Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that the current 46-man squad will not be the only pool of players used across the July Test series, with further changes planned after the Nations Championship opener against England at Ellis Park next Saturday.
Erasmus indicated that between 15 and 17 additional players are either injured or being rested with an eye on specific fixtures later in the series. "The squad that's with us now is not the only players we will pick from," he told reporters on Tuesday. "Next week Sunday after our first game, we might send a few guys back to rest and draft a few others in."
The lock position is under particular pressure. Franco Mostert is a doubt for all three July Tests, while Lood de Jager — who missed the 2023 Rugby World Cup through illness and played just once for the Wild Knights in Japan League One this season — is listed as "touch and go" for England. Erasmus expects De Jager to be available the following week and Mostert fit for the Scotland Test, though he noted the Boks have sufficient cover at lock for the first match.
The rotation strategy is explicitly linked to World Cup planning, with Erasmus aiming to assess as many players as possible before 2027.