The Springboks have already used an extended squad so far this season, with Rassie Erasmus expanding the group to 46 players for the first three Tests of the year, but this will be trimmed down for the Rugby Championship.
After this weekend’s encounter, the Springbok players will be given a few days off before a reduced squad of 35 will be named for the start of the build up to the Rugby Championship.
The first Rugby Championship clash for the Springboks takes place on 16 August, but some senior players may well be rested for the first two home games against Australia.
So it’s worth keeping in mind that there could be some surprise omissions in the reduced squad, although there should be a number of leading players who then return for the blockbuster away games against New Zealand.
“We are fairly happy,” Erasmus commented after the 45-0 victory over Italy on Saturday. “The Barbarians game we didn’t concede a lot of points in a tough rainy game there – we got a 50 there, we got 42 last week and 45 here, and only conceded 24 points against Italy and, overall, a lot of the guys got caps.
“So, hopefully after the Georgia game a lot of the guys will have had two caps, and we will have won all four matches, and we can pick a nice settled, balanced team for the Rugby Championship.”
Whatever the case may be, the first Rugby Championship is likely to be named in the final week of July.
SPRINGBOKS’ REMAINING 2025 TEST SCHEDULE AS THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP APPROACHES:
19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Kick off: 17:10.
16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Kick off: 17:10.
23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:10.
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland. Kick off: 09:05.
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington. Kick off: 09:05.
27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban. Kick off: 17:10.
4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00.
8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: TBD.
15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: TBD.
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.
WHICH SA FIXTURES ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
