South Africa name 26-member squad for Rugby Championship preparations

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has named 26 players for a training camp in Pretoria as they prepare for the upcoming international season.

The players from Sharks and Bulls will join the camp on Monday as they were involved in the knock-out of the ongoing Super Rugby season.

The Springboks will kick-off their new international season with the Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Johannesburg on 20th July following which they will take on New Zealand and Argentina on 27th July and 10th August respectively in a truncated version of the tournament.

Erasmus' men are grouped along with the All Blacks, Italy, Namibia and Canada in Pool B of the Rugby World Cup and will kick-off their campaign on 21st September in Yokohama against New Zealand.

South Africa's 26-member squad:

Forwards:

Schalk Brits (Vodacom Bulls), Marcell Coetzee (Ulster, Ireland), Lood de Jager (Vodacom Bulls), Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers), Rynardt Elstadt (Toulouse, France), Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers), Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers), Vincent Koch (Saracens, England), Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions), Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks), Franco Mostert (Gloucester, England), Marvin Orie (Emirates Lions), Kwagga Smith (Emirates Lions).

Backs:

Damian de Allende (DHL Stormers), Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks, England), Aphiwe Dyantyi (Emirates Lions), Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions), Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers), Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse, France), Dillyn Lleyds (DHL Stormers), Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz, Japan), Cobus Reinach (Northampton Saints, England), Frans Steyn (Montpellier, France).