Head coach Jacques Nienaber is confident the Springbok squad selected to defend the World Cup in France can bring the Webb Ellis Cup back home.
Nienaber on Tuesday named a 33-man contingent that features four scrumhalves, a former Ireland lock and their oldest debutant after it was confirmed that the world champions will be without a trio of key players for the global showpiece.
Handre Pollard (calf), Lukhanyo Am (knee) and Lood de Jager (chest problem) have been placed on standby, while the team will be captained by Siya Kolisi, who is expected to be back in action in the coming weeks.
“This was one of the hardest selections we have ever had to make,” said Nienaber. “Any of the 42-man training squad would do a great job but injuries have played a part in the final selection and time unfortunately ran out for some real champions.
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“However, we said from the outset that we wanted to name the best 33 players for the World Cup, and after giving 38 players a run in the last four Tests we are pleased with the make-up of the group, and we know we have proper depth in each position.
“We’ve picked a squad with a bunch of the players who can also cover alternative positions, which we’ll need in a very tough World Cup.
“We were in a great position this year to have so many players knocking on the door for selection but unfortunately, we could only select 33. Injuries have had a hand in the final selection, but they are part of the game, and we are excited about the quality of the players who can step in and perform at World Cup level – as many of the players who featured against Argentina showed last weekend.”
The group features a strong mix of experience and some of the best up-and-coming young players in the Republic, with only three players missing out from the starting XV from the 32-12 final win over England in Japan four years ago.
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Nienaber added: “Since Rassie [Erasmus] and I returned to South Africa in 2018 we’ve been building to the 2023 World Cup, and we are pleased with where we are, going into this World Cup.
“The coaches and players have put in a helluva lot of work in the last few years, and we have the luxury of naming a squad that features a big group of players who know what it takes to win a World Cup and who will enter the tournament with vast international experience.
“The younger players have also showed in the last two seasons that they can match some of the top players in the world, so we believe we are better prepared as a team going into this tournament.
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“We still have two warm-up games left and a road to travel to build player combinations and fine tune the areas of our game that we feel we need to improve on, so we are by no means the final product at this stage.”
Photo: Phill Magakoe/AFP