With the first match of the international season against Wales now less than two weeks away and set to be played when several top players who will feature later will be unavailable there was always going to be a youthful element to Rassie Erasmus’ first Springbok selection.
However, seeing it on paper nonetheless should be heartwarming to rugby fans who have been following the local teams in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the two EPCR competitions, for both form and promise has been rewarded.
Not that Hendrikse is the only young flyhalf with utility value included, although given his pedigree and the expectations around him, the call up of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has been included in a Bok tour group before and has played for South Africa A, was hardly surprising.
But those players were expected selections if available, it is the new players joining them that generate such excitement, with Feinberg-Mgomezulu being joined by fellow uncapped Stormers Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche and Andre-Hugo Venter. There are two Stormers hookers in the squad that will go into camp in Pretoria on Monday, with the already capped Bok Joseph Dweba also among the 35.
Erasmus is largely sticking to the plan he had formulated back in February, because Hooker and Lions wing Van der Merwe are the only players called up who were not part of the alignment camps in March and May.The squad includes 19 forwards and 16 backs.
“With the players based in Europe, the UK and Ireland not available for Wales, we anticipate that there will be a few players making their test debuts in that match, but even for those who do not make the cut, having them in camp and getting the chance to work closely with them on the field will set them and the team in good stead as we prepare for this season and start laying the foundation for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
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