Latest news with #FafdeKlerk
The South African
7 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Are these three Springbok stalwarts being phased out?
As the Springboks begin to plot and plan the team's best pathway to the 2027 World Cup, it is inevitable that some senior players will begin to fall by the wayside. Rassie Erasmus has made it clear that there will need to be some careful consideration given to the average age of the squad that heads to the next global showpiece. However, as long as some veterans continue to meet their key performance metrics, they can keep themselves firmly in the mix. With all this in mind, though, it was revealing that Erasmus did release three veterans from an otherwise near full-strength squad for the start of the Rugby Championship. So, what does the future hold for Faf de Klerk, Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am? Faf de Klerk A star performer during the 2019 and 2023 World Cup triumphs, De Klerk missed a large part of last season due to injury, and in his absence the likes of Grant Williams and Morne van den Berg have begun to take big strides forward. De Klerk is now 33-years-old, and while this may be a consideration to some degree, it can't be forgotten that Cobus Reinach remains in the latest Springbok squad at the age of 35. Faf came off the bench in the first Test against Italy and against Georgia, so he's certainly not out of the picture just yet despite falling down the pecking order to some degree. Verdict: There IS more to come. Makazole Mapimpi The veteran wing will soon celebrate his 35th birthday on 26 July, and although Mapimpi is still in great shape, even he has admitted that it's highly unlikely he'd make it through to the next World Cup. Mapimpi has lost his spot in the Springboks' first choice starting line-up to Kurt-Lee Arendse, and other young wingers such as Ethan Hooker and Edwill van der Merwe have shown great potential for the future. Nevertheless, Mapimpi did display great form for the Sharks this past season, and the Springboks know the value of his reliability and experience. Verdict: Mapimpi might battle to make it to the next World Cup, but over the next two years, he should still have an opportunity to prove that age is just a number. Lukhanyo Am In recent times, injuries have really plagued the progress of the 31-year-old, and at the same time Jesse Kriel has established a firm grip on the No 13 jersey. It is evident that the Springboks also view talented Canan Moodie as a strong back up option at outside centre, perhaps also prompting the decision to release Am at this stage. However, there is no doubt that the Springboks do need some more depth at outside centre, and the national coaches will be desperately hoping to see Am get back to his best fitness and form. Verdict: Don't count him out just yet, age IS still on his side. Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls). Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers). 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.
IOL News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Rassie Erasmus to keep standby players in the loop as Springboks reward form for Australia Tests
Springboks scrumhalf Faf de Klerk was left out of the squad to face Australia in the Rugby Championship. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has rewarded form players from the recent international matches against Italy and Georgia for the upcoming Rugby Championship matches against Australia. Still, there is no room for several stalwarts. Missing out are Lukhanyo Am, Faf de Klerk, Makazole Mapimpi, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Neethling Fouche (prop), and Vincent Tshituka as Erasmus trims his squad to 20 forwards and 17 backline players. The Springboks will face the Wallabies in Johannesburg on Saturday, August 16, and again a week later in Cape Town on August 23. 'It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands during the recent home internationals, but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad for the Rugby Championship,' said Erasmus. 'This group includes several experienced players and a few younger guys, who grabbed their chances in the last few Tests, so we are pleased with this squad for the first two matches. 'We have also informed the players on standby of our plans and what we expect from them, so that all of them are ready to step up if needed.' Erasmus elaborated on the composition of the squad, saying: 'We probably have three players who can cover each position, which is important in this competition, so it was a thorough process to narrow down the group to 37 players. 'One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world.' Erasmus has invited recent Junior Springbok champions Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead to train with the senior squad. 'We are tremendously proud of the Junior Springboks for winning the World Rugby U20 Championship, and we were thrilled to see the talent coming through the junior ranks, so we opted to invite three of them to join us to expose them to our structures and the standards required at top international level. 'We believe this camp will benefit them significantly, and we are excited to see how they slot in and train with us. 'Unfortunately, we had to limit the size of the squad to ensure maximum outputs and more individual attention at our training sessions, so although more players could have been invited, we could only select three.' Erasmus expects a completely different challenge in the Championship to that experienced against the Barbarians, Italy, and Georgia: 'Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina are all ranked in the top seven in the world, and if one considers that last year we won the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019, it is clear that this will be a completely different kettle of fish. 'All three teams have beaten us in the last few years and they play a different style of rugby to the other opposition we have faced thus far, but we are pleased with the foundation we laid in the last few weeks and we know exactly what areas of our game we need to work on going into the Rugby Championship.' Erasmus will announce his squad for the two-match tour to New Zealand in September before making the journey Down Under, where they will face their arch-rivals at Eden Park in Auckland on 6 September, and in Wellington on September 13 respectively. The team will wrap up their campaign with Test matches against Argentina in Durban on Saturday September 27, and in London on October 4. Springbok Squad Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls). Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers).
