MARK KEOHANE applauds Rassie Erasmus for selecting a formidable Springbok squad primed to dominate Scotland, England, and Wales up north in November.

The world champions will face Scotland in Edinburgh (Sunday, 10 November), England in London (Saturday, 16 November) and Wales in Cardiff (Saturday, 23 November) on their traditional end-of-year tour.

Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane argues that Erasmus has demonstrated his commitment to maintaining South Africa’s winning momentum after a Rugby Championship title victory in September, a decision he believes honours the Bok brand and ambition.

Keohane highlights the consistency of Erasmus’ charges, who are back-to-back world champions and eight wins from 10 Tests in 2024.

Erasmus, who Keohane notes previously experienced early struggles as Bok coach, has perfected his squad. The team, packed with two-time World Cup winners like skipper Siya Kolisi, Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe, is built for success.

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Keohane highlights that Erasmus’ selections not only focus on immediate victories but also prepare for future success. While losses won’t be tolerated now, any failures will serve as opportunities for squad changes in 2025 and 2026, ensuring the Boks remain a top team building towards Australia 2027.

“Rassie Erasmus told the world that he is bringing his best to the United Kingdom for the November three Tests against Scotland, England and Wales. How beautiful,” he writes.

“In an age when many of the northern hemisphere teams send secondary squads down south in June/July, Erasmus has done justice to the Springboks brand and the desire to win all three Tess against Scotland, England and Wales.

“Power to Rassie. Power to the Boks. Yes please. The Bok coach knows he wants to keep on winning and he has taken the best available to win the three November Tests.

“What I want to see is the Boks smash all three teams on tour. What I want to see is the Boks own the landscape in November, as they have done at the last two World Cups.”

Photo: @Springboks/Twitter

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