Wessels out, Bulls bruisers back for Boks
10/24/2024 03:23 AM
Hooker Johan Grobbelaar and prop Wilco Louw have been called up to the Springbok squad for the November tour, following the injury withdrawal of Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Wessels, who can play prop and hooker, was named in the initial 34-man squad on Tuesday. However, on Thursday he was ruled out of contention with an ankle injury, prompting Bok coach Rassie Erasmus to call up his Vodacom Bulls teammates.
Louw played the last of his 14 Tests in 2021, although he named on the Boks' standby list for the June and July internationals earlier this year.
Grobbelaar, meanwhile, has been a regular member of the Bok squad this season and started the Tests against Portugal in Bloemfontein and Australia in Perth.
Their inclusion in the group increases the number of players in the squad to 35 – comprising 19 forwards and 16 backs.
"It's always sad to lose a player to injury and we wish Jan-Hendrik all the best on his road to recovery, but this opens up the door for Johan and Wilco to make their mark against quality opposition in Scotland, England and Wales," said Erasmus.
"Jan-Hendrik offered us the luxury of serving as a prop and hooker, but with his versatility out of the picture, we decided to call up a specialist prop and hooker.
"Johan has been part of the squad this season and is really growing in his role and in the team, while Wilco has been delivering consistently superb performances for the Bulls this season, and he has been knocking on the door for a while now, so I have no doubt he will want to grab this chance with both hands.
"We are certainly excited to see what they bring to the squad, while Wilco's inclusion also adds to our player stocks as we continue to build our squad depth."
The Boks will depart for a training camp in Jersey, the largest of the largest of the Channel Islands between England and France, on Sunday. The group will then make the journey to Edinburgh on 3 November for their opening Test of the tour.
The Boks will face Scotland in Edinburgh (Sunday, 10 November), England in London (Saturday, 16 November) and Wales in Cardiff (Saturday, 23 November) on their traditional end-of-year tour.
Updated Springbok squad:
Props: Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, Wilco Louw, Frans Malherbe, Ox Nche, Gerhard Steenekamp.
Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi.
Locks: Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Ruan Nortje, RG Snyman.
Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain), Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden, Jasper Wiese.
Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams.
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok, Handre Pollard.
Centres: Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Jesse Kriel.
Outsidebacks: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie, Damian Willemse.
Photo: ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Deon van der Merwe
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