South Africa will play a larger than normal squad against Niue on Tuesday, with a focus on getting combinations and positions right for Sunday’s World Cup Qualifier against Cook Islands at CommBank Stadium.
Rhinos coach Darryl Fisher and his team have been hard at work in camp to get players from all over the world into one cohesive unit.
Previous encounters went the way of Cook Islands, but South Africa has adopted a new strategy to ensure the long-term success of rugby league in the country.
Three training groups were established with players in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Australia all trying to make the touring squad.
Fisher, along with assistant coaches in South Africa, started a long process to ensure all the players are as ready as they can be.
“It’s been a fantastic start to camp. We’re got players from all over Australia and nine players, two coaches and a match official made the long trip from South Africa,” Fisher said.
“The energy has been outstanding from the moment everyone got together on Saturday. There is a lot of excitement and pride in pulling on the Rhino Jersey and the jersey looks amazing.
“This hit-out against Niue will be an important step in our preparation for Cook Islands.”
The President of SARL, Dr. Frans Erasmus, arrived on Monday to support the team, and he is quite positive.
“We’re taking a long-term view on developing a strong training group of eligible players that can represent South African Rugby League on the international stage,” he said.
“South Africa is a country known for its diversity and it’s evident in the training group. We’re thankful for Niue to assist us in getting the team ready and look forward to a good match.”
The match against Niue kicks off at 6.30pm at St Mary’s Rugby League Club.
South Africa (squad) v Niue
Bevan de Vries, Hughwan Engelbrecht, Niel Beukes, Brady McMillan, Skye Adams, Mathew Lucas, Jason Makhari, Frikkie Jansen, Ammar Furmie, Kalum Gulliver-Brown, Marcelle Corneelsen, Andrew de Jager, Marcelle Viljoen, Ethan Sweet, Marius Griebenow, Cuba van der Laak, Keegan Turner, Brad Sparrow, Matthew Mpofu, Hershelle Classen, Brynn du Rand, Jaco Bezuidenhout, Marcel Ford, Jason Smith, Petrus Venter, Jakob Biet, Luc Lyndon, Reilly Canning
