.

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Rassie Erasmus backs new players to shine

Erasmus welcomes new players to the squad, according to the tweet below:

On the SA Rugby website, Erasmus said Elrigh Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Quan Horn, Andre-Hugo Venter and Ruan Venter should fit well with the squad.

Erasmus said:

“Portugal is a quality team, as they showed in the Rugby World Cup last year by defeating Fiji, and we have no doubt they’ll want to make a strong statement against us, so although we may mix things up for this Test, we’ll select a quality team that we have full faith in to get our season back on track.”

In addition to the new faces, Erasmus could call on versatile back Lukhanyo Am, who has recovered from injury.

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Fans backed Springboks

Local rugby fans supported the Boks on social media and are confident the back-to-back world champions will bounce back from losing to Ireland.

Annie Robinson said the Boks will recover:

“They are resilient enough to beat the odds. One loss will make up for another win, and nothing can hold them back because they spring, just like a bok!”

Jarrod Mole Reeves wants another title:

“Too little, too late. We fluffed it. The only thing to redeem ourselves now is to win the Rugby Championship.”

Marco Fiocchi says the Boks will be okay:

“Our second side should beat Portugal. They should have turned up against Ireland.”

Jackie Swarts is not worried:

“Unless Christiano Ronaldo shows up, I think the Boks are safe for this one.”

Hazzy Botha is still a fan of the Boks:

“Losing a match with one point against the best is nothing. Obviously, you can’t win it all.”

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Willie le Roux targets more years at the top level

As reported by Briefly News, Springbok star Willie le Roux said he has no intentions of retiring anytime soon.

The 34-year-old fullback said he draws inspiration from players such as Willem Alberts and Ruan Pienaar, who continued to play top-level rugby after turning 40.

Source: Briefly News