Local sportSport

Francois Hougaard dropped, Nkosi, Schreuder and Louw join Springbok squad

Francois Hougaard has been kicked out of the Springbok squad for the final two Tests in this year's Rugby Championship tournament, while three new players will join the team.

Experienced flank Francois Louw and the uncapped Sharks duo of S’busiso Nkosi (wing) and Louis Schreuder (scrumhalf) were included in the Springbok squad for the two remaining home matches of the 2017 Castle Lager Rugby Championship.

Louw has played in 52 Tests for the Springboks and earns a recall to the squad after missing out on the June Tests due to a shoulder injury. He underwent a shoulder operation in May which ruled him out of the series against France.

Former Junior Springbok Nkosi is a strong performer on the wing for the Sharks in the Currie Cup to date after an impressive debut season in Super Rugby. The 21-year-old is currently the joint top try scorer in the Currie Cup competition.

The 27-year old Schreuder is included as one of three scrumhalves in the group of 30 players. The No 9, a Springbok tourist in 2013, has continued with his good performances for the Sharks since joining the Durban-based province from the Southern Kings before the Currie Cup.

Schreuder, a star in Super Rugby for the Southern Kings this year, replaces Francois Hougaard in the only change to the squad that returned from Australasia on Sunday.

Several Springbok regulars were not considered for selection because of injury. Coenie Oosthuizen suffered a broken arm in Perth against Australia two weeks ago, while flanker Jaco Kriel sustained a shoulder injury in the same match. He underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the damage to his shoulder and will be out of action for the rest of the year.

Warren Whiteley is still recovering from his groin operation, and Frans Malherbe (prop, neck) is also still out, while Oupa Mohoje is scheduled to return to the playing field this weekend after spending the last month sidelined with a rib injury.

Coetzee has retained with the nucleus of the squad who have won five and drawn one of their seven internationals so far this season, with the three additions rewarded for their good form.

“Louis and S’bu have both performed well this season, and their inclusion gives us an opportunity to work closely with them. They are both in-form players and are making good decisions on the field in their respective positions. Their inclusion and exposure to this level will continue our process of building depth in certain positions. Louis has been there before, but we’re excited to expose S’bu to the Springbok environment – he is in excellent form and we are excited to work with him,” said Coetzee.

Louw, a seasoned international flank, will bring along more experience and leadership to the team, who have been hit by long-term injuries amongst the loose forwards.

The Springbok squad will get together on Sunday in Bloemfontein, where they will be based for the build-up to the Test against the Wallabies at the Toyota Stadium on 30 September. They tackle the All Blacks a week later, on 7 October, at Newlands in Cape Town in their final match of the campaign.

The Springbok squad for the Tests in Bloemfontein and Cape Town:

Forwards (17 players):

Uzair Cassiem (flank), Cheetahs – 5 caps, 5 points (1 try)

Lood de Jager (lock), Bulls – 31 caps, 20 points (4 tries)

Ruan Dreyer (prop), Lions – 2 caps, 0 points

Dan du Preez (No 8), Sharks – 0 caps, 0 points

Jean-Luc du Preez (loose forward), Sharks – 8 caps, 5 points (1 try)

Pieter-Steph du Toit (lock), Stormers – 27 caps, 20 points (4 tries)

Eben Etzebeth (lock, captain), Stormers – 61 caps, 15 points (3 tries)

Steven Kitshoff (prop), Stormers – 17 caps, 0 points

Siya Kolisi (flank), Stormers – 23 caps, 20 points (4 tries)

Francois Louw (flank), Bath, England – 52 caps, 40 points (8 tries)

Wilco Louw (prop) Stormers – 0 caps, 0 points

Malcolm Marx (hooker), Lions – 9 caps, 10 points (2 tries)

Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Stormers – 11 caps; 0 points

Franco Mostert (lock), Lions – 13 caps, 0 points

Tendai Mtawarira (prop), Sharks – 94 caps, 10 points (2 tries)

Trevor Nyakane (prop), Bulls – 32 caps, 5 points (1 try)

Chiliboy Ralepelle (hooker), Sharks – 22 caps, 5 points (1 try)

Backs (13 players):

Andries Coetzee (fullback), Lions – 7 caps, 0 points

Ross Cronje (scrumhalf) Lions – 4 caps, 5 points (1 try)

Damian de Allende (centre), Stormers – 25 caps, 15 points (3 tries)

Elton Jantjies (flyhalf), Lions – 18 caps, 179 points (2 tries, 32 conversions, 35 penalties)

Jesse Kriel (centre), Bulls – 23 caps, 30 points (6 tries)

Dillyn Leyds (wing) Stormers – 3 caps, 0 points

Rudy Paige (scrumhalf), Bulls – 10 caps, 5 points (1 try)

Handré Pollard (flyhalf) Bulls – 21 caps, 188 points (2 tries, 29 conversions, 37 penalties, 3 drop goals)

Raymond Rhule (wing), Cheetahs – 7 caps, 5 points (1 try)

Louis Schreuder (scrumhalf) Sharks – uncapped

Jan Serfontein (centre), Bulls – 33 caps, 20 points (4 tries)

Courtnall Skosan (wing), Lions – 7 caps, 5 points (1 try)

S’busiso Nkosi (wing), Sharks – uncapped

 

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:

Rekord East

Rekord North

Rekord Centurion

Rekord Moot

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram.

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

Support local journalism

Add The Citizen as a preferred source to see more from Rekord in Google News and Top Stories.

Koos Venter

Koos Venter is an experienced journalist who started his career 35 years ago, before the days of cellphones, modern computer systems, the internet and digital cameras, as a correspondent for Nexus, the former national magazine of the Department of Correctional Services. He has since worked for various other publications in all aspects of news coverage, as a columnist and in the production side of newspapers and online publications. Since 2007 he has specialized as a sports writer, while he is also regularly used as an analyst and commentator by several radio stations.
Back to top button