No fewer than 10 of the matchday 23 side that steered the South Africans past Wales and into the Rugby World Cup semi-finals last year are missing from their 34-strong tour party for this month’s internationals.
And among those missing will be the man whose 74th minute try dumped Sam Warburton’s side out of last year’s World Cup at Twickenham, scrum half Fourie du Preez, his 18-point half-back partner that day, Handre Pollard, the back row trio of Francois Louw, Schalk Burger and Duane Vermeulen, and hooker Bismarck du Plessis.
Du Preez retired from international rugby at the end of the World Cup, and with eight wins out of eight games against Wales, as did current Saracens back row man Burger, who ended with nine successive triumphs. Louw and Du Preez are both injured, while Vermeulen and Pollard were unavailable for the tour.
Other players missing he tour who were involved at Twickenham in the World Cup quarter final include props Frans Malherbe and Jannie du Plessis, scum half Ruan Pienaar and Jan Serfontein. Nizaam Carr and prop Lourens Adriaanse have been added to the Springbok squad as replacements for Jaco Kriel and Jannie du Plessis.
But there are still plenty of household names in the touring party, including the wing pairing of Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen. They can boast 192 caps and 90 Test tries, and boast 18 wins against Wales without defeat, between them.
‘The Beast’, loose head prop Tendai Mtawarira, will be back to put Samson Lee under pressure at scrum time, while world class lock pair Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager will be fighting it out with Pieter-Steph du Toit for second row duty.
Reps: Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane, Jannie du Plessis, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Willem Alberts, Ruan Pienaar, Patrick Lambie, Jan Serfontein
SPRINGBOK SQUAD FOR UNDER ARMOUR SERIES V WALES
Full Backs
Jesse Kriel (Blue Bulls – 17 caps)
Willie le Roux (Canon Eagles – 39 caps)
Wings
Ruan Combrinck (Golden Lions – 4 caps)
Bryan Habana (Toulon, France – 123 caps)
Sergeal Petersen (Free State Cheetahs – Uncapped)
JP Pietersen (Leicester Tigers – 69 caps)
Centres
Damian de Allende (Western Province – 20 caps)
Johan Goosen (Racing 92 – 10 caps)
Lionel Mapoe (Golden Lions / Kubota Spears – 9 caps)
Francois Venter (Free State Cheetahs – Uncapped)
Half Backs
Faf de Klerk (Golden Lions – 8 caps)
Elton Jantjies (Golden Lions / NTT Communications – 9 caps)
Pat Lambie (Sharks – 53 caps)
Rudy Paige (Blue Bulls – 5 caps)
Piet van Zyl (Blue Bulls – 2 caps)
Props
Lourens Adriaanse (Sharks – 4 caps)
Steven Kitshoff (Bordeaux-Bègles – 7 caps)
Vincent Koch (Saracens – 7 caps)
Tendai Mtawarira (Sale Sharks – 84 caps)
Trevor Nyakane (Blue Bulls – 26 caps)
Hookers
Malcolm Marx (Golden Lions – 1 cap)
Bongi Mbonambi (Western Province – 3 caps)
Adriaan Strauss (Blue Bulls – 63 caps, Captain)
Locks
Lood de Jager (Free State Cheetahs – 25 caps)
Pieter-Steph du Toit (Western Province – 17 caps)
Eben Etzebeth (Western Province – 53 caps)
Franco Mostert (Golden Lions / Ricoh Black Rams – 4 caps)
Back Row
Willem Alberts (Stade Français Paris – 41 caps)
Nizaam Carr (Western Province – 2 caps)
Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks – Uncapped)
Jaco Kriel (Golden Lions / Kubota Spears – 7 caps)
Oupa Mohoje (Free State Cheetahs – 14 caps)
Roelof Smit (Blue Bulls – Uncapped)
Warren Whiteley (Golden Lions / Red Hurricanes – 12 caps)
