Ross Roche

By Ross Roche

Senior sports writer


Springbok squad announcement delayed after cancelled flight

Coach Rassie Erasmus is now expected to name his squad on Tuesday.


The Springbok squad announcement for their incoming series against Ireland and Portugal was delayed on Monday after the team got stuck in London when their flight to Johannesburg was cancelled on Sunday night.

The team, set to fly out of London on their rescheduled flight on Monday afternoon, will now arrive in South Africa early on Tuesday morning.

Head coach Rassie Erasmus told reporters after their solid 41-13 win over Wales on Saturday that they would be looking to name the squad to take on Ireland in their two-Test series on Sunday night or Monday, but he will now make the announcement on Tuesday.

Squad for Wales

The Boks named a 35-man squad a few weeks ago, featuring 11 uncapped players which has now dropped to seven after four made their debuts over the past weekend, with the sole focus on the game against the Welsh.

Due to the match falling outside of the international window, European-based players were unavailable, as well as the Bulls players who reached the United Rugby Championship final.

A second squad was always going to be named before the incoming series, with all players available for selection, which will likely see a number of changes made to the first squad that was picked.

They will now begin their preparations on Tuesday for the opening Test against Ireland at Loftus in Pretoria next weekend.

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