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Erasmus adds uncapped Adre Smith to Springboks squad as lock stocks run thin

Stormers lock Adre Smith has been called into the South Africa squad ahead of Saturday's fixtures against Zimbabwe and the Barbarians in Gqeberha, becoming the second uncapped lock added amid injury concerns over Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager.

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Erasmus adds uncapped Adre Smith to Springboks squad as lock stocks run thin
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Adre Smith, the 29-year-old Stormers lock, has been drafted into Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks squad as South Africa prepare for a double-header weekend in Gqeberha, where South Africa A face Zimbabwe and the Boks take on the Barbarians at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

Smith is the second Stormers lock to be added to the squad in as many weeks. Ruben van Heerden was called in last week as a replacement for Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat, who picked up an injury in camp before departing for La Rochelle.

The latest addition reflects a growing concern over South Africa’s lock depth heading into the fixtures. Lood de Jager has managed only a handful of minutes after seven months sidelined with a hip injury, while Eben Etzebeth has also been kept out of action by the same issue in recent months.

Smith, who is yet to earn a senior international cap, will join the squad on Monday in Johannesburg before the group travels to Gqeberha on Wednesday ahead of the weekend’s action.

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