Rassie flips the script as Boks target unbeaten run in the UK

Past Springbok coaches have stacked their end-of-year tour squads with youngsters, with a view to testing these promising individuals in the unforgiving climes of the northern hemisphere.

This policy has cost the Boks some big results over the years, but more often than not, the coaching staff have returned to South Africa with valuable answers about key players and the team dynamic.

This year, Rassie Erasmus has flipped the script, trialling 49 players over the first 10 Tests of the season – and as many as 35 during the all-important Rugby Championship.

The drive to bolster the team’s depth with an eye on the 2027 World Cup hasn’t compromised the team’s quest to secure immediate results. The Boks have won eight out of 10 Tests, claiming the Rugby Championship title in the process.

And they aren’t done yet, as Erasmus’s recent selections suggest.

The Bok coach has picked the best available squad with the aim of beating Scotland, England and Wales this November – and finishing the northern hemisphere tour unbeaten for the first time since 2013.

There are no big surprises in the 34-man squad and – somewhat unusually for an end-of-year touring party – no uncapped players. But a closer look at the group reveals that Erasmus is after answers as well as results, and that a few of the younger or less-experienced members are set for one or two golden opportunities in the UK.

Bedrock of veterans

Some fans may have forgotten what utility back Damian Willemse and locks RG Snyman and Franco Mostert have contributed over the years, given that all three have been absent for most of the 2024 season.

Some might believe that it’s time to move on from the players who won back-to-back World Cups, and that the recent Rugby Championship campaign showed how the Boks can succeed without the aforementioned players, as well as other prominent veterans who missed the tournament, namely Lood de Jager and Steven Kitshoff. For Erasmus, however, out of sight is never out of mind.

The coach often name-checks injured players that he considers valuable to the long-term cause and then – almost as a matter of routine – recalls these individuals after they have made a full recovery.

Willemse (26) has won two World Cups, and may feature at the next two global tournaments. Snyman (29) has had a nightmare run of injuries in recent years, but he is another player who will form the bedrock of the team that travels to Australia in 2027.

It remains to be seen whether Mostert (33) will push on for several more seasons. The same could be said for other veterans in the present group – Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and a dozen others – who will be older than 35 at the next global tournament.

There will come a time when Erasmus will have to trim that large group of veterans. Although those ageing players have shown their quality this season, there’s no guarantee that they will be as sharp or effective three years down the line.

Rassie Erasmus before the Summer International match between the All Blacks and the Springboks at Twickenham in London on 25 August 2023. (Photo: Dan Mullan / Getty Images)

Balancing the force

When the squad was announced, some fans lamented his “conservative” selections and wondered if he was too reliant on an old guard that has won consecutive World Cups.

But Erasmus is nothing if not a student of rugby history. He often refers to the lack of balance in the 2011 World Cup side – a team stacked with legends, many of whom were past their best by that stage.

He tells anyone who will listen that he won’t make the same mistake during his tenure as Bok coach. Since 2018, Erasmus has tried to strike a healthy balance between youth and experience.

As things stand, there is another layer of players who will be in their prime, as well as vastly experienced, by the time the 2027 World Cup kicks off.

Handré Pollard, Cheslin Kolbe, Malcolm Marx and Lukhanyo Am are among the best players on the planet and will be 33 or younger at the next global tournament.

Then there’s another band of individuals who have been invaluable to the South African cause in recent years – Jesse Kriel, Kwagga Smith, Manie Libbok and others.

You can understand why Erasmus is backing these players now, and why he may continue to back them in future.

Eye on the future

The narrative of Erasmus backing veterans at the expense of youngsters is ignorant in the extreme.

Many people forget that Jan-Hendrik Wessels is only 23, Elrigh Louw and Jaden Hendrikse are 24, and Canan Moodie is 21.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (22) would have toured the UK this November if not for a serious knee injury, and will be an important player in the lead-up to the next World Cup.

Wessels was set to travel north, before withdrawing with an ankle injury. The versatile player has been replaced by two Bulls front-rankers in Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw.

It won’t be too much longer before the likes of BJ Dixon, Ruan Venter, Jordan Hendrikse and others receive more opportunities.

There is yet another group of younger players that Erasmus has his eye on, who have trained with the Boks over the past few seasons but are yet to win a Test cap.

Sharks utility back Ethan Hooker, Lions centre Henco van Wyk and Stormers winger Suleiman Hartzenberg will get their chance in 2025, as will the explosive Bulls No 8 Cameron Hanekom.

Erasmus will have more leeway to experiment in July next year, when the Boks tackle Italy in a two-match series before facing Georgia.

The coach adopted a similar policy earlier this season, when he fielded a host of new faces against a weakened Wales and Portugal, and South Africa went on to tick the boxes of results and development.

There will be some rotation and experimentation over the course of the three-match tour this November, and that shouldn’t compromise the Boks’ quest for three wins.

On the contrary, Erasmus’s focus on squad development and balance will increase the chances of the Boks finishing a memorable season on an emphatic high. DM

Springboks schedule

10 November (Sunday) – vs Scotland at Murrayfield – 18:10

16 November (Saturday) – vs England at Twickenham – 19:40

23 November (Saturday) - vs Wales at Principality Stadium – 19:40

This story was updated with the Springboks’ schedule on 28 October.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.