Francois Louw has been included in the Springbok squad of 34 players for the 2017 Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
“This squad reflects consistency and continuity, while we also rewarded players who have constantly shown good form this season,” explained Allister Coetzee, Springbok coach.
“Warrick Gelant and Lukhanyo Am are two examples of players who have excelled in the season so far. It’s great to have them in the squad and I look forward to working with them.
“With the World Cup now less than two years away, this demanding tour gives us another very good opportunity to keep on building depth and experience.
“Eight new players were capped so far this season and a total of 19 new international players made their Springbok debuts since the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and we’ve also had a number of new Springbok captains since then. Our process to rebuild the Bok team and steadily working towards the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan is continuing at a good and satisfying pace."
Coetzee said he would also like to see continuous improvement and progress, building on the foundations laid so far this year.
“So far this season, this group has shown a genuine willingness to evolve and they continuously strive to be better players within our environment,” said Coetzee.
“Ireland, France, Italy and Wales will each be a huge contest, however, we are looking forward to the challenge in different conditions.”
The Springboks’ tour fixtures are:
- 11th November vs Ireland in Dublin
- 18th November vs France in Paris
- 25th November vs Italy in Padova
- 2nd December vs Wales in Cardiff
The Springbok tour squad for the 2017 Castle Lager Outgoing Tour to Europe:
Forwards
Uzair Cassiem
Lood de Jager
Ruan Dreyer
Dan du Preez
Jean-Luc du Preez
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Eben Etzebeth
Steven Kitshoff
Siya Kolisi
Francois Louw
Wilco Louw
Malcolm Marx
Bongi Mbonambi
Oupa Mohojé
Franco Mostert
Tendai Mtawarira
Trevor Nyakane
Coenie Oosthuizen
Chiliboy Ralepelle
Backs
Lukhanyo Am
Curwin Bosch
Andries Coetzee
Ross Cronjé
Damian de Allende
Warrick Gelant
Elton Jantjies
Jesse Kriel
Dillyn Leyds
Rudy Paige
Handré Pollard
Raymond Rhule
Louis Schreuder
Courtnall Skosan
Francois Venter
