Five hundred and twenty-two!
That is the number of combined test caps the Barbarians will bring to Cape Town at the end of the month when they face the Springboks for the first time on South African soil in the highly anticipated Qatar Airways Cup clash.
And that is just for the first five players that have been confirmed in the BaaBaas squad! Can you imagine what’s to come? You don’t want to miss out on this historic occasion.
Among the five players locked in so far by BaaBaas coach Robbie Deans are two All Black loose forwards in Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell, both of whom played against the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup final in Paris in 2023. Joining them are three Irish test centurions in Cian Healy, Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony, all of whom have been central to their success over the last few years.
Healy (137 test caps), Murray (125 for Ireland and eight for the British & Irish Lions), O’Mahony (114 for Ireland and one for the Lions), and Cane (104 for New Zealand) are all members of rugby’s exclusive test centurions club, while Frizell has 33 test caps to his name.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has already stressed the importance of this clash. The Boks face Italy and Georgia in July and with the 2027 Rugby World Cup pool draw taking place at the end of the year, the forthcoming season will be vitally important to ensure a good position on the world rankings come December 2025.