Rassie Erasmus will name his Springboks squad for the November Nations Championship in the coming weeks.
South Africa head to the northern hemisphere as the top-ranked southern hemisphere nation and will face Italy, France, and Ireland on consecutive weekends before the finals weekend in London.
Before Erasmus names his squad for the tour, we take a look at some potential bolters the Springboks head coach could turn to. The head coach is no stranger to throwing a selection surprise or two, doing so last year in fact with the call-up of Zachery Porthen, who debuted against Japan.
Vusi Moyo, Carlu Sadie and Jaco Williams were surprise debutants earlier this year, and it would be remiss to think that Erasmus doesn’t have a shock or two in mind for November.
Henco van Wyk
We start with a player who would not be a shocking call-up at all: Henco van Wyk. Not only has he been a consistent performer for the Lions for several seasons now, but he is regularly namechecked by Erasmus.
The 25-year-old may well have been capped already had it not been for injuries, but perhaps November 2026 is finally his chance to make the step up to the Test arena.
A pacey outside centre with plenty of power, Van Wyk has all the tools to be a classy international midfielder and has a similar style of play to Jesse Kriel who has dominated the number 13 Green and Gold jersey for some time now.
In fact, the Springboks have perhaps been over-reliant on Kriel being fit and whilst there are other options in the form of Canan Moodie and Ethan Hooker, Erasmus will surely want a clearer picture below the trio heading into 2027.
Luan Giliomee
After a blockbuster start to the 2026/27 season, Luan Giliomee has swapped the Black and White of the Sharks for the blue of the Bulls for the remainder of the campaign and made an immediate impact on debut for the Pretoria club.
Erasmus has not been shy to take a punt on a young player before, so being just 19 years old won’t count against the pocket-rocket full-back, who can also play fly-half. Much like Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe, Giliomee has an incredible vertical ability considering his height and is also brave under the high ball.
While Giliomee can cover multiple positions, his primary role is at full-back, and it’s worth noting that only Damian Willemse was selected last November following Aphelele Fassi’s injury in the Rugby Championship. Cheslin Kolbe did start in the role against Japan and again versus the All Blacks during Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Zekhethelo Siyaya
Another young back from the Sharks’ youth structures who will fancy their chances of cracking the nod. Zekhethelo Siyaya came off the bench earlier in the season before Giliomee’s departure to the Bulls but has since put in two strong performances at full-back for the Durban club.
Much like his former clubmate, Siyaya can cover multiple positions, highlighted by his blistering shift on the wing for South Africa A against Zimbabwe, where he scored a try before sustaining an injury that ended his game.
The youngster did show his age in the RGR tour match against the All Blacks but there is no doubt about his raw talents and abilities. He will surely enter the conversation for Erasmus and his staff along with Giliomee but as mentioned above, the Boks backed Willemse as the go-to man in the full-back jersey last November and for much of this year. With Quan Horn and Fassi both in the mix too, the odds are against the two teenagers.
Riley Norton
Had it not been for a hamstring in training, Riley Norton may well have been a Springbok in July already after donning the Green and Gold jersey in the uncapped match against the Barbarians.
With the ageing profile of the double World Cup-winning Bok locks, Erasmus has made no secret of his desire to blood in new second rowers and Norton is clearly on the radar.
The return to fitness of Jean Kleyn and Salmaan Moerat could hamper Norton’s chances but he is a player who clearly has a future planned out for him with the coaching staff. His ability to play on the side of the scrum also works in his favour. Erasmus could well be eyeing up the fixture against Italy as a litmus test for Norton with the Azzurri always providing a tough and physical challenge, particularly at home.
Cheswill Jooste
There is no substitute for out-and-out pace, and Cheswill Jooste has it in spades. Like many of the players on this list, he is certainly on the Springboks radar, having trained with the squad in 2025 already.
He was also invited to the alignment camps earlier this year but wasn’t involved in the South Africa A match against Zimbabwe or the Boks’ clash with the Baa-Baas, as he was with the Bulls squad that reached the United Rugby Championship final.
Jooste rode the bench for the Bulls’ first three matches of the season before wreaking havoc in his first start in the Champions Cup, scoring a hat-trick against Stade Francais.
Erasmus is spoilt for choice when it comes to wingers, with Ethan Hooker, Kolbe and Arendse firing in the RGR series while Horn, Edwill van der Merwe and Moodie have added further depth this international season.
David Ribbans
Having last played for England at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, David Ribbans will re-qualify for South Africa this month. That opens the door for the 31-year-old to follow in the path of Jean Kleyn in representing one nation at a World Cup and South Africa four years later.
Kleyn did it with Ireland in 2019 before winning the World Cup in France with the Springboks four years later. Last year in April, Ribbans played down the prospect of switching international allegiances back to South Africa after racking up 11 caps for England.
