The young prop will get a taste of the Springboks and Test rugby in Europe next month.
Young Stormers tighthead prop Zachary Porthen (21) will get a chance to show what he can do at a higher level when the Springboks tour Europe next month and play Tests against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.
Porthen, a former Junior Springboks captain who made his United Rugby Championship debut for the Stormers this year, effectively gets his chance because two-time World Cup winner Frans Malherbe (34) is still injured, the vastly experienced Neethling Fouché (32) is making his way back from time out of the game and Vincent Koch (35), also a two-time World Cup winner, is seemingly now out of the Bok picture. He hasn’t played a Test all year.
Lions tighthead prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has also had to deal with a positive drugs test finding, which he will have to face up to in a hearing later this year.
Besides Porthen, the other specialist No 3 props named in the 36-man squad to tour Europe next month are Wilco Louw and Thomas du Toit.
“We are excited about the makeup of this squad,” said Erasmus. “Most of the players in the group have been with us throughout the season, while others are back from injury or have done the job for us before in the last few years.
“It’s also great to see a young player like Zachary, who has emerged through our junior structures, come through the ranks into the senior set-up, and we are excited to see what he can do at this level.”
Stormers boss John Dobson has for some time been keen to get Porthen into his starting team and this last weekend the youngster delivered an excellent performance in the team’s URC win against Zebre.
“What’s pleasing is our general set-piece is going well,” said Dobson. “Our scrum gave us a couple of penalties … and we were without Ntuthuko Mchunu, Neethling Fouché, Sazi Sandi and Frans Malherbe. I felt that Zachary Porthen [who also made 12 tackles] was exceptional.”
End of World Cup-winning stars?
The inclusion of Porthen in the tour party is the only surprise. The rest of the squad is as was expected, with a few fit-again players recalled, namely Ben-Jason Dixon, Johan Grobbelaar, Jean Kleyn, Gerhard Steenekamp, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe.
Besides Koch, other World Cup winners in 2019 and 2023 who haven’t made the squad are Willie le Roux and Faf de Klerk, whose Bok days now seem over.
Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am and Bongi Mbonambi have also failed to make the tour group and are among 10 players on a standby list. The others are Juarno Augustus, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Vincent Tshituka, Sebastian de Klerk, Fouché and Ntlabakanye.
Among the injured players not considered for selection are Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Malherbe, Jean-Luc du Preez and Aphelele Fassi.
This means the Boks again only have one specialist No 8 in the tour group, namely Jasper Wiese, while Damian Willemse is the only specialist fullback.
