Mchunu earns a recall
Rassie Erasmus has called Ntuthuko Mchunu back into the Springboks squad. The Stormers loosehead prop joins South Africa’s preparations for a Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires on August 8 and the four-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks, which opens in Johannesburg on August 22.
Mchunu’s return lifts the group training in Johannesburg to 44 players. The squad assembled on Sunday evening and returned to the field on Monday.
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From release to recall
Erasmus had left Mchunu out of his initial 43-man squad last week. The 27-year-old, who won his fourth cap against Scotland in Pretoria on July 11, was released to the Stormers alongside Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter, Embrose Papier and Jaco Williams for franchise duty against the All Blacks. That plan handed fringe players midweek game time to press their claims.
Erasmus will name his travelling squad for the Argentina Test later this week. Those players depart for South America in two groups on Saturday. The rest stay in Johannesburg to build toward the New Zealand series under a smaller group of coaches and medical staff.
Front-row questions remain
Depth at loosehead shapes the picture. Erasmus already called up Thomas du Toit, Wilco Louw, Ox Nche, Zachary Porthen, Carlu Sadie, Gerhard Steenekamp and Boan Venter. Nche stays a concern after limping off with a knee injury 10 minutes into the Nations Championship opener against England, though Erasmus expects his first-choice loosehead to be fit for the All Blacks.
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