Springbok squad to gather in PE
Seventeen players will get together in Port Elizabeth on Friday when they will start their preparations for the final two Rugby Championship Tests.
The Boks will play against Australia in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and a week later against New Zealand at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Rassie Erasmus, SA Rugby's Director of Rugby, confirmed that the squad will be further bolstered on Saturday when a number of other players have concluded their provincial duty in the Currie Cup.
"We are still keeping an eye on a number of players who we would like to involve in the coming weeks, but we would first like to see them get through their provincial matches this weekend," said Erasmus.
It was also confirmed that centres Damian De Allende and Lukhanyo Am as well as wing Makazole Mapimpi will not feature in the two home Tests after they were ruled out due to injury.
Furthermore, fullback Willie le Roux and loose forward Francois Louw have returned to their English clubs after the pair featured in the Springboks' four tournament matches to date. They will not feature in the two home Tests.
"The players had a brief break after returning from New Zealand and I'm sure they will return fresh and energised for the last two matches," said Erasmus.
"While we lost a couple of players to injury, but we are looking forward to possibly welcome back some others who have been playing for their provinces and recovered from injury. The two home matches will give us more time to work together as a group, to build on continuity and increase our depth."