South Africa 'A' to face Zim's World Cup-bound Sables

enockmuchinjo
32 minutes ago
2 min read

South Africa A have made a welcome return to the rugby calendar.

SA A will take on Zimbabwe in Gqeberha on 20 June in a curtain-raiser to the Springboks’ opening match of the season against the Barbarians.

The last time SA A team took the field was during the 2022 end-of-year tour against Munster and the Bristol Bears.

With the 2027 World Cup in sight for both the Springboks and the Sables – who qualified for the international spectacle for the first time since 1991 – the match will be a valuable hit-out for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Pieter Benade.

“The match between the SA A team and Zimbabwe will serve as a fantastic opportunity for both teams to achieve some of their objectives with the Rugby World Cup in mind, and from a South African point of view, we have seen the benefits of having an SA A team playing against quality opposition,” said Erasmus.

“Players such as Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], Ruan [Nortjé], Grant [Williams], Aphelele [Fassi] and Elrigh [Louw], among others, all played for the team in the early stages of their international careers, and have become important members of our squad since, so this match will offer us another chance to give guys within our squad and others who have really put up their hands to prove what they can do against international opposition.

“We have done well to rotate our squad and give several players a chance in the last two seasons, but there are others who have performed really well outside of that group, who we would like to see in action, so we’ll be able to cast our net wider as we prepare for that encounter.” Benade was equally thrilled about his charges facing SA A.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to test ourselves against one of the world’s top rugby nations and a truly elite system. It’s a challenge we embrace and one that promises to push our standards to another level.

“Experiences like this are invaluable, as they expose our players to the highest level of competition, accelerate their growth, and play a key role in the continued development of our squad. We’re looking forward to the lessons ahead and the chance to showcase our progress on the international stage.”