THE SPRINGBOKS WILL be missing some big names against Ireland next month.
Steven Kitshoff, Lood de Jager, and Damian Willemse have 182 caps between them and have been important players for Rassie Erasmus’ side for most of his tenure.
Jean Kleyn and Bulls flyer Canan Moodie were part of the squad at last year’s World Cup, the Munster lock featuring in the final victory against New Zealand. Jaden Hendrikse was in France too.
Bulls back row Cameron Hanekom and Lions centre Henco van Wyk haven’t been capped yet but they might have been in Erasmus’ squad for the Ireland series only for their injuries.
It’s a sizeable group of good players to be sidelined for the two-Test battle but such is South African rugby’s depth, the 39-man squad Erasmus has picked is still stacked with quality.
It would be a big surprise if Erasmus’ matchday 23 to face Ireland in the first Test in Pretoria on 6 July is much different to the side that claimed a second consecutive World Cup title last year.
Willemse started at fullback against the All Blacks in the final on 28 October, Kitshoff was at loosehead prop, and the now-retired Duane Vermeulen was at number eight.
The bench that day included hooker/back row Deon Fourie, who is also injured but probably wouldn’t have been involved anyway, as well as second row Kleyn and powerful number eight Jasper Wiese, who is suspended for both Ireland Tests.
So six of Erasmus’ matchday 23 from that final will be missing as they lock horns with Ireland in two weekends’ time. Some change is necessary. Yet the Springboks have great belief in their depth charts.
There is new blood in the squad, with Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe, Stormers back row Ben-Jason Dixon, and Stormers out-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu having made their Test debuts in last weekend’s win over Wales.
Van der Merwe showed his startling pace for a try and had some impressive defensive involvements, Dixon is a clever player in the lock/flanker hybrid mould that is so popular these days, while 22-year-old playmaker Feinberg-Mngomezulu has the potential to be the next long-term Boks number 10.
Erasmus has added another crop of uncapped players to his group this week as Bulls hookers Johan Grobbelaar and Jan-Hendrik Wessels [who can also play prop], Sharks back row Phepsi Buthelezi, and Lions scrum-half Morné van den Berg join the party.
The Boks boss has also named 14 standby players to join his main squad sporadically for training over the next few weeks as he continues developing depth at the start of this World Cup cycle. Erasmus has been talking about 2027 already, although it’s unlikely that this series against Ireland will be seen as anything other than a must-win.
Having given players chances against Wales last weekend, experimentation can wait for the meeting with Portugal in the wake of the Ireland games.
With long-time starting loosehead prop Kitshoff absent, it could be that Erasmus promotes Bomb Squad member Ox Nché into the number one shirt, even if he is so effective in a shorter burst off the bench.
Trevor Nyakane is impactful at loosehead as well as tighthead, Bath tighthead Thomas du Toit has also played at loosehead for the Boks, while in-form Bulls man Gerhard Steenekamp is another option on the left side of the front row.
Over at tighthead, Frans Malherbe remains one of the best in the business, Vincent Koch can be destructive, while du Toit has been in superb form for Bath and Nyakane is excellent there too. Someone as good as Bulls tighthead Wilco Louw misses out on the squad altogether such is the array of riches.
The return of hooker Malcolm Marx from injury in last weekend’s win over Wales was welcome after he was cruelly cut down at last year’s World Cup, meaning he can resume his top-tier combination with Bongi Mbonambi in that position.
Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, and RG Snyman are all world-class locks, while Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat is in the mix again in place of Marvin Orie. The absence of Kleyn might mean a 7/1 bench split is a stretch.
Erasmus’ back row selection will be intriguing. Skipper Siya Kolisi didn’t enjoy the best season with Racing 92, injury slowing him down, but he is back in the Boks set-up now and has proven himself as their leader time and time again.
Erasmus has been upfront in saying the Boks needed to get a closer look at Kolisi after Racing president Jacky Lorenzetti’s rather scathing comments about the openside flanker putting on weight while he was injured.
Pieter-Steph du Toit captained the side against Wales last weekend, while Mbonambi and Etzebeth are the other candidates as skipper if Kolisi doesn’t start against Ireland.
Blindside flanker du Toit is among the best players in the sport but the Boks have a big call to make at the base of the scrum given that Vermeulen has retired and Wiese is banned.
Kwagga Smith has been a huge figure in their successes but has played his best rugby off the bench and usually not at number eight. 24-year-old Evan Roos is an excellent ball-carrier but there are still question marks over his discipline, while Buthelezi – who can play across the back row – hasn’t been capped yet.
The teak-tough Marco van Staden seems sure to be part of the back row blend whether in the starting XV or on the bench but Erasmus could go a few ways in this area.
The Boks boss has plenty of options at scrum-half with Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach the experienced options there, while Handré Pollard will be favourite to wear the number 10 shirt.
Manie Libbok played a role in last year’s World Cup success, especially earlier on, but Pollard’s steady head was needed to finish the job. Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who can also play in midfield and at fullback, is the coming force at out-half.
World Cup centres Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel should continue their partnership, with the clever Lukhnayo Am back from injury and the powerhouse André Esterhuizen there to provide depth.
And the Boks have had a big boost with first-choice wing pair Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse overcoming injury scares. Kolbe has been dealing with a knee issue, while Arendse fractured his cheekbone earlier this month but made a rapid recovery to play in the URC final against Glasgow last weekend. They are key men.
With Willemse missing at fullback, veteran Willie le Roux could get the nod, having recovered from the head injury he suffered during a masterful performance against Leinster in the URC semi-finals.
The other option is Sharks excitement machine Aphelele Fassi, who started at number 15 against Wales and has great individual attacking qualities but is a far less proven force than the wily le Roux. The experienced Makazole Mapimpi and pace man van der Merwe offer different possibilities in the back three.
Overall, it’s likely that the Springboks team will have a familiar look against Ireland even if some changes have been forced on them.
Springboks squad for Ireland series:
Props: Ox Nché, Gerhard Steenekamp, Trevor Nyakane, Frans Malherbe, Vincent Koch, Thomas du Toit
Hookers: Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Locks: Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, RG Snyman, Salmaan Moerat
Back rows: Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden, Evan Roos, Jasper Wiese, Ben-Jason Dixon, Phepsi Buthelezi
Scrum-halves: Faf de Klerk, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams, Morné van den Berg
Out-halves: Handré Pollard, Manie Libbok, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Centres: Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, André Esterhuizen
Back threes: Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Willie le Roux, Aphelele Fassi, Makazole Mapimpi, Edwill van der Merwe.
