In a surprise announcement from the Springboks on Sunday, it was revealed that hooker Bongi Mbonambi had in fact remained behind in South Africa earlier this week to attend to family matters.
The veteran hooker had initially been named as part of the travelling group to New Zealand, but he will play no part in the back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks.
Instead, Malcolm Marx will remain the first-choice hooker, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels like to provide back up.
Springboks make interesting replacement call
Instead of calling up another hooker, a big call has been made for veteran scrumhalf Faf de Klerk to join join the Springboks in New Zealand for the second leg of their Rugby Championship campaign against the All Blacks, where they will play matches in Auckland and Wellington.
De Klerk’s inclusion in the squad increases the size of the group currently preparing for the first Test in Auckland to 36 players.
More to follow
The Springboks will face their archrivals, the All Blacks, at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday 6 September, before travelling to Wellington for their second match on the tour at the Sky Stadium on Saturday 13 September.
