Six new faces, four injury absentees
Rassie Erasmus named his 37-man Springboks squad on Wednesday for the second half of the Nations Championship, and the list carries a surprise at both ends. Six players who have never won a Test cap are in: Yaqeen Ahmed, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Emmanuel Tshituka, Riley Norton and Sebastian De Klerk.
None of them arrive cold. The first four played for the South Africa A side against Zimbabwe in June, Norton was with the Barbarians at the time, and De Klerk has been through a Springboks training camp. Erasmus said in a statement that the staff have tracked the group for some time and that each has been consistent for their franchise over the past two seasons.
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Who is missing
The losses are heavy. Cheslin Kolbe, Handre Pollard, Eben Etzebeth and Andre Esterhuizen are all ruled out through injury. Erasmus called them players of real calibre and said he is happy with the cover available in each position, while noting that their absence opens a door for others.
South Africa lead the Southern Hemisphere table with 15 points and a better points difference than New Zealand. The run starts against Italy on 7 November, continues with France at the Stade de France on 13 November, and ends against Ireland on 21 November. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok are among the fly-halves in the group, with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie among the outside backs.
Six debut candidates, four injured regulars, and a trip to Paris in the middle: the November tour will test how deep the champions really are.
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