Springboks welcome back World Cup-winning stalwarts for home Tests against All Blacks

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a 37-man squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship Tests against New Zealand in South Africa.

The Boks will tackle their arch-rivals at Ellis Park on 31 August and Cape Town Stadium on 7 September.

The world champions have been boosted by the return of a few heavyweights who were sidelined by injuries of late.

Three World Cup winners - Steven Kitshoff (prop), Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf) and Canan Moodie (utility back) - are back for the first time this year, while Erasmus also recalled Jasper Wiese (No 8), Andre Esterhuizen (centre) - both World Cup winners last year - and Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (lock).

The Bok squad has been increased from 33 players to 37 and the players will assemble in Johannesburg on Thursday.

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Lock trio Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager and Jean Kleyn are still injured, which sees Janse van Rensburg - who played his first and only Test against Argentina in Port Elizabeth in 2021 - earn his first call-up back to the national squad.

With Hendrikse back from injury and Jan-Hendrik Wessels equally adept at prop and hooker, Morne van den Berg and Johan Grobbelaar were excluded from the group for the Tests against New Zealand, although they will remain on standby along with the other players included in Erasmus's initial 45-man group in the event of injuries.

Kitshoff (knee), Hendrikse (shoulder) and Moodie (finger) have all fully recovered from their respective injuries and have played in the Currie Cup, while Wiese and Esterhuizen are back in contention for selection following suspensions.

Other players ruled out due to injury are Evan Roos (No 8), Herschel Jantjies and Faf de Klerk