Overview
- Coach Rassie Erasmus announced the squad on Wednesday, October 28, naming six uncapped players — Yaqeen Ahmed, Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton and Emmanuel Tshituka — to join a 37‑man touring party.
- Cheslin Kolbe, Eben Etzebeth, André Esterhuizen and Handré Pollard were confirmed unavailable with injury, a loss that media reports quantified as a combined 324 Test appearances of experience missing from the group.
- South Africa will play Italy (7 November), France (13 November) and Ireland (21 November) before a Finals Weekend in London on 27–29 November, with remaining results deciding seeding for the competition climax.
- The squad will assemble in Italy in staggered groups to allow players to finish club commitments, and the newcomers were selected on the basis of prior involvement in SA ‘A’, Junior Springboks and national camps.
- Erasmus framed the call‑ups as a deliberate move to build depth for the world champions and to give younger players a chance to stake a claim as South Africa lead the Southern standings on points difference.