Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has named a 35-man squad that includes seven uncapped players for the two-Test series against France, which will mark the opening of South Africa’s 2026 international season and serve as a platform for the squad regeneration that Erasmus has signalled is a strategic priority for the post-Paris World Cup cycle.
France arrive having completed an impressive Six Nations campaign, and their touring party is expected to be close to full strength as Les Bleus maintain their ambition to close the gap on world rugby’s dominant force. The two Tests — scheduled for 6 June in Johannesburg and 13 June in Cape Town — are anticipated to be among the most competitive international rugby fixtures on the South African sports calendar this year.
Among the uncapped players in the Springbok squad is Stormers flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, whose outstanding provincial form has made his inclusion almost inevitable, and Bulls loosehead prop Ntuthuko Mchunu, who has attracted significant attention following a powerful Super Rugby Pacific campaign. Several veterans, including Handré Pollard and Malcolm Marx, have been given a scheduled rest period and will rejoin the programme for the Rugby Championship in August.
Erasmus acknowledged that managing player workloads across a calendar that includes the France series, the Rugby Championship and a southern hemisphere end-of-year tour is a significant logistical challenge. He expressed confidence that the depth within South African rugby is sufficient to field a competitive team while protecting key players from the injury risks of accumulated Test match exposure.
The series also provides an opportunity for Bulls and Sharks players to stake their claims for a place in the expanded squad that will be named for the Rugby Championship, which South Africa enters as defending champions.
