With a comfortable, mission-accomplished warm-up victory over the Barbarians officially in the rearview mirror, Rassie Erasmus and his back-to-back world champions are shifting into top gear. The experimental phase is over—the grueling reality of the international Test calendar is officially here.
The Springboks arrived in Johannesburg on Sunday morning to set up camp ahead of the highly anticipated, inaugural Nations Championship. Up first is a heavyweight blockbuster against a roaring England side, and fans need to take note of a highly unusual kick-off time.
Match Day Reminder: Set Your Alarms
Make sure your Saturday plans are locked in early. The Springboks will clash with England at the historic Emirates Airline Park (Ellis Park) at a non-traditional twilight slot.
- Fixture: South Africa vs. England
- Date: Saturday, 4 July 2026
- Kick-Off Time: 17:40 CAT
- Venue: Emirates Airline Park (Ellis Park), Johannesburg
Following the epic battle in Jozi, the Boks will host Scotland in Pretoria (11 July) and Wales in Durban (18 July), before heading across the Atlantic for a standalone clash against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires (8 August).
Next-Gen Arrival: Rassie Unveils 46-Man Squad
In tandem with their arrival in Gauteng, Erasmus officially trimmed and locked in a powerhouse 46-man squad (28 forwards and 18 backline players). While the roster relies heavily on dual World Cup-winning muscle, Rassie has officially handed golden tickets to six uncapped prodigies who starred during the warm-up phases.
The new faces ready to earn their first official Test caps include:
- Forwards: Paul de Villiers (flanker), Riley Norton (lock/loose forward), Ruben van Heerden (lock), and Carlü Sadie (prop).
- Backs: Vusi Moyo (flyhalf) and Jaco Williams (wing).
“We are pleased with the quality of the group we have selected, and it’s also exciting to see the next generation of players coming through,” Erasmus stated. “They all proved against the Barbarians and SA ‘A’ teams that they have what it takes to play at the highest level… They are all familiar with the way the Springbok environment operates, so we are excited for them to make this step-up.”
Full 46-Man Springbok Test Squad
- Props: Thomas du Toit, Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ox Nché, Zachary Porthen, Carlü Sadie*, Gerhard Steenekamp, Boan Venter.
- Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar, Malcolm Marx, André-Hugo Venter.
- Locks: Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Nortjé, Ruben van Heerden*.
- Loose Forwards: Paul de Villiers*, Ben-Jason Dixon, Cameron Hanekom, Siya Kolisi (c), Evan Roos, Vincent Tshituka, Jasper Wiese.
- Utility Forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Franco Mostert, Riley Norton*, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese.
- Scrumhalves: Embrose Papier, Herschel Jantjies, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams.
- Flyhalves: Manie Libbok, Vusi Moyo*, Handré Pollard.
- Centres: Damian de Allende, André Esterhuizen, Jesse Kriel.
- Outside & Utility Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Aphelele Fassi, Quan Horn, Cheslin Kolbe, Canan Moodie, Edwill van der Merwe, Jaco Williams*, Damian Willemse.
