SPRINGBOKS RASSIE’S MEN

THE SPRINGBOKS’ starting line-up for their Rugby Championship game against the Wallabies in PE could be quite different to the one that defeated the All Blacks in Wellington last week. Bok coach Rassie Erasmus yesterday named a 17man preliminary squad for their final two matches against Australia next weekend and New Zealand a week later.

The squad will be finalised after this weekend’s round of Currie Cup actio.

The preliminary group will assemble in PE today, where they will kick off their preparations for the final two Championship matches; the last one being against the All Blacks at a sold-out Loftus on October 6. The Boks will be without fullback Willie le Roux (Wasps) and flanker Francois Louw (Bath), who have both returned to their English clubs.

Centers Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am will also miss the last two games with shoulder injuries sustained in last week’s massive 36-34 victory at the Westpac Stadium, while Makazole Mapimpi is still unavailable due to a knee injury. Erasmus has hinted a number of times that he’d like to blood the exciting Damian Willemse at 15, and the vacancy at fullback would be this chance to have a proper look at him, or the equally electric Cheslin Kolbe, who played off the bench in Australasia.

PRELIMINARY SQUAD Forwards:

Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Steven Kitshoff, Siya Kolisi (capt), Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Franco Mostert, Tendai Mtawarira, RG Snyman, Warren Whiteley; Faf de Klerk, Aphiwe Dyantyi, André Esterhuizen, Elton Jantjies, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Handré Pollard

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