Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named his 36-man squad that will travel to New Zealand for the next two rounds of the Rugby Championship.
Springbok squad to face New Zealand
The matches, against the All Blacks, will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, 6 September 2025, and at the Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, 13 September 2025. Both games kick off at 09:05 (SA time).
The announcement follows South Africa’s convincing win over Australia in Cape Town this past weekend, a result that boosted the Boks’ confidence after their earlier defeat to the Wallabies at Ellis Park.
The Rugby Championship table remains wide open, with all four teams – South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina – having secured one win each from the opening two rounds.
Erasmus said the team had taken “valuable lessons” from their first match against Australia and would be aiming to improve further in New Zealand.
“This group of players have been working hard together since June, and the newer players in the squad have shown they are ready for this challenge,” he explained.
Two wing players, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe, were ruled out through injury. Makazole Mapimpi, who rejoined the squad last week, has been called up to cover the position.
The only forward missing from the Australia series is Cobus Wiese, who has been placed on standby. No. 8 Jasper Wiese is still serving a suspension and will only be eligible for the second clash in Wellington.
Captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Willie le Roux, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels have all been declared fit after recovering from minor injuries. Erasmus confirmed that all players from the Cape Town Test against Australia are available for selection.
The Springbok squad to face New Zealand includes:
Forwards: Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese.
Backs: Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse.
A big challenge ahead
Erasmus stressed that facing the All Blacks on home soil is “a massive challenge” but said the team is ready.
“The Castle Lager Rugby Championship is still wide open with all four teams having won a match. This tour is going to be vital for us, and we’ll certainly take confidence from the win against Australia,” he said.
The coach also noted that the Springboks have beaten New Zealand in their last four meetings, a run that dates back to 2023.
“Every match against the All Blacks is epic given the rivalry. We need to build on what we’ve been working on this year and take another step up before facing them in two weeks,” Erasmus added.
The Springboks will depart for New Zealand on Tuesday, giving the team time to adapt to the time difference before the first Test.