A preliminary Springbok training squad of 20 for the forthcoming Tour to the United Kingdom and France was announced on Sunday, with Duane Vermeulen, Trevor Nyakane and Lood de Jager making a return to the group, while Tendai Mtawarira was ruled out of the tour due to injury.
The Springboks open their tour on Saturday 3 November at Twickenham in London when they face England for the fourth time this year.
A week later, Siya Kolisi and his Springbok teammates tackle France at the Stade de France in Paris. On 17 November, Scotland host the Springboks at BT Murrayfield in Edinburgh, before the tour concludes with a visit to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to play Wales on Saturday, 24 November.
Erasmus will announce the full Springbok tour squad for the 2018 Castle Lager Outgoing Tour after next Saturday’s Currie Cup final, when DHL Western Province host the Cell C Sharks in Cape Town.
South Africa training squad:
The Springbok training squad (in order of name, position, province, Test caps, Test points):
Forwards (12):
Schalk Brits (Hooker, Unattached, 11, 5 – 1t)
Lood de Jager (Lock, Vodacom Blue Bulls, 36, 20 – 4t)
Pieter-Steph du Toit (Flank / Lock, DHL Western Province, 42, 20 – 4t)
Eben Etzebeth (Lock, DHL Western Province, 73, 15 – 3t)
Steven Kitshoff (Prop, DHL Western Province, 33, 5 – 1t)
Siya Kolisi (Flank, DHL Western Province, 37, 25 – 5t)
Frans Malherbe (Prop, DHL Western Province, 25, 0)
Malcolm Marx (Hooker, Xerox Golden Lions, 20, 20 – 4t)
Trevor Nyakane (Prop, Vodacom Blue Bulls, 37, 5 – 1t)
RG Snyman (Lock, Honda Heat, Japan, 8, 0)
Duane Vermeulen (No. 8, Kubota Spears, Japan, 42, 15 – 3t)
Warren Whiteley (No. 8, Xerox Golden Lions, 21, 15 – 3t)
Backs (8):
Damian de Allende (Centre, DHL Western Province, 33, 20 – 4t)
Aphiwe Dyantyi (Wing, Xerox Golden Lions, 9, 30 – 6t)
André Esterhuizen (Centre, Munakata Sanix Blues, Japan, 5, 0)
Elton Jantjies (Flyhalf, Xerox Golden Lions, 29, 223 – 2t, 42c, 43p)
Jesse Kriel (Centre, Vodacom Blue Bulls, 36, 50 – 10t)
Embrose Papier (Scrumhalf, Vodacom Blue Bulls, 4, 0)
Handré Pollard (Flyhalf, Vodacom Blue Bulls, 35, 293 – 3t, 55c, 53p, 3d)
Ivan van Zyl (Scrumhalf, Vodacom Blue Bulls, 3, 0)