A 23-man squad have been named to take on New Zealand on the 25th July 2009 in the Vodacom Tri-Nations.
The group includes 22 players that took part in the recently completed 2-1 Test Series victory over the British & Irish Lions. The only newcomer is Sharks prop Jannie du Plessis, who returns to the national set-up after last playing for the Springboks against England at the end of 2008.
Fourteen of the 23 players selected were amongst the match 22 in the third Test against the Lions on July 4.
The group includes lock Bakkies Botha, whose two-week suspension ends this week. The Bok squad assembles in Bloemfontein on Thursday afternoon.
Players in the broader Springbok squad, who played against the Lions but have not been selected for the first Vodacom Tri-Nations Test, have been released to play for their provinces in the Absa Currie Cup.
The convenor of the selectors, Peter Jooste, said that it was important to maintain consistency in selection from the Lions Series.
“We have stuck with the core of the players who took part in the Castle South Africa 2009 Lions Series, most of whom have been in the larger Springbok training squad over the past 12 months. We have also tried to ensure that the combinations that featured in the first two Lions Tests are kept intact to ensure consistency and familiarity,” Jooste said.
Head Coach Peter de Villiers added that whilst the Vodacom Tri-Nations represented a new and different challenge it was important to build on what had been achieved against the Lions.
“The Lions Series was ideal preparation for the Vodacom Tri-Nations,” he said.
“The core squad that secured the Series win in the first two Tests has great potential as a unit and we believe that they have much more to offer. That is why we have made sure that we have remained consistent in our selection policy”.
Commenting on the return of Jannie du Plessis, Jooste said: “Jannie has been a part of the Springbok squad since 2007 and still has much to offer. He was unfortunate to miss out on selection for the Lions series but now gets an opportunity in the Vodacom Tri-Nations”.
Springbok Squad:
Forwards:
Andries Bekker (Vodacom Western Province)
Bakkies Botha (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Heinrich Brüssow (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs)
Bismarck du Plessis (The Sharks)
Jannie du Plessis (The Sharks)
Ryan Kankowski (The Sharks)
Victor Matfield (Vodacom Blue Bulls) – Vice-captain
Tendai Mtawarira (The Sharks)
Chiliboy Ralepelle (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Danie Rossouw (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
John Smit (The Sharks) – Captain
Juan Smith (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs)
Pierre Spies (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Backs:
Jean de Villiers (Vodacom Western Province)
Fourie du Preez (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Jaque Fourie (Xerox Lions)
Bryan Habana (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Adi Jacobs (The Sharks)
Ricky Januarie (Vodacom Western Province)
Ruan Pienaar (The Sharks)
JP Pietersen (The Sharks)
Frans Steyn (The Sharks)
Morné Steyn (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Source: sarugby.co.za