{"id":690237,"date":"2026-01-12T03:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/690237\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T03:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:39:07","slug":"former-england-set-to-line-up-for-springboks-at-2027-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/690237\/","title":{"rendered":"Former England set to line up for Springboks at 2027 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

England international David Ribbans could\u00a0shock the rugby world\u00a0by switching allegiance to the Springboks ahead of the next Rugby World Cup, with the powerhouse lock now officially eligible to represent his birth nation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 30-year-old hasn\u2019t worn the Red Rose since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and with World Rugby\u2019s three-year stand-down period almost complete, Ribbans is on the brink of becoming selectable for South Africa.<\/p>\n

According to reports,\u00a0Rassie Erasmus has already picked up the phone<\/strong>, sounding out the giant lock as he looks to bolster his second-row stocks. Eben Etzebeth\u2019s recent dip in form\u2014followed by his lengthy suspension for an eye-gouge\u2014has only intensified the Bok boss\u2019s search for reinforcements.<\/p>\n

Join the\u00a0RUCK\u2019s WhatsApp community here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would feel strange\u201d \u2013 Ribbans breaks silence on possible switch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ribbans has addressed the speculation directly, admitting the Springbok question has followed him ever since he moved to Toulon \u2014 but he remains conflicted.<\/p>\n

The former Northampton Saints star said he wouldn\u2019t rule out representing South Africa one day but insisted it doesn\u2019t sit entirely comfortably:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYou never say never\u2026 but I find it a bit strange when players play for two countries.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He also suggested a switch could feel disrespectful to England after earning 11 caps:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019d put aside the potential glory because it wouldn\u2019t be right towards England.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Despite that, the door remains firmly open \u2014 and Ribbans knows it.<\/p>\n

Springboks watching as Etzebeth shows signs of slowing down<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Ribbans ever wanted to join South Africa\u2019s lock ranks, timing might be on his side.<\/p>\n

Eben Etzebeth<\/strong>, long considered the world\u2019s premier second-row enforcer, has recently shown the first hints of fading powers. Concussion concerns, recurring knocks and longer recovery windows have begun to raise eyebrows among Springbok supporters.<\/p>\n

Etzebeth, now 34 and with a decade of Test rugby behind him, has bravely fought his way back to fitness \u2014 but even he admits the miles on the clock are starting to count:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAs you get older, injuries take a bigger toll.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

With the Springboks potentially needing fresh muscle in the engine room over the next World Cup cycle, Ribbans \u2014 powerful, mobile and thriving in the Top 14 \u2014 suddenly looks like a very real option.<\/p>\n

EDITORS PICKS:<\/p>\n

Other players who can swap nations: <\/p>\n

Manu Tuilagi \u2013 England to Samoa<\/strong>
The 34-year-old has won 60 England caps but would only be eligible for Samoa at the next World Cup. Tuilagi has admitted a switch would depend on whether he can still compete at the highest level.<\/p>\n

Benhard Janse van Rensburg \u2013 South Africa to England<\/strong>
The Bristol Bears centre played for South Africa U20s but has never featured at senior level. After cutting ties with the Springboks, he could qualify for England via residency, subject to World Rugby approval.<\/p>\n

David Ribbans \u2013 England to South Africa<\/strong>
The lock last played for England at the 2023 World Cup and will be eligible to switch next year. However, Ribbans has played down the idea, insisting his desire remains to represent England again.<\/p>\n

CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like this:<\/p>\n

Like Loading…<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"England international David Ribbans could\u00a0shock the rugby world\u00a0by switching allegiance to the Springboks ahead of the next Rugby…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-690237","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115880051567242535","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}