Rassie Erasmus has been forced to tweak the Springboks squad yet again, and this time he brought in an uncapped newbie for the November tour across Europe.
Cameron Hanekom earned his first call-up to the Springbok squad on Sunday after being drafted into national coach Rassie Erasmus’ 35-man group for the tour following the withdrawal of utility back Damian Willemse due to a groin injury.
The Springbok squad now includes 20 forwards and 15 backs.
WHO IS THE NEW BOK SQUAD MEMBER?
Hanekom, a former Junior Springbok who has been in sublime form for the Bulls this year, was a member of the Springbok alignment camps earlier in the season.
His selection for Springbok honours comes at just the right time, as Hanekom also qualified to play for Wales through his grandmother — who was born there — and apparently Welsh coach Warren Gatland had been keeping an eye on him for possible selection.
RASSIE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH NEWBIE
Erasmus admitted that while the loss of Willemse was a blow, Hanekom’s call-up was well deserved after knocking on the door for the last season.
“We are excited to see what Cameron brings to the team. He was in the group of players included in our alignment camps earlier in the year, so he’s familiar with some of our structures and the Springbok ethos, and we have no doubt he will grab this opportunity with both hands.”
“We are comfortable with the depth and versatility we have among the backs in the squad, so we decided to include another forward to add to our loose forward stocks,” the Springboks boss explained.
The Springboks will depart for a training camp in Jersey, the largest of the largest of the Channel Islands between England and France, on Sunday. The group will then make the journey to Edinburgh on Sunday 3 November for their opening Test of the tour.
The Springboks will face Scotland in Edinburgh (Sunday 10 November), England in London (Saturday 16 November) and Wales in Cardiff (Saturday 23 November) on their traditional end-of-year tour.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LATEST SPRINGBOKS SQUAD UPDATE?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this TSA Springbok article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news and views.