NZ Herald
23-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Rugby Championship: Springboks omit Makazole Mapimpi, Faf de Klerk for Wallabies tests
Double Rugby World Cup winners Makazole Mapimpi and Faf de Klerk have been omitted from the South Africa squad for two Rugby Championship tests against Australia during August. Salmaan Moerat, who captained the Springboks to victory over Italy this month, is also left out of a 37-man squad consisting of
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Rugby: Springboks leave out experienced trio for Australia tests
Faf de Klerk of South Africa Photo: Paul Thomas / South Africa have named their squad for the two Rugby Championship tests at home to Australia next month as they begin the defence of their title, with no place for double World Cup winners Lukhanyo Am, Faf de Klerk and Makazola Mapimpi. The experienced trio are on a stand-by list in case of injury as coach Rassie Erasmus named a 37-player group on Wednesday to meet the Wallabies in Johannesburg on 16 August and in Cape Town a week later. Recent new caps Ethan Hooker (utility back), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter (both props), Marnus van der Merwe (hooker) and Cobus Wiese (utility forward) have all been included. Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the English Premiership, while number eight Jasper Wiese, the brother of Cobus, is serving a four-week suspension. Erasmus has already used almost 50 players in three tests this year as he looks to add depth to the squad with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in mind. "It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands (in wins over Italy and Georgia this month), but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Rugby Championship," Erasmus said. "We probably have three players who can cover each position. One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world." The Springboks have also invited three players from South Africa's victorious side at the recent Under-20 World Cup to train with the team to gain experience. They are loose-forward Bathobele Hlekani, wing Cheswill Jooste and scrumhalf Haashim Pead, the stand-out performer in the tournament. Forwards : Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese. Backs : Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse. - Reuters
Reuters
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Springboks leave out experienced trio for Australia tests
July 23 (Reuters) - South Africa have named their squad for the two Rugby Championship tests at home to Australia next month as they begin the defence of their title, with no place for double World Cup winners Lukhanyo Am, Faf de Klerk and Makazola Mapimpi. The experienced trio are on a stand-by list in case of injury as coach Rassie Erasmus named a 37-player group on Wednesday to meet the Wallabies in Johannesburg on August 16 and in Cape Town a week later. Recent new caps Ethan Hooker (utility back), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter (both props), Marnus van der Merwe (hooker) and Cobus Wiese (utility forward) have all been included. Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the English Premiership, while number eight Jasper Wiese, the brother of Cobus, is serving a four-week suspension. Erasmus has already used almost 50 players in three tests this year as he looks to add depth to the squad with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in mind. "It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands (in wins over Italy and Georgia this month), but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Rugby Championship," Erasmus said. "We probably have three players who can cover each position. One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world." The Springboks have also invited three players from South Africa's victorious side at the recent Under-20 World Cup to train with the team to gain experience. They are loose-forward Bathobele Hlekani, wing Cheswill Jooste and scrumhalf Haashim Pead, the stand-out performer in the tournament. South Africa squad: Forwards: Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese. Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse.
