Ntlabakanye joins Springbok squad as Nche returns to SA

Asenathi Ntlabakanye joined the Springbok squad on Sunday as a replacement for Ox Nche, who suffered an injury during the team’s 61-7 victory against Japan at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Ntlabakanye, who made his test debut in July against Italy In the Castle Lager Incoming Series after playing for the Boks for the first time against the Barbarians in June, joined the team in London on Sunday morning after representing the self-same Barbarians in their clash against the All Blacks XV at Twickenham on Saturday, and departed with the squad for France a few hours later.

The powerful prop scored a try for the Barbarians in the second minute, where they entered the break 19-7 up, before eventually going down 33-19 in the clash.

Nche was forced to leave the field in the 18th minute against Japan on Saturday, and returned to South Africa on Sunday, where he will undergo scans to determine the extent of his injury.

“We feel for Ox, and we wish him all the best with his injury and recovery,” said Erasmus.

“It’s always tough to lose a player of his calibre, but Asenathi is a capped Springbok and he has been with us for a large part of the season, so he is familiar with our structures and systems.

“Adding to that, he was on our standby list for the tour, so there was always a chance he would be called up if we suffered an injury. Fortunately, he was in London already, so he arrived at the team hotel this morning and will be able to slot back into action immediately, which is fantastic for us.”

The Springboks arrived in France on Sunday afternoon and will begin their on-field preparations for Saturday’s match at Stade de France on Monday.