Shortly after the Springboks resounding victory over the Azuri, Oregan Hoskins announced coach Peter de Villiers’ chosen Tri-Nations squad.

The 28-man squad (12 Backs & 16 Forwards) consists of:

Stormers / Wp: 6 Backs, 3 Forwards
Bulls / Blue Bulls: 4 Backs, 7 Forwards
Sharks: 1 Back, 4 Forwards
Cheetahs: 0 Backs, 1 Forward
Bath: 1 Back, 0 Forwards
Ulster: 0 Backs, 1 Forward

The players who recently did Springbok duty who miss out are Flip van der Merwe, Alistair Hargreaves, Bandise Maku, Meyer Bosman and Bjorn Basson.

Players who have not done Springbok duty this year but have been included and who missed out on selection so far due to injury or unavailability are Francois Hougaard and Tendai (Beast) Mtawarira. Francois Hougaard’s hand injury has apparently healed properly whilst Beast ‘s Citizenship has finally come through, making him eligible for selection.

The squad is much as expected and is a strong group overall, covering all the bases.

Twenty-one of the players involved in the second Test against Italy at Buffalo City Stadium on Saturday are in the group.

Five players who were involved in the earlier Tests against Wales, France and Italy return to the squad after either rest or injury. They are vice captain Victor Matfield, lock Danie Rossouw, No.8 Ryan Kankowski, prop CJ van der Linde and fullback Zane Kirchner.

A host of players who were involved in the championship winning squad in 2009 were unavailable for selection through injury. They include wing JP Pietersen, centre Adi Jacobs, scrumhalf Fourie du Preez, flank Heinrich Brüssow, hooker Bismarck du Plessis, and wing Odwa Ndungane. Flank Juan Smith was also unavailable for personal reasons.

“It’s a strong squad,” said Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.

“We are fortunate to have so many of our frontline players fit and available, which shows that our management of the players is working well. There is a very strong core of experience in this group and there are several leaders too. The new players who have come into the set-up this season are rewarded for their good performances.

“We are very fortunate that we have several players who are versatile and can offer us options in different positions,” De Villiers said.

“The Tri-Nations is always tough and this year’s tournament takes on added significance given that the World Cup is taking place in New Zealand next year.

“We have a tough start with successive matches against New Zealand but we have had a good build-up and we have shown that we can win in New Zealand over the past two seasons. However, what happened last year is history and we have to look forward and be ready for a new set of challenges in the 2010 competition,” De Villiers said.

The Springbok squad departs for New Zealand in two groups on July 3 and 4.

The opening match of the campaign is against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on July 10, followed by a second clash with the All Blacks in Wellington on July 17. The third Test on tour is against Australia in Brisbane on July 24.

Springbok squad:

Backs: Gio Aplon (Vodacom Stormers), Juan de Jongh (Vodacom Stormers), Jean de Villiers (Vodacom Western Province), Jaque Fourie (Vodacom Stormers), Bryan Habana (Vodacom Stormers), Francois Hougaard (Vodacom Bulls), Butch James (Bath), Ricky Januarie (Vodacom Stormers), Zane Kirchner (Vodacom Bulls), Wynand Oliver (Vodacom Bulls), Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), Morné Steyn (Vodacom Bulls).

Forwards: Andries Bekker (Vodacom Stormers), Bakkies Botha (Vodacom Bulls), BJ Botha (Ulster), Schalk Burger (Vodacom Stormers), Jannie du Plessis (Sharks), Ryan Kankowski (Sharks), Francois Louw (Vodacom Stormers), Victor Matfield (Vodacom Bulls), Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks), Dewald Potgieter (Vodacom Bulls), Chiliboy Ralepelle (Vodacom Bulls), Danie Rossouw (Vodacom Bulls), John Smit (Sharks, captain), Pierre Spies (Vodacom Bulls), Gurthrö Steenkamp (Vodacom Bulls), CJ van der Linde (Vodacom Cheetahs).