Rassie Erasmus Clarifies Faf De Klerk Call Up, Explains Why Mbonambi Was Dropped for All Blacks Tie

• Rassie Erasmus has come out to explain his decision to include Faf de Klerk in his Springboks squad to take on the All Blacks of New Zealand
• The South African rugby mentor also stated the reason behind Bongi Mbonambi's omission from the final squad
• The inclusion of Faf de Klerk in the Springboks squad gathered different reactions from netizens on social media

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has clarified why he decided to call up Faf de Klerk and also explained why Bongi Mbonambi was unable to travel with the team ahead of their Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks of New Zealand.

There have been a few notable changes to the original Springboks squad named for the tour to New Zealand, with Faf de Klerk receiving a late call-up. It has also been confirmed that hooker Mbonambi will not be travelling with the team, which became the most viral update.

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There's also an update about Siya Kolisi not featuring in the game, with Erasmus explaining why prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye was omitted from the squad.

Erasmus clarifies de Klerk's call-up and Mbonambi's situation

During a media briefing on Monday, Rassie spoke out about the situations involving both players, shedding light on their status ahead of their clash with the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday, September 6, 2025.

The South African rugby coach explained why de Klerk was called up later after initially being omitted from the list.

“Faf did not replace Bongi,” the Springboks head coach clarified during the press conference. “Morne van den Berg suffered a niggle at training, but he trained fully today, so he’s looking good. Faf was called up as a precaution. He is an experienced player and brings a lot to the team."

After clarifying that de Klerk was not Mbonambi's replacement in the squad, Rassie explained why Bongi was dropped and how they are prepared for his absence.

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“In Bongi’s case, there’s an illness in his family, and he’ll join us as quickly as he can, but we have sufficient cover in that position with Malcom (Marx), Marnus (van der Merwe), and Jan-Hendrik (Wessels), who can also cover prop.”

With de Klerk’s addition, the Springbok squad preparing for the opening Test in Auckland has grown to 36 players. This means the Boks now have four scrum-halves available for just two matches: Faf de Klerk, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, and Cobus Reinach.

Faf's late call-up sparked various reactions from Springboks fans on social media.

Reactions as Faf de Klerk earns late call-up

Donovan Mabaan said:

"Excellent work Rassie! 💪 Faf will always be needed especially the fact that he's familiar with the All Blacks."

badtakeboomer wrote:

"Faf (and frankly Pollard for that matter) deserve so much more respect than they get. Key part of two rugby World Cup wins. Put some respect on their names!!!"

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Antonette Viljoen shared:

"Excellent call up! 👍 we need Faf in that team."

Hans Armbruster mentioned:

"The people want Him."

Clibo One reacted:

"Missiles will be raining down on Eden Park. de Klerk and Pollard on duty."

KnockwonderK added:

"We’re about to have so much fun as the Boks fans in these coming two weekends 🥺"

Erasmus states why Boks are motivated to beat All Blacks

Briefly News also reported that Erasmus stated the reason the Springboks are motivated to defeat the All Blacks in New Zealand in their next Rugby Championship tie.

The Boks' head coach is anticipating their game against their bitter rivals in September.

Source: Briefly News