Rassie Erasmus Set to Name Springboks Squad for Nations Championship: Who’s In and Who’s Out?

• Coach Rassie Erasmus is preparing to announce the Springboks' touring squad for their Nations Championship end-of-year Europe campaign
• Several key players, including Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth and Handré Pollard, are carrying injuries ahead of selection
• A number of younger and overseas-based players are pushing for inclusion as the squad size is expected to shrink significantly

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus is set to announce his squad for South Africa's end-of-year tour to Europe within the coming days, with a string of injuries and a trimmed squad size making selection decisions particularly challenging.

The Boks head into the tour sitting at the top of the South pool in the 2026 Nations Championship, having secured maximum points from bonus-point victories over England, Scotland and Wales during the July home internationals. They will face Italy, France and Ireland on the road as they look to preserve that perfect record.

The top-placed team from the South pool will meet the North pool leader — currently France — at Twickenham during Finals Weekend at the end of November.

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Injuries cloud selection ahead of Tour

Erasmus faces a significant selection headache with several players unavailable or doubtful. Cheslin Kolbe remains sidelined with a broken jaw, while Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi are also out of contention.

André Esterhuizen, Handré Pollard and Deon Fourie have all picked up injuries during franchise duty, which may rule them out of the tour frame. Ben-Jason Dixon and Canan Moodie are both managing concussion symptoms, adding further uncertainty to the mix.

RG Snyman continues his recovery from a long-term injury and is not expected to feature.

Youngsters and overseas-based players eye spots

With the squad likely to be cut from the 46 players used during the July window to somewhere in the low-to-mid 30s, a number of those who featured earlier in the year will miss out.

Overseas-based players such as Carlu Sadie, Ruben van Heerden and Herschel Jantjies, all plying their trade in France, could receive call-ups. Among the younger options, Riley Norton stands a chance given Snyman's absence, while winger Jaco Williams may benefit from Kolbe's unavailability. Vusi Moyo could come into consideration at flyhalf should Pollard's injury confirm his absence, though Damian Willemse and Quan Horn provide cover in that position.

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Flyhalves Yaqeen Ahmed and veteran loose forward Jeandré Rudolph have also impressed at franchise level, and winger Sebastian de Klerk is another name in the frame.

With the Rugby World Cup in Australia scheduled for 2027, Erasmus will be keen to use the tour not only to chase the Nations Championship title, but to begin building momentum and cementing key partnerships within the group.

Source: Briefly News