By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Vodacom Bulls back-row Elrigh Louw has been called into the Springboks squad following a hamstring injury to second-row Riley Norton which has ruled him out for 10 weeks.
Louw will join his team-mates in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Louw played the last of his 13 Test matches against Wales in November 2024, and spent most of the 2025 season on the sidelines after suffering a serious knee injury last season.
He returned to the field this year and made a strong impact in the Bulls pack, which earned him a call-up to the Springbok alignment camps, and he will make a welcome return to the wider squad as they begin their inaugural Nations Championship campaign against England at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus noted that “the locks are certainly getting injured in our environment,” with Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager also unavailable for the match. Additionally, Salmaan Moerat had already withdrawn from the camp with injury.
“Riley got injured in training, unfortunately,” said Erasmus.
“It was probably the second-last move of the session. He just pulled his hamstring while chasing. It wasn’t a weird incident, he just pulled it.
“Unfortunately it’s a bad hamstring injury. I think he’ll be out for eight to 10 weeks.
“Jaco Williams also had a hamstring injury, but he’s fully fit now and will be available for selection.
This match will be followed by back-to-back clashes against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, 11 July, and Wales at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, 18 July.