Eighteen members of the party travelling to New Zealand for the World Cup with South Africa were part of the squad that won in 2007.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers announced his 30 man squad on Tuesday with John Smit again leading the team as they attempt to retain their title. Smit is one of six players set to appear in their third Rugby World Cup.
Schalk Burger, Johann Muller and Francois Louw are among the exceptions, having suffered injuries in the earlier stages of the tournament. Juan Smith, BJ Botha, Andries Bekker and Duane Vermeulen also missed out on the final, but have been included in the 2011 squad.
But de Villiers says the fact that so many of the players have the experience of winning a world cup will benefit his team significantly.
“The squad has a backbone of proven title-winning ability and experience as well as a strong component of new stars,†de Villiers told SA Rugby. “Injury has denied us one or two players who could have been very important to us, but I am very happy with the squad we have picked. We have good coverage for every position and front line players who have shown over the past half dozen seasons that they know how to win big games.â€
Indeed, there is a great amount of experience in the South African squad, with there being an average of 40 caps per player.
The Springboks will head for New Zealand on September 1, with 16 forwards and 14 backs in their squad, and will undoubtedly be among the favourites for punters using their bookmakers free bets.
Free Bets Bet365 are offering odds of 7/1 that South Africa retain the title they won in 2007, with New Zealand the favourites.
By William Taylor