Springboks call up No 8 Evan Roos for expanded squad
South Africa have called up No 8 Evan Roos into their bloated squad for the fixture against the Barbarians later this month and the July internationals against Italy and Georgia.
Roos was a surprise omission from the original squad named this week and brings the number of players to 55.
His inclusion comes after back row Cameron Hanekom limped out of the Bulls' United Rugby Championship semifinal win over the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, though there has been no suggestion the latter has been released from the squad.
The team will begin preparations in Johannesburg on Sunday, though without players from the Bulls and Leinster, who feature in the URC final this coming Saturday, and Bath and Leicester Tigers, who meet in the Premiership Rugby final in England on the same day.
The world champions kick off their season against the Barbarians in Cape Town on June 28, before taking on Italy in back-to-back tests in Pretoria and Gqeberha on July 5 and 12, and Georgia in Mbombela on July 19.
Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
3 hours ago
- The South African
Springboks vs Barbarians through the years
The Springboks will make history when they host the Barbarians in a much-anticipated Test match at Cape Town Stadium on 28 June. It will be the famous invitational side's first Test played on South African soil. It will also mark the world champions' first meeting with the BaaBaas since November 2016. The Barbarians consist of players who ply their trade in the United Rugby Championship, French Top 14, English Premiership, Super Rugby, and the Japanese League. The team is coached by former Wallabies mentor Robbie Deans. South Africa have faced the Barbarians on nine occasions, claiming three victories to the Barbarians' four. Their last meeting nine years ago ended in a draw. With a packed international calendar ahead, a win over the Barbarians will get the Boks' season off to a perfect start. 26 January 1952 : Barbarians 3 – 17 Springboks, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff 4 February 1961: Barbarians 6 – 0 Springboks, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff 31 January 1970: Barbarians 12 – 21 Springboks, Twickenham, London 3 December 1994: Barbarians 23 – 15 Springboks, Landsdowne Road, Dublin 10 December 2000: Barbarians 31 – 41 Springboks, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 1 December 2007: Barbarians 22 – 5 Springboks, Twickenham, London (End of Year Test) 4 December 2010: Barbarians 26 -20 Springboks, Twickenham, London (End of Year Test) 5 November 2016: Barbarians 31 – 31 Springboks, Wembley Stadium, London 28 June: Barbarians vs SA – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town 5 July: SA vs Italy – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria12 July: SA vs Italy – Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha 19 July: SA vs Georgia – Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
The Herald
4 hours ago
- The Herald
Lord's history and swing conditions favour Proteas — Kallis
Though the exciting Tristan Stubbs has only a little experience of playing in England — 13 T20 matches — Kallis said he hoped the 24-year-old was in the starting XI at Lord's. 'I would like to see Stubbs come through; he has really got game. He's good enough to stick around but he can also play aggressively. 'I would certainly have him in my batting line-up, but then it becomes a tough call who to leave out. 'I would hate not to have a spinner; you have to have that option because you don't know what conditions you're going to get later in the game. 'SA's batting line-up is young, but they are pretty fearless. They just need to go out and play, while sticking to their game plans. 'They need to keep playing the way they did going into the final because that's what has been successful. They just need to execute as a batting line-up,' Kallis said. Lord's is owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club and is a place of great tradition, having hosted matches since 1787. Not all of its traditions are good, though the MCC only admitted women as members as recently as 1998. But the ground exudes an undeniable magic and Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince, who scored a gutsy century there against England in 2008, said not much has changed at the London venue. 'I've been following the county matches at Lord's and the ground looks good, immaculate and polished. 'Not much has changed and I anticipate a fantastic surface for both batting and bowling,' Prince said. 'We'll have to get there and look at the surface, and it's most important to consider the overhead conditions and the forecast. 'We try not to pay too much attention to external things, but you have to consider that at Lord's. 'My approach as batting coach is to support the batsmen in terms of their mental state, preparation and plans. 'They need to get to a place where they are calm and focused, you need to find the right balance between being calm and having the right amount of aggression. Like Hashim Amla epitomised, and Temba Bavuma has a lot of that too.' In terms of whether SA would play an extra specialist batsman at Lord's, Prince pointed out that they had very good all-round options to balance their side. 'It's nice to have five bowlers as a general rule and we have different options for that with Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Senuran Muthusamy. 'We have a strong, really talented squad and we believe we can beat anyone. We're very excited to go over to Lord's,' Prince said. — SportsBoom
The Herald
4 hours ago
- The Herald
Norton to lead strong Junior Bok side in Italy
Western Province lock Riley Norton has been named captain of a powerful Junior Springbok side to play at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy from June 29 to July 19. The team show several changes to the squad which ended third in the U20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha in May. Phiwayinkosi Kubheka (prop) and Ian van der Merwe (flyhalf) have not played for the SA U20s before, and Jaco Grobbelaar (lock), Stephanus Linde (No 8) and Jaco Williams (outside back) are back in the squad after missing the Gqeberha tournament. Kubheka played for the SA U18s in 2024 and Van der Merwe in 2023, while Linde toured with the Junior Boks in Georgia earlier in 2025 before he picked up an injury, which ruled him out of the Rugby Championship. Grobbelaar is one of the five players returning for a second World Rugby Championship stint, alongside utility forward Batho Hlekani, prop Herman Lubbe, loose forward Wandile Mlaba and scrumhalf Haashim Pead. Six players who are still U19 have been included in the squad, which bodes well for 2026. They are Kubheka, fellow prop Oliver Reid, Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker), Norton (lock), Vusi Moyo (flyhalf) and Cheswill Jooste (outside back). Junior Bok coach Kevin Foote's selection had been a difficult task, and he and the coaching staff were pleased with the final squad. 'The boys have all been superb in their attitude and application and most of the group have been together since November last year, when the SA U19 Academy Programme kicked off in Stellenbosch,' he said. 'I want to thank every player who has been part of the various training groups for their amazing effort. 'The schools and provincial unions also deserve a huge amount of credit for how they have prepared our players. 'We selected a good group of players who are determined to do the country proud with their performances on the field and their conduct off-field. 'It was an enormously difficult task to cut the squad to 30 players and we all feel for those guys who did not make the final selection.' Junior Springbok squad: Props: Jean Erasmus (Bulls), Phiwayinkosi 'Rambo' Kubheka (Sharks), Herman Lubbe (WP), Simphiwe Ngobese (Sharks), Oliver Reid (WP). Hookers: Siphosethu Mnebelele (Bulls), Jaundré Schoeman (Bulls). Locks: Jaco Grobbelaar (Bulls), Riley Norton (WP), JJ Theron (Bulls), Morné Venter (Lions). Loose forwards: Thando Biyela (Lions), Bathobele Hlekani (Sharks), Wandile Mlaba (WP), Xola Nyali (WP), Matt Romao (Sharks), Stephanus Linde (Cheetahs). Scrumhalves: Ceano Everson (Sharks), Haashim Pead (Lions), Erich Visser (Cheetahs). Flyhalves: Vusi Moyo (Sharks), Ian van der Merwe (Bulls). Centres: Albie Bester (Sharks), Gino Cupido (WP), Demitre Erasmus (Bulls), Dominic Malgas (WP). Outside backs: Cheswill Jooste (Bulls), Gilermo Mentoe (Lions), Siya Ndlozi (WP), Jaco Williams (Sharks). SA's Pool A fixtures: Sunday, June 29: vs Australia U20 — Stadio San Michele (Calvisano). Friday, July 4: vs England U20 — Stadio Mario Battaglini (Rovigo). Wednesday, July 9: vs Scotland U20 — June Stadio San Michele (Calvisano). The Herald
