South Africa Eye Key Warm Up for World Cup Qualifier

South Africa is set to field an extended squad against Niue on Tuesday, aiming to refine team combinations and positional play ahead of the World Cup Qualifier against the Cook Islands scheduled for Sunday at CommBank Stadium.

Under the guidance of coach Darryl Fisher, the Rhinos have been diligently working to unify players who hail from various parts of the globe into a cohesive team.

Historically, past matches have favored the Cook Islands; however, South Africa has implemented a new strategy aimed at nurturing the long-term growth of rugby league in the nation.

To facilitate this, three distinct training groups have been formed, comprising players from the Western Cape, Gauteng, and Australia, all vying for a spot in the touring squad.

Fisher, with the assistance of local coaches, has embarked on a comprehensive preparation process to ensure that all players are as equipped as possible for the matches ahead.

The squad includes players such as 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, and Reilly Canning.