Planet Rugby runs through the standout inclusions and omissions from Erasmus's 46-man Nations Championship squad. The clearest winners are U20 pair Riley Norton and Vusi Moyo, fast-tracked from Junior World Championship duty after eye-catching performances against the Barbarians — Norton's physicality and positional versatility at lock/flank, Moyo's composure at fly-half. Herschel Jantjies is the headline recall after three years in the international wilderness, his form at Bayonne earning him back into the mix. Among the other uncapped inclusions, tighthead Carlu Sadie (fresh from Champions Cup glory with Bordeaux-Bègle) and Stormers loosie Paul de Villiers look ready to push for debuts, while Embrose Papier's return — eight years out, now backed by a URC Player of the Year award — is one of the more satisfying redemption arcs in the squad. On the losing side, Lukhanyo Am's A-team showing wasn't enough to displace the preferred centre options, and his Test future looks increasingly uncertain. Faf de Klerk is squeezed out by a suddenly crowded scrum-half group, while Vincent Koch, despite strong club form, loses out to the younger tightheads pushing ahead of him.
Nations Championship squad: Winners, losers and the forgotten man who's back
Planet Rugby's winners-and-losers breakdown of Erasmus's 46-man Nations Championship squad covers Jantjies's comeback, the bold U20 call-ups of Norton and Moyo, Papier's eight-year exile ending, and the notable omissions of Am, De Klerk and Koch.
What Bordeaux's Champions Cup demolition of Leinster means for SA's URC finals hopes
Rich uses Bordeaux's physical demolition of Leinster as a lens on SA's URC finals prospects — arguing the Stormers cost themselves and their SA counterparts dearly by failing to secure second place, while flagging a scrumhalf depth problem that extends beyond the URC and straight into Erasmus's Bok planning.
Burger: Roos earns his Bok recall — but the soft-skill weakness is real
Burger endorses Roos's Bok recall but flags a genuine soft-skill concern, while De Villiers uses Papier and Horn to argue Erasmus's selection culture consistently rewards sustained URC form.
Buthelezi and Sadie called up as Springbok camp gets under way in Johannesburg
Phepsi Buthelezi and Carlu Sadie have joined the Springbok camp in Johannesburg, with the Stormers players also reporting in after their URC semifinal in Ireland. The squad for the Nations Championship will be announced on 21 June.
Scrumhalf injury crises hit both Boks and England ahead of Nations Cup opener
With the Boks potentially without Reinach, Williams, Hendrikse and Van den Bergh, and England sweating on Mitchell, Rich examines the scrumhalf crises facing both sides ahead of the 4 July Nations Cup opener — and who might fill the void for the Boks if the depth chart keeps thinning.
Scrumhalf headaches on both sides as England-Bok Nations Cup opener looms
Both England and the Boks head into their 4 July Nations Cup opener with scrumhalf injury concerns — Mitchell is doubtful for England, while Erasmus faces a deeper crisis with four No. 9s sidelined, potentially opening the door for Faf, Papier, and Van Zyl.