Rassie Erasmus believes the Springboks’ six new call-ups have earned their chance in the national squad.
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Who are the lucky 6 Springboks getting Rassie Erasmus’ attention?
Lock Riley Norton, loose forward Emmanuel Tshituka, flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, centre Markus Muller, winger Sebastian de Klerk and utility back Luan Giliomee were on Wednesday named in the 37-man squad for the team’s final four Tests of the season.
“We’ve had all six players on our radar for a while now, and they’ve delivered consistently for their respective franchises in the last two seasons, so they thoroughly deserve their call-ups,” Erasmus said.
“We’ve seen what most of them are capable of first-hand in our season-opening matches and at our training camps, so we are delighted to see what they have to offer on this tour.
“Building squad depth has always been one of our key pillars as a team, and all those players have shown that they have what it takes to compete at top franchise level, while Riley, Luan and Yaqeen were also part of Junior Springbok squads that have won the Junior World Championship, and Luan also played for the Blitzboks, so they know what it takes to perform at top level.”
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Springboks head to Europe
The Boks face Italy, France and Ireland in the European leg of the Nations Championship before the finals weekend in London at the end of November.
“There is no doubt facing some of the top teams in elite international rugby will be a completely different challenge, but we have full faith in them to do their best on tour,” Erasmus said.
“Each one of these teams will pose different threats and challenge us in various ways, and the fact that these matches now form part of a competition will add even more impetus to these games.
“This is an intense competition, and every point counts, and every team we face, as well as those in our pool, will be wary of that, so we have a big job ahead, and it will be important to hit the ground running.”
The Boks will assemble in Italy in groups on Sunday and Monday.
Featured image: Gallo Images/Daniel Hlongwane
Originally published by SA Rugby Magazine.
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