Six players earn first Bok call-up: ‘We have full faith in them,’ says Rassie

Several first-choice players are injured and unavailable for this tour. Coach Rassie Erasmus said he had “full faith” in the six uncapped players who’re set to earn their first Springbok caps in the next month in Europe. The Boks will take on Italy, France and Ireland in November and also feature in a fourth Test in what is being called Finals Weekend of the inaugural Nations Championship. The Boks will play against the team positioned in the same place as them on the North Section log. Erasmus’ team are currently in first position on the South Section log following their wins in July in South Africa against England, Scotland and Wales. New players With injuries ruling out the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe, Andre Esterhuizen and several others for this tour, Erasmus has had to call up several fringe players and the six uncapped men in his 37-man squad. They are Yaqeen Ahmed, Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton, and Emmanuel Tshituka. All six players have been involved in the Springbok set-up before. Ahmed, Giliomee, Muller, and Tshituka represented the SA ‘A’ team against Zimbabwe earlier this season, and Norton – a former Junior Springbok captain – played for the Boks against the Barbarians, also at the start of the season, while De Klerk attended the national alignment camp last season. “We’ve had all six players on our radar for a while now, and they’ve delivered consistently for their respective franchises in the last two seasons, so they thoroughly deserve their call-ups,” said Erasmus. “We’ve seen what most of them are capable of first-hand in our season-opening matches and at our training camps, so we are delighted to see what they have to offer on this tour. “Building squad depth has always been one of our key pillars as a team, and all those players have shown that they have what it takes to compete at top franchise level, while Riley, Luan and Yaqeen were also part of Junior Springbok squads that have won the Junior World Championship, and Luan also played for the Blitzboks, so they know what it takes to perform at top level. “There is no doubt facing some of the top teams in elite international rugby will be a completely different challenge, but we have full faith in them to do their best on tour.” Injured players Of the injured players omitted from the travelling squad, Erasmus said: “It’s always sad to lose players of that calibre, but we are pleased with the cover we have in those positions, and it also offers other players the opportunity to put up their hands. “The majority of the players in this group have been with us for most of the season and know what our expectations are, and also what to anticipate at this level, so we are excited about the group we’ve selected for this vital leg of the season.” Springbok squad: Props: Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen, Gerhard Steenekamp Hookers: Malcolm Marx, Jan-Hendrik Wessels Locks: Lood de Jager, Salmaan Moerat, Ruan Nortje, Riley Norton, Franco Mostert Loose forwards: Paul de Villiers, Siya Kolisi, Cameron Hanekom, Emmanuel Tshituka, Jasper Wiese Utility forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden Scrumhalves: Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams Flyhalves: Yaqeen Ahmed, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Luan Giliomee, Manie Libbok Centres: Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Markus Muller, Canan Moodie Outside backs: Sebastian de Klerk, Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian Willemse Fixtures: Saturday, November 7: Italy in GenoaFriday, November 13: France in ParisSaturday, November 21: Ireland in DublinWeekend November 27, 28, 29: Finals Weekend in London