Bokrometer: Breaking down Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks squad, Thomas ‘The Tank’ du Toit’s ‘masterclass’ and URC standouts
Our latest Bokrometer takes a look at Rassie Erasmus' first squad of the year.
The international season is almost upon us and as the Springboks’ first Test match against Wales draws ever nearer, we take stock of the players pressing for high honours and attempting to impress Rassie Erasmus.
Ahead of his second stint as the head coach of the Boks, Erasmus showed his hand in announcing his official training squad ahead of the Test against Warren Gatland’s charges at Twickenham Stadium.
In this week’s Bokrometer, we do a quick dive into the squad and also take a closer look at the performances of Springbok hopefuls in the URC quarter-finals, the final round of the Top 14 and the Premiership final.
The first 35: Inclusions, injuries and availability
It should go without saying, but we will say it anyway, that just because a player has not been called into the squad does not mean that they won’t play for the Springboks this year.
There are a ton of injuries, with SA Rugby name-dropping Steven Kitshoff, Lood de Jager and Jaden Hendrikse, adding the caveat of ‘among a handful of players’.
However, Boks based in France and England have not been included, except for Jasper Wiese, Handre Pollard, and Andre Esterhuizen. Pollard is only allowed to train with the squad for now but will be available against Ireland and beyond. Wiese is suspended, while Planet Rugby has learnt that Esterhuizen is eligible to feature against Wales.
Still, there are some exciting inclusions with 11 uncapped players initially named in the squad with the number growing to 12 following Cheslin Kolbe’s injury as Mpilo Gumede linked up with the squad.
Clearly looking to adding some youthful faces and take stock of the Bok depth, Erasmus has called up uncapped forwards: Phepsi Buthelezi, Gumede, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche and Andre-Hugo Venter.
In the backs, Jordan Hendrikse, Quan Horn, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Siya Masuku, Ethan Hooker and Sacha Feinberg-Mgomezulu have been rewarded for their fine seasons.
Winners and losers from Springboks training squad as top URC tackler left out
Surprise call-ups, snubs
Although there were so many uncapped players called into the squad, there were very few surprises, with all but two of the players being invited to the alignment camps.
Sharks centre Hooker and Lions flyer Van der Merwe are those two players, with the former shining alongside and in the absence of Lukhanyo Am. His performances in the latter stages of the season, as well as the Challenge Cup final, have seemingly twisted Erasmus’ arm.
Meanwhile, Van der Merwe is a like-for-like replacement for injured stars Kurt-Lee Arendse and Kolbe, who are both in doubt for the upcoming internationals. A pocket-rocket speedster with a lethal side-step, he fits the bill and will be eager to take his opportunity with both hands.
Perhaps the two most glaring omissions came from the Stormers, with in-form lock Ruben van Heerden overlooked, along with young back Suleiman Hartzenberg. Meanwhile, the Lions had no Springbok inclusions last year, and while several stars received deserved call-ups, playmaker Sanele Nohamba was a stark absentee on the list; there is doubt around his fitness following a head knock but he will be gutted he didn’t get his shot, after shining at scrum-half and fly-half throughout the season.
Thomas du Toit
Ahead of the Premiership final, Planet Rugby sat down with Bath’s star signing Thomas du Toit, who made his Springbok aspirations clear and while he spoke well before the showpiece event, he let his actions do the talking on the pitch.
Frankly, it would be an absurd decision from the Bok staff not to select the ex-Sharks prop, who did 50-odd minutes at tighthead prop before seamlessly switching to the opposite side for the final 30, producing a scrummaging masterclass in both positions. He is a marvellous swing prop, and one cannot help but think this is his World Cup cycle, where he can really rack up the cap tally.
Despite falling agonisingly short in the final, Bath were superb even though they played an hour of it with 14-men and Du Toit well and truly led the charge. Some will argue Sam Underhill, but in this writer’s humble opinion, the South African prop was far and away the best player on the pitch on Saturday afternoon, starring at the stadium where he was shown a red card against England in 2021.
He grabbed a try, made two turnovers, dominated the scrums and racked up 14 tackles – the highest tally in the match. Simply sensational.
Juarno Augustus
Staying with the Premiership final and on the opposite side of the pitch, Juarno Augustus put in a dynamite shift that will certainly not go unnoticed by the Bok coaches.
Despite getting clobbered in the chin by Beno Obano, who was promptly sent-off, Augustus hammered into the Bath defence and was equally effective on defence, with his performance capped off with a winner’s medal.
Johan Grobbelaar
It is not the first time that Bokrometer has addressed the form of the Bulls’ front-row, but they have certainly justified the chatter, and despite an underwhelming performance in victory over Benetton, hooker Johan Grobbelaar did not let his standards drop.
He continues to produce solid set-piece performances and did so again on Saturday while hitting his jumper with every lineout dart.
Cameron Hanekom
The Springbok number eight jersey is up for grabs in the first few rounds of the international season, and Cameron Hanekom put in a noteworthy shift against Benetton.
He hammered into a game-high of 20 tackles despite playing just an hour, won two turnovers and got his hands on the ball plenty with two offloads, five passes and four carries.
He is a real all-action loose forward, and despite his youthfulness, he is looking more and more like a long-term Springbok squad member.
Elrigh Louw
Again, a player we have touched on several times throughout the season. Elrigh Louw has been incredibly consistent for the Bulls and that did not change in the play-offs.
He racked up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball and thrives at blindside for Jake White’s charges.
Ben-Jason Dixon
Staying with the flankers, Dixon showed why he was getting a look-in to the Bok squad with another bruising shift for the Stormers against Glasgow Warriors.
Despite a poor performance from the Stormers, Dixon shone, taking the fight to Glasgow and was excellent in every facet of the game.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
With Damian Willemse injured, the Stormers needed a spark in their backline and they certainly got it from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who brilliantly set up a try that looked to have put the Stormers on track to victory.
While it was not to be, the youngster starred for the Stormers as he done so whenever fit this season. A debut is just a matter of time at this point.
Boks in the Top 14
The final round of the Top 14 saw teams jostle for finishing positions and with Montpellier already heading to a promotion-relegation match, the likes of Jan Serfontein and Cobus Reinach were rested.
With a place in the play-offs up for grabs, Racing 92 threw their big guns into the mix against La Rochelle with Siya Kolisi and Trevor Nyakane named in the starting XV. Racing 92 did fall to a 24-19 defeat, but it was enough to sneak into the play-offs. Meanwhile, Dillyn Leyds crossed for a try for La Rochelle.
READ MORE: Loose Pass: Innocent bystander pays England price and shocking play-off statistics
