The Springboks have called up hooker Johan Grobbelaar and prop Wilco Louw to their squad for the year-end tour to the United Kingdom. READ | Willemse back with Boks: Where to for Fassi, the man who's made the No 15 jumper his own?
This follows the injury-withdrawal of the versatile Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who suffered an ankle injury in the Bulls' URC clash against Scarlets last weekend.Wessels can play prop and hooker which meant the Boks called up two players after his withdrawal.
The Bok squad has subsequently been increased to 35 players.Grobbelaar has been a regular member of the Bok squad in 2024, while Louw played the last of his 14 Tests in 2021."It's always sad to lose a player to injury and we wish Jan-Hendrik all the best on his road to recovery, but this opens up the door for Johan and Wilco to make their mark against quality opposition in Scotland, England and Wales," said Bok coach Rassie Erasmus."Jan-Hendrik offered us the luxury of serving as a prop and hooker, but with his versatility out of the picture, we decided to call up a specialist prop and hooker. "Johan has been part of the squad this season and is really growing in his role and in the team, while Wilco has been delivering consistently superb performances for the Vodacom Bulls this season, and he has been knocking on the door for a while now, so I have no doubt he will want to grab this chance with both hands."We are certainly excited to see what they bring to the squad, while Wilco’s inclusion also adds to our player stocks as we continue to build our squad depth."Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls)Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls),