Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus reduced his squad from 41 to 25 players for the Portugal test after the expanded squad wrapped up their main preparations for the closing match of the Castle Lager Incoming Series.
The decision was in line with his intention to give a group of players a well-deserved break before the Boks begin their preparations for the 2024 Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign.
Erasmus released 16 players from camp on Wednesday afternoon, which will allow them a 10-day break before the Castle Lager Rugby Championship squad assembles in Johannesburg next week Sunday. The squad for the southern hemisphere spectacle is expected to be announced during the course of next week.
The players released are: Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Jasper Wiese (all loose forwards), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp (all props), Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx (both hookers), Willie le Roux (fullback), Cheslin Kolbe (wing), Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf), Handre Pollard (flyhalf) and Jesse Kriel (centre).
The two players providing cover for the 23-man squad named for the historic clash against Os Lobos are prop Ox Nche and utility back Grant Williams.
“We have a demanding Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign coming up, and we’ve been in training camps and competition respectively since June, so we thought it would be beneficial to give the players who are not playing this weekend a proper break to regenerate,” said Erasmus.
“The players have Thursday off and we only have the captains run left on Friday before the match, so it makes sense to give the players not involved in the match some time off.
“We are playing back-to-back test matches against the Wallabies in Australia next month, and then we face New Zealand on successive weekends in South Africa, followed by a short tour to Argentina and then a trip to Nelspruit where we will conclude the tournament against Los Pumas, so we have to be sensible in how we manage the players to get the most out of them on the field.”
Commenting on the decision to retain only two players as injury cover in the squad, Erasmus said: “Bloemfontein is only a flight away if we need additional cover, and since we had a big group of players who are all fully clued up on what we expect from Portugal, we believe this is the best decision for the team.”