Springboks surprise with unexpected player call-up

It was confirmed on Wednesday by the Springboks that prop Ox Nche is expected to be out of action for several weeks after picking up a pectoral muscle injury, which has ruled him out of the Rugby Championship that starts this weekend.

As a result, Steven Kitshoff has been drafted straight into the starting lineup to face Australia on Saturday, while Thomas du Toit and Trevor Nyakane will provide cover.

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However, the real surprise is the fact that former Junior Springbok prop Gerhard Steenekamp has been drafted into the national squad, and had his first training session with the team on Wednesday.

The talented 26-year-old will travel to New Zealand on Wednesday night to train with the players who departed on Tuesday.

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Steenekamp made his senior debut for the Bulls in 2020, and has become an important member of the Pretoria-based team, but he was not viewed as someone who was on the national radar.

“We’ve always emphasised the importance of being adaptable as a team,” Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber commented. “That will be particularly important this season with the Rugby Championship, World Cup warm-up games and the global showpiece itself coming up.

“We are fortunate to have such depth at our disposal. We’ve been tracking between 50 and 60 players in the last few seasons with an eye on the World Cup, so we know what talent we have at our disposal.

“This will also be a fantastic opportunity for Gerhard to experience our systems and to be in the national set-up. He’s been impressive for the Vodacom Bulls this season and he’s a former Junior Springbok, so we are excited to see what he has to offer at training.

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Springboks’ revised team to face Australia in Pretoria:

15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 83 caps, 65 pts (13t)
14 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 5 pts (1t)
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 31 caps, 30 pts (6t)
12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins) – 11 caps, 0 pts
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 35 pts (7t)
10 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 10 pts (5c)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 24 caps, 45 pts (9t)
8 – Duane Vermeulen (captain, Ulster) – 65 caps, 15 pts (3t)
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 66 caps, 25 pts (5t)
6 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 10 caps, 0 pts
5 – Marvin Orie (DHL Stormers) – 11 caps, 0 pts
4 – Jean Kleyn (Munster) – uncapped for SA (Ireland 5 caps)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 58 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Cell C Sharks) – 56 caps, 60 pts (12t)
1 – Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers) – 71 caps, 5pts (1t)

Replacements:
16 – Joseph Dweba (DHL Stormers) – 4 caps, 0 pts
17 – Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks) – 15 caps, 0 pts
18 – Vincent Koch (Stade Francais) – 41 caps, 0 pts
19 – RG Snyman (Munster) – 23 caps, 5 pts (1t)
20 – Evan Roos (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 0 pts
21 – Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) – 5 caps, 0 pts
22 – Grant Williams (Cell C Sharks) – 1 cap, 0 pts
23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 27 caps, 36 pts (2t, 4c, 4p, 2d)

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Saturday’s clash will kick off at 5.05pm at a sold out Loftus.

RECORD AGAINST AUSTRALIA:

Played 92; Won 49; Lost 40; Drawn 3; Points for: 1 817, Points against: 1 641; Tries scored 212, Tries conceded 168; Highest score 61-22; Biggest win 45 points. Win % 53%.

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