Balanced mixture in Boks end-of-year tour squad

23 October 2016 - 02:00 By LIAM DEL CARME

Springbok coach Allister Coetzee yesterday named his 30-man squad for the end-of-year tour to Europe mindful that he has to arrest his team's recent slide, while investing in the team's future. To achieve all this and further bolster the experience in his team, Coetzee has recalled experienced France-based tighthead Janniedu Plessis and wing JP Pietersen from Japan, while the Lions' Ruan Combrinck returns from injury.He will again heavily rely on the players that did duty in the disastrous Rugby Championship, but out of necessity had to select 12 uncapped players who have to do duty against the Barbarians at Wembley next month.The match falls outside the international test window and therefore Coetzee could not select his foreign-based players.story_article_left1Four players, Roelof Smit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Sergeal Petersen and Francois Venter, who have been selected to play against the Barbarians, will remain with the Springbok squad for the tests against England, Italy and Wales.Francois Hougaard and Juan de Jongh are injured and were not considered, while Toulon eighthman Duane Vermeulen's conditioning was deemed below international standard.Rugby followers on either side of the Vaal River will be enthused by the news that Lions centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Western Province fullback Cheslin Kolbe have been included in the squad to play the Baabaas.Janse van Rensburg was one of the form players in Super Rugby but his star has somewhat faded in the Currie Cup. He was earmarked to play for the Barbarians against the Boks but he will now get to wear the green and gold.Cheetahs flank Uzair Cassiem forced his way into the Bok team with a barnstorming man of the match performance in yesterday's Currie Cup final against the Blue Bulls.THE SQUADLourens Adriaanse, Nizaam Carr, Uzair Cassiem, Ruan Combrinck, Damien de Allende, Lood de Jager, Faf de Klerk, Jean-Luc du Preez, Thomas du Toit, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Lizo Gqoboka, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Pat Lambie, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Oupa Mohoje, Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Rudy Paige, Sergeal Petersen, Tian Schoeman, RG Snyman, Roelof Smit, Adriaan Strauss, Jamba Ulengo, Piet van Zyl, Francois Venter.Foreign-based players in the test squad: Willem Alberts, Jannie du Plessis, Bryan Habana, Johan Goosen, JP Pietersen, Elton Jantjies, Jaco Kriel, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Willie le Roux, Lionel Mapoe, Franco Mostert...

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