The Stormers trio of flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, utility forward Riley Norton and centre Markus Muller, who all played for the Junior Springboks in 2026, have been included in the senior Bok squad.

They are among 37 players named by coach Rassie Erasmus for Nations Championship Tests against France, Italy and Ireland as well as the finals weekend Test. The opponent for that clash at Twickenham will only be known at the end of the league phase of the competition.

Besides the three callow Stormers players, Bulls utility back Luan Giliomee, another 2026 Junior Bok, and the uncapped duo of Bulls wing Sebastian de Klerk and Sharks loose forward Manu Tshituka have also made the cut.

Norton has been named solely as lock, but does have the ability to operate at blindside flank as well.

On the negative side of the ledger, wing Cheslin Kolbe, lock Eben Etzebeth, centre André Esterhuizen, and flyhalf Handré Pollard have been ruled out of contention due to injury.

Future proofing

All six of the uncapped players in the squad featured for the senior SA “A” side against Zimbabwe earlier in the year and have been regulars at Bok alignment camps over the course of the year.

“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,” Erasmus said. 

“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.”

With an ageing squad and less than a year to go to the start of Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, Erasmus is clearly trying to build some experience quickly.

In some ways this harks back to late 2018 when the coach was fast-tracking Test experience into players knowing that injuries might force his hand at the World Cup.

Players such as Damian Willemse, Kolbe and Kwagga Smith came out of that fast-tracking plan eight years ago.

Ahmed’s selection over Vusi Moyo, who made his Test debut against Wales at Kings Park earlier in the Nations Championship cycle, shows that he has moved ahead in the pecking order.

Giliomee has also been named as a flyhalf for the tour, while Muller is probably the long-term replacement for Damian de Allende post-2027.

An untimely injury probably cost De Klerk a Test match cap earlier in the season while Manu Tshituka has been in fantastic form for the Sharks.

“It’s always sad to lose players of that calibre,” Erasmus said of the injured group. “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.”

Nations Championship

The Springboks currently lead the southern hemisphere standings in the Nations Championship on points difference.  

They are tied on 15 points with New Zealand. South Africa will line up against Italy (7 November), France (13 November), and Ireland (21 November) before the Finals Weekend in London (27-29 November).

“Each one of these teams will pose different threats and challenge us in various ways, and the fact that these matches now form part of a competition will add even more impetus to these games,” said Erasmus. 

“Italy may be ranked 11th in the world at this stage, but they are a quality team who have tested us to the limit at times, so we will not be fooled by the standings.

“They will be playing at home in front of a passionate crowd, and they’ll be desperate to work their way into a good position for the remainder of the competition, so we will certainly not underestimate them.

“France will also throw everything at us as usual, and with the side being ranked fourth in the world, it shows what they are capable of.

“It is never easy against them, and there have been times when we had to dig deep for the desired result, with two of the last five matches between the sides finishing in a one-point win – one of which was the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal.

“Two were decided by three and four points respectively, with each team winning one of those, so we know it’s going to be another epic battle.

“Ireland will present an equally stern challenge. They’ve won four of the last six matches against us, including our 2023 RWC pool match, although we won our last outing in Dublin a year ago, so neither team will hold back.” DM  

Springbok squad for second leg of Nations Championship

Props: Thomas du Toit, Ox Nché (both Sharks), Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen (all Stormers), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls).

Hookers: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls).

Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Salmaan Moerat (Stade Rochelais), Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears), Riley Norton (Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat).

Looseforwards: Paul de Villiers, Siya Kolisi (both Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Emmanuel Tshituka (Sharks), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Utility forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Marco van Staden (Bulls).

Scrumhalves: Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers).

Flyhalves: Yaqeen Ahmed, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Luan Giliomee (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners).

Centres: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Markus Muller (Stormers), Canan Moodie (Bulls).

Outside backs: Sebastian de Klerk (Bulls), Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe (all Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Damian Willemse (Stormers).