Future Springboks: Rassie Erasmus unveils next generation to face Barbarians

Junior Springboks stars Riley Norton and Vusi Moyo, pictured, have been fast-tracked into the senior Springboks squad to face the Barbarians this Saturday. Photo: Backpagepix

The youthful tinge to the Springboks team to play the Barbarians, and especially the SA 'A' side to host Zimbabwe, will give viewers a preview of what the Boks could look like post the 2027 World Cup.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus says the plethora of emerging talent that will be on display at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday is confirmation that South Africa’s rugby structures are working. Two current Junior Springboks — Riley Norton and Vusi Moyo — are in the senior team playing the BaaBaas, and 12 are in the SA A squad.

“All the coaches at SA Rugby have worked in tandem since we started the elite player development pathway way back in 2013,” Erasmus explained.

“We started getting the rewards in 2019 and 2020, but then Covid came. I think a lot of guys got missed because of that unfortunate era because there was no Craven Week, no SA Schools, Academies, or Junior Boks.