“Would I consider it? You never say never with these things and South Africa was my home originally, but England has become my second home and I was super proud to play for them. I find it a bit strange when players play for two countries,” Ribbans told the Telegraph.
“This is no slight on the Springboks, who are an amazing team. It’s just my view and I’m a bit stubborn in it. I’d put aside the potential glory for that because it wouldn’t be right towards England.”
Erasmus has previously rued the lack of depth in the Springboks’ locking department and while he said that JJ van der Mescht could come into the selection frame again in 2026, Ribbans is another option that he will surely look into. Nicknamed ‘Rib Eye’, the England international has gone from strength to strength since leaving Northampton Saints and signing for RC Toulon, who he now captains.
Unlike Van der Mescht, he is a proper lineout option, a general in fact, and would slot in rather seamlessly into a Springbok pack. The question remains whether he is keen to make the switch or not, or if Erasmus is interested in the Somerset West-born lock.
Furthermore, England look to be holding firm on not selecting players based outside PREM Rugby and that if they are not going to relax that selection policy, the Springboks could benefit.
Matt Romao
Porthen was a very left-field selection from Erasmus last year and for many, Matt Romao would be very much the same. The 21-year-old loose forward is only now starting to make waves in Durban with the Sharks after a mammoth shift in the Challenge Cup against Lyon.
A physical and abrasive presence on the side of the scrum, Romao is also a real threat over the ball and is just the kind of back-rower that the Bok coaching team holds in high regard. 2026 might be a bit too soon for Romao, but he has the raw skillset to be a force at the highest level.
Hanro Liebenberg
Hanro Liebenberg was on the cusp of the Springboks squad during his first stint at the Bulls between 2016 and 2018, with injuries denying him the opportunity to really stake his claim. He then packed his bags and joined the Leicester Tigers, where he was not only a fan favourite but also became a leader and captain of the club, making over 150 appearances for the PREM Rugby side.
He has picked up where he left off this season with the Bulls and has put himself even more on the Springboks coaching team’s radar. The former Junior Bok has stiff competition to get into the Springboks team with Ben-Jason Dixon, Vincent Tshituka, Elrigh Louw and perhaps even Cameron Hanekom vying for the blindside flanker role behind Pieter-Steph du Toit.
However, Liebenberg has experience and leadership playing in his favour.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
Jeandre Rudolph
Erasmus loves a good Cinderella story, and there is perhaps no better one than that of Jeandre Rudolph. The 32-year-old arrived at the Bulls last season on a three-month contract and snatched at that opportunity with both hands to cement his place in the squad and earn an extension.
He has seemingly gone from strength to strength since then and has earned the praise of former Boks head coach Heyneke Meyer.
“I think Jeandré is playing brilliant rugby at the moment. His technique at the breakdown is of the highest quality,” the former Springbok coach told Rapport.
“He can play six, seven and eight, but for me his greatest value is that he is an out-and-out specialist openside flank who is incredibly good over the ball. His ability to steal balls and win turnovers puts him among the very best in the business.”
Erasmus has repeatedly stated that age doesn’t concern the coaching staff too much, regardless on which end of the scale players are on. So Rudolph’s biggest challenge is convincing them that he deserves a shot – which is no easy task considering the loose forward depth in South Africa.
Springboks legend: What the Wallabies need to be ‘top five’ team in the world again
Esethu Mnebelele
A position where the Springboks aren’t as well-stocked as they may well want to be is at hooker. Malcolm Marx is by some distance the first-choice in the middle of the scrum but right now, it’s hard to say who his deputy is. Erasmus turned to Deon Fourie for three of the four Tests against the All Blacks with the now 40-year-old moonlighting as a front rower while mostly coming on as a flanker.
Johan Grobbelaar started at hooker against Australia and Scotland this year while Jan-Hendrik Wessels has featured at loosehead and in the middle of the front row. However, neither has really established themselves as the main contender for the position, especially with Bongi Mbonambi currently on the outskirts of the Sharks team.
This brings us to Esethu Mnebelele, who captained the Junior Boks to U20 World Championship glory in Norton’s absence. The new Sharks recruit has put in solid performances for the Durbanites this season and while his lineout throwing is perhaps not of international standard just yet, the Boks have already identified him as a star of the future. Injury denied him a call-up last November for the final game of the year against Wales and now that he is fit again, perhaps he can answer the call.
Seb de Klerk
Another player who Erasmus has repeatedly mentioned in press conferences when discussing the Springboks’ injury list. Seb de Klerk has yet to earn an official call-up to the national team but is clearly a player that the head coach fancies on giving a shot.
De Klerk is renowned for his rapid pace which is a real asset on the wing but has also started to feature in the centres for the Bulls.
READ MORE: Springboks star’s contract ‘terminated’ at Japanese club amid reports of South African return