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Cape Town - The Springboks have named their 30-man squad for the World Cup, with Francois Louw, Johann Muller and Odwa Ndungane back in the fold.
Watch Ard Matthews' anthem blunder
Louw, who signed a three-year deal with English club Bath in July, has not played a Test since he turned out against New Zealand in Soweto in August last year, but was called up as cover for premier fetcher Heinrich Brüssow.
Topping the list of notable absentees is Cheetahs flank Ashley Johnson who impressed in the Springboks’ 18-5 victory over the All Blacks in Port Elizabeth last week.
Ndungane was also surprisingly preferred ahead of Lwazi Mvovo at wing.
Eighteen members of South Africa’s triumphant 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning squad were included on Tuesday.
John Smit will again lead the challenge, and he is supported by 11 other survivors of the victorious 2007 starting XV. Smit is one of six players who will be appearing at their third Rugby World Cup.
There are no uncapped players in the squad and all bar three have appeared in this season’s Tri-Nations tournament. The exceptions are loose forwards Schalk Burger and Louw and lock Muller, who were ruled out by injury at various stages of the competition.
Other 2007 winners, Juan Smith and BJ Botha, were ruled out of selection by injury along with preliminary squad members Andries Bekker and Duane Vermeulen.
“The squad has a backbone of proven title-winning ability and experience as well as a strong component of new stars,” said Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.
“Injury has denied us one or two players who could have been very important to us, but I am very happy with the squad we have picked. We have good coverage for every position and front-line players who have shown over the past half dozen seasons that they know how to win big games.”
The squad is made up of nine players who appeared in Super Rugby for the Bulls this season; eight from the Sharks and seven from the Stormers - although a number of players are now moving on to overseas clubs.
The squad includes four overseas-based players in the Ulster duo of Ruan Pienaar and Johann Muller and Racing Metro’s Frans Steyn. Louw has already moved to Bath in England, from the Stormers, but has yet to play a competition fixture for them.
The squad has a split of 16 forwards and 14 backs and boasts an average of 40 caps per player with ten of them having made more than a half a century of Test appearances, while Pienaar is one short of a half century.
“This squad has the experience and ability to make a strong challenge for the title, but we know it will be very difficult,” said De Villiers. “It has been a tough season to date and we have had some challenges with the amount of rugby the players have had to play, but I’m very happy with the squad. We are on target with the off-field plans we set in place before the season started.”
The Springboks depart for New Zealand on September 1 with a public farewell from Sandton Square in Johannesburg. They play their first Rugby World Cup match against Wales on September 11 in Wellington, kick-off 20h30 (10h30 SA time).
Springbok squad:
Forwards (16): Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira (Sharks), Gurthro Steenkamp (Bulls), John Smit (Sharks, capt), Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), Chiliboy Ralepelle (Bulls), Jannie du Plessis (Sharks), CJ van der Linde (Lions), Bakkies Botha (Bulls), Victor Matfield (Bulls, vice-capt), Johann Muller (Ulster/NIR), Danie Rossouw (Bulls), Willem Alberts (Sharks), Schalk Burger (Province), Heinrich Brüssow (Free State Cheetahs), Francois Louw (Bath/ENG), Pierre Spies (Bulls)
Backs (14): Francois Steyn (Racing Metro/FRA), Patrick Lambie (Sharks), JP Pietersen (Sharks), Gio Aplon (Western Province), Jaque Fourie (Province), Jean de Villiers (Province), Juan de Jongh (Province), Bryan Habana (Province), Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), Morne Steyn (Blue Bulls), Butch James (Golden Lions), Fourie du Preez (Bulls), Francois Hougaard (Bulls), Ruan Pienaar (Ulster/NIR)
Watch Ard Matthews' anthem blunder
Louw, who signed a three-year deal with English club Bath in July, has not played a Test since he turned out against New Zealand in Soweto in August last year, but was called up as cover for premier fetcher Heinrich Brüssow.
Topping the list of notable absentees is Cheetahs flank Ashley Johnson who impressed in the Springboks’ 18-5 victory over the All Blacks in Port Elizabeth last week.
Ndungane was also surprisingly preferred ahead of Lwazi Mvovo at wing.
Eighteen members of South Africa’s triumphant 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning squad were included on Tuesday.
John Smit will again lead the challenge, and he is supported by 11 other survivors of the victorious 2007 starting XV. Smit is one of six players who will be appearing at their third Rugby World Cup.
There are no uncapped players in the squad and all bar three have appeared in this season’s Tri-Nations tournament. The exceptions are loose forwards Schalk Burger and Louw and lock Muller, who were ruled out by injury at various stages of the competition.
Other 2007 winners, Juan Smith and BJ Botha, were ruled out of selection by injury along with preliminary squad members Andries Bekker and Duane Vermeulen.
“The squad has a backbone of proven title-winning ability and experience as well as a strong component of new stars,” said Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.
“Injury has denied us one or two players who could have been very important to us, but I am very happy with the squad we have picked. We have good coverage for every position and front-line players who have shown over the past half dozen seasons that they know how to win big games.”
The squad is made up of nine players who appeared in Super Rugby for the Bulls this season; eight from the Sharks and seven from the Stormers - although a number of players are now moving on to overseas clubs.
The squad includes four overseas-based players in the Ulster duo of Ruan Pienaar and Johann Muller and Racing Metro’s Frans Steyn. Louw has already moved to Bath in England, from the Stormers, but has yet to play a competition fixture for them.
The squad has a split of 16 forwards and 14 backs and boasts an average of 40 caps per player with ten of them having made more than a half a century of Test appearances, while Pienaar is one short of a half century.
“This squad has the experience and ability to make a strong challenge for the title, but we know it will be very difficult,” said De Villiers. “It has been a tough season to date and we have had some challenges with the amount of rugby the players have had to play, but I’m very happy with the squad. We are on target with the off-field plans we set in place before the season started.”
The Springboks depart for New Zealand on September 1 with a public farewell from Sandton Square in Johannesburg. They play their first Rugby World Cup match against Wales on September 11 in Wellington, kick-off 20h30 (10h30 SA time).
Springbok squad:
Forwards (16): Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira (Sharks), Gurthro Steenkamp (Bulls), John Smit (Sharks, capt), Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), Chiliboy Ralepelle (Bulls), Jannie du Plessis (Sharks), CJ van der Linde (Lions), Bakkies Botha (Bulls), Victor Matfield (Bulls, vice-capt), Johann Muller (Ulster/NIR), Danie Rossouw (Bulls), Willem Alberts (Sharks), Schalk Burger (Province), Heinrich Brüssow (Free State Cheetahs), Francois Louw (Bath/ENG), Pierre Spies (Bulls)
Backs (14): Francois Steyn (Racing Metro/FRA), Patrick Lambie (Sharks), JP Pietersen (Sharks), Gio Aplon (Western Province), Jaque Fourie (Province), Jean de Villiers (Province), Juan de Jongh (Province), Bryan Habana (Province), Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), Morne Steyn (Blue Bulls), Butch James (Golden Lions), Fourie du Preez (Bulls), Francois Hougaard (Bulls), Ruan Pienaar (Ulster/NIR)
