Injury-hit Springboks lose Moerat from squad as uncapped Van Heerden earns first call-up

Salmaan Moerat has been forced out of the South Africa squad through injury, with the Stormers lock replaced by uncapped team-mate Ruben van Heerden less than a week after Rassie Erasmus named his 51-man group.

South Africa have not disclosed the nature of the latest setback for the 28-year-old, who had already missed time in 2026 following toe surgery. His withdrawal adds to a growing list of second-row concerns for the world champions heading into a busy northern-hemisphere summer.

Eben Etzebeth missed the tail end of the Sharks’ season with a hip injury, while Lood de Jager only returned to action this past weekend for Saitama Wild Knights in Japan Rugby League One — playing 56 minutes in their third-place play-off — after seven months out following hip surgery. RG Snyman remains a long-term absentee after rupturing his ACL in March.

Van Heerden, also 28, is set to join the Springboks squad on Wednesday evening in Johannesburg. The uncapped lock will be in camp ahead of a double header on 20 June at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, where South Africa A face Zimbabwe before the Boks take on the Barbarians.

That fixture falls two weeks before South Africa host England at Ellis Park in the opening round of the Nations Championship, giving Erasmus limited time to manage his depleted options in the second row.