One more trip north. Four more Tests. And when the squad gathers in Italy on Sunday and Monday, six of the players walking in will never have worn the green and gold in a Test.
That is the story of the Springbok squad Nations Championship selection that Rassie Erasmus named on Wednesday: 37 players for the last four Tests of the year, six of them uncapped, and four of the most recognisable names in the country missing through injury. It is a squad built to win now and to learn fast, with the 2027 World Cup less than a year away.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Squad | 37 players: 20 forwards, 17 backs |
| Uncapped | Yaqeen Ahmed, Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton, Emmanuel Tshituka |
| Out injured | Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, André Esterhuizen, Handré Pollard |
| Test one | Italy v South Africa, Saturday 7 November, Allianz Stadium, Turin |
| Test two | France v South Africa, Friday 13 November, Stade de France, Saint-Denis |
| Test three | Ireland v South Africa, Saturday 21 November, Aviva Stadium, Dublin |
| Finals weekend | 27 to 29 November, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London |
| Kick-off times | Not yet confirmed by SA Rugby |
Springbok squad Nations Championship: the shape of it
Start with the balance. Our count of the squad list in SA Rugby’s announcement gives 20 forwards and 17 backs: six props, two hookers, five locks, five loose forwards and two utility forwards up front; three scrumhalves, four flyhalves, four centres and six outside backs behind them.
Then look at where they play. Twenty-five come from the four South African franchises, and the Stormers supply 11 of them, more than anyone. The Bulls have seven, the Sharks six and the Lions one, scrumhalf Morne van den Berg. The other 12 play their club rugby overseas, among them Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian de Allende and Manie Libbok.
That split matters. Three of the six new faces come from one Cape Town dressing room: Ahmed, Norton and Muller already train together every week, which shortens the time it takes to fit into a new set-up.
Six new faces, and why now
The six are flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, lock Riley Norton and centre Markus Muller from the Stormers; flyhalf Luan Giliomee and outside back Sebastian de Klerk from the Bulls; and loose forward Emmanuel Tshituka from the Sharks.
Erasmus was clear that none of this is a punt. “We’ve had all six players on our radar for a while now,” he said in SA Rugby’s announcement, adding that they had “delivered consistently for their respective franchises in the past two seasons”.
Four of them, Ahmed, Norton, Muller and Giliomee, played for the Junior Springboks this year, Daily Maverick notes, and Erasmus pointed out that Norton, Giliomee and Ahmed were part of Junior Springbok squads that won the Junior World Championship. This is the pathway doing exactly what it was built to do.
Look closer and a pattern appears: almost every one of them covers more than one job.
- Riley Norton is listed as a lock, but Daily Maverick points out he can also play blindside flank.
- Emmanuel Tshituka can cover across the loose forwards, as Planet Rugby notes.
- Luan Giliomee is named at flyhalf, but Planet Rugby rates him as an option across the back three as well.
- Sebastian de Klerk brings the pace Planet Rugby says the back three needs with Kolbe out.
In a 23 where a six-two or even a seven-one bench split is always on the table, players who can do two jobs are gold. Erasmus has built that into the squad from the start.
The flyhalf story is the most interesting. Daily Maverick reads Ahmed’s selection over Vusi Moyo, who made his debut against Wales in July, as a sign that Ahmed has moved ahead in the queue. With Pollard injured, the Boks take four flyhalves to Europe: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Libbok, Ahmed and Giliomee.
The four who are missing
Kolbe, Etzebeth, Esterhuizen and Pollard are all out injured. SA Rugby has not said more than that in its announcement, and neither will we.
Between them they cover the wing, the second row, the midfield and flyhalf: in other words, every line of the team. Erasmus did not pretend otherwise. “It’s always sad to lose players of that calibre, but we are pleased with the cover we have in those positions,” he said.
The cover is real. In the second row, Lood de Jager, Salmaan Moerat, Ruan Nortje and Franco Mostert are all there alongside Norton. In the back three, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Ethan Hooker and Damian Willemse give Erasmus speed and options before he even reaches De Klerk. Midfield is where the gap is widest: Planet Rugby argues that the space Esterhuizen leaves in the centres has not been filled. Muller is the new name in that group, and Daily Maverick sees the Stormers centre as the long-term successor to De Allende.
The question nobody has answered: hooker
If there is a worry, Planet Rugby put its finger on it. Only two hookers travel: Marx and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who has played much of his rugby at prop. Johan Grobbelaar is not in the squad. Planet Rugby calls hooker depth the “glaring problem” in an otherwise thoughtful selection.
It is a fair point. Marx is the first name on many team sheets, and the Boks have the props and loose forwards to make a six-two split work. But four Tests in about three weeks, all of them away from home, is a long way to travel with one specialist hooker and one who has mostly played at prop.
The road to Twickenham
The November leg is the second half of the Nations Championship league phase. The Boks did their part in July, with three bonus-point wins over England, Scotland and Wales, and top the southern table on points difference, level on 15 points with New Zealand, according to SA Rugby magazine and Daily Maverick. Our Springboks page has the full story of the season so far.
Then comes the decider. On finals weekend at Twickenham, the team in each position of the northern table plays the team in the same position of the southern table, and first against first decides the champion. The opponent, and even the day, will only be known once the league phase is done.
So every point in Turin, Paris and Dublin counts twice: once for the table, and once for a seat at the top table in London.
Our view: This squad looks like two plans folded into one. The core that will carry the Boks to Twickenham is still there: Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marx, De Allende and Cobus Reinach are all in the squad, and Erasmus said himself that “the majority of the players in this group have been with us for most of the season”. Around them, he has slotted in six players he wants to see against Test opposition before the 2027 World Cup squad takes shape. Italy in Turin is the obvious first chance for some of the new faces. Paris and Dublin are where we will learn whether the cover is as good as he believes.
Frequently asked questions
When do the Springboks play Italy in the Nations Championship?
South Africa play Italy on Saturday 7 November 2026 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. It is the first of three Tests in the November leg of the Nations Championship. The kick-off time had not been confirmed when this article was published.
Who are the uncapped players in the Springbok squad?
There are six: Yaqeen Ahmed, Riley Norton and Markus Muller from the Stormers, Luan Giliomee and Sebastian de Klerk from the Bulls, and Emmanuel Tshituka from the Sharks. Rassie Erasmus named them in a 37-man squad on Wednesday 28 October.
Which Springboks are injured for the November Tests?
Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, André Esterhuizen and Handré Pollard are out injured. SA Rugby did not give further details in its squad announcement.
Where is the Nations Championship final played?
The finals weekend is at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, in London from 27 to 29 November 2026. The team in each position of the northern table plays the team in the same position of the southern table, and the meeting of the two table-toppers decides the champion.
How many players are in the Springbok squad for the Nations Championship?
The squad has 37 players: 20 forwards and 17 backs. Twenty-five play for South African franchises, with the Stormers supplying 11, and 12 play their club rugby overseas.