Stormers prodigy Yaqeen Ahmed is one of six uncapped players included in the 37-man Springbok squad for the second leg of the Nations Championship in November.
The young flyhalf played a starring role in the Junior Springboks’ World Championship-winning campaign earlier this year and scored two tries in a match-winning cameo for the Stormers against the Scarlets last weekend.
SA United Rugby Championship Team of the Week – Round 4
His Junior Bok and club teammates Markus Muller and Riley Norton also earned selection, as did Bulls duo Sebastian de Klerk and Luan Giliomee, and Sharks loose forward Emmanuel Tshituka.
All six players have been involved in the Springbok set-up before. Ahmed, Giliomee, Muller, and Tshituka represented the SA ‘A’ team against Zimbabwe, and Norton – a former Junior Bok captain – played for the Boks against the Barbarians in the opening matches of the season, while De Klerk attended the national alignment camp last season.
Rassie Erasmus was delighted to welcome the talented young players to the group and said their performances and promise shown in the last two seasons were key factors in their selection.
“We’ve had all six players on our radar for a while now, and they’ve delivered consistently for their respective franchises in the last two seasons, so they thoroughly deserve their call-ups,” said the Bok coach.
“We’ve seen what most of them are capable of first-hand in our season-opening matches and at our training camps, so we are delighted to see what they have to offer on this tour.
“Building squad depth has always been one of our key pillars as a team, and all those players have shown that they have what it takes to compete at top franchise level, while Riley, Luan and Yaqeen were also part of Junior Springbok squads that have won the Junior World Championship, and Luan also played for the Blitzboks, so they know what it takes to perform at top level.
“There is no doubt facing some of the top teams in elite international rugby will be a completely different challenge, but we have full faith in them to do their best on tour.”
The bad news for Erasmus is that he will have to make do without veterans Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, Andre Esterhuizen, and Handre Pollard, who are all unavailable due to injury.
“It’s always sad to lose players of that calibre, but we are pleased with the cover we have in those positions, and it also offers other players the opportunity to put up their hands,” said Erasmus.
“The majority of the players in this group have been with us for most of the season and know what our expectations are, and also what to anticipate at this level, so we are excited about the group we’ve selected for this vital leg of the season.”
Salmaan Moerat returns to the national side as one of five locks, while those who will feel unlucky to miss out include Johan Grobbelaar, Evan Roos and Cobus Wiese.
Wins over England, Scotland, and Wales in July see the Boks lead the Southern Hemisphere standings in the Nations Championship on points’ difference, as they are tied on 15 points with New Zealand.
The away leg of the new competition will see South Africa line up against Italy (7 November), France (13 November), and Ireland (21 November) before the Finals Weekend in London (27-29 November).
“Each one of these teams will pose different threats and challenge us in various ways, and the fact that these matches now form part of a competition will add even more impetus to these games,” said Erasmus.
“Italy may be ranked 11th in the world at this stage, but they are a quality team who have tested us to the limit at times, so we will not be fooled by the standings. They will be playing at home in front of a passionate crowd, and they’ll be desperate to work their way into a good position for the remainder of the competition, so we will certainly not underestimate them.
“France will also throw everything at us as usual, and with the side being ranked fourth in the world, it shows what they are capable of. It is never easy against them, and there have been times when we had to dig deep for the desired result, with two of the last five matches between the sides finishing in a one-point win – one of which was the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, while two were decided by three and four points respectively, with each team winning one of those, so we know it’s going to be another epic battle.
“Ireland will present an equally stern challenge. They’ve won four of the last six matches against us, including our 2023 RWC pool match, although we won our last outing in Dublin a year ago, so neither team will hold back.”
Erasmus added: “Both France and Ireland have also won two of their three Nations Championship matches to date and will be eyeing a spot as the top-placed Northern Hemisphere team, so we need to be sharp, accurate, and adaptable in all our remaining matches to achieve the desired results if we want to finish the league stages as the top team.”
“This is an intense competition and every point counts, and every team we face as well as those in our pool will be wary of that, so we have a big job ahead, and it will be important to hit the ground running.”
The Boks will assemble in Italy in different groups on Sunday and Monday.
Springbok squad for second leg of Nations Championship:
Props: Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen (all DHL Stormers), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls).
Hookers: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls).
Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Salmaan Moerat (Stade Rochelais), Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears), Riley Norton (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat).
Loose forwards: Paul de Villiers, Siya Kolisi (both DHL Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Emmanuel Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Utility forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls).
Scrumhalves: Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (10bet Lions), Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers).
Flyhalves: Yaqeen Ahmed, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (both DHL Stormers), Luan Giliomee (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners).
Centres: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Markus Muller (DHL Stormers), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls).
Outside backs: Sebastian de Klerk (Vodacom Bulls), Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe (all Hollywoodbets Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
