Springboks: Five talking points ahead of November Tests including building depth and Rassie Erasmus’s return

Dylan Coetzee
Springboks: Split image of Rassie Erasmus, Manie Libbok, Sacha Mngomezulu, Henco van Wyk

The Springboks wrapped up their training camp in Stellenbosch on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s squad announcement for the November tour, which includes four Tests and two South Africa ‘A’ games.

Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was delighted with how the camp played out and looks forward to the tour that begins with a tricky Test against the world’s top-ranked side, Ireland, on November 5.

“It was a fantastic camp, and it offered the coaches an ideal opportunity to get the players to switch their focus to the Ireland Test next week and the forthcoming SA ‘A’ matches,” said Erasmus.

Planet Rugby looks at five talking points ahead of the squad announcement and tour to the northern hemisphere.

Tough fixtures are a good measuring stick

The Springboks face a challenging set of fixtures ahead of them, starting with the Irish Test, followed by a clash against France a week later on November 12, before facing Italy on November 19 and finally, a Test at Twickenham against England on November 26.

In the midst of the Tests will be two midweek fixtures played by South Africa ‘A’, games against club sides Munster and Bristol Bears on November 10 and 17.

These fixtures will be perfect for giving the Springbok management a comprehensive idea of what the side will need to improve on going into next year’s World Cup. Erasmus expects a big challenge for the group in November.

“The Springboks are facing the two best teams in the world on successive weekends in Ireland and France, and Italy and England are always forces to be reckoned with, especially at home, while Munster and Bristol are top clubs and will test the SA ‘A’ team thoroughly, and we are now all on the same page in terms of the expectations on the players and coaches,” he said.

Building depth

It is important for the Springboks to capitalise on all five fixtures at their disposal to address areas of the squad that have a concerning lack of depth.

Fly-half

Issues at playmaker have been highly publicised, with Handre Pollard succumbing to successive knee injuries and Elton Jantjies not in the selection picture, forcing coach Jacques Nienaber to turn to utility stars Damian Willemse and Frans Steyn at 10 during 2022.

Willemse is the obvious choice and will likely start most of the Tests in November after showing promise at fly-half while Steyn is injured and was never a long-term solution.

The Springboks called up Stormers duo Manie Libbok and Baby Boks captain Sacha Mngomezulu to the training camp this week, and they should be expected to feature at least for the South Africa’ A’ side.

Libbok was instrumental in the Stormers’ charge for the United Rugby Championship title and has been knocking on the door for some time, looking ready to step up to Test level. While, Mngomezulu is a supremely talented youngster but very green still. Being in the structures will do them both good, even with the latter having only played in a handful of games for the Stormers.

Erasmus said the management was pleased to have been able to work with the duo this week as they look to solve their issues at 10.

“It was also valuable in the sense that it exposed new players such as Manie (Libbok) and Sacha (Mngomezulu) to our structures and to see them in action as we finalise the selections for the Springbok and SA ‘A’ teams. It was pleasing to see their, and the rest of the training squad’s enthusiasm,” he said.

It is fantastic to see that the management is working towards finding solutions, and when Pollard returns, the team will be much better situated.

Outside centre

The injury to superstar Lukhanyo Am has highlighted just how thin the Springboks are at 13. Jesse Kriel has stepped into the role where he has done adequately but does not feel like a permanent solution at outside centre.

The Springboks will always miss the genius of Am if he is not on the field but with Kriel as back-up and no further options at outside centre it is a serious point of concern, especially considering the ever-present risk of injury in rugby union.

Up until the beginning of the URC season, there had been no bolters to speak of, making Kriel’s continued selection a responsible one. Now there is in the form of Henco van Wyk from the Lions, who has been absolutely electric.

Van Wyk has a sharp turn of pace, is a clever player and is extremely committed defensively. The 21-year-old has the added benefit of learning from one of the greatest Springbok centres, Jaque Fourie, who is the defensive coach for the Johannesburg side.

The bottom line is that the Springboks must select Van Wyk. Even if it is in the South Africa ‘A’ squad because the player is certainly good enough, and they will remember how quickly the lack of depth at fly-half was exposed.

Third hooker

Stormer Joseph Dweba firmly had the role as the third-choice hooker locked in before enduring a tricky Test season in the Rugby Championship, where his lack of ability to execute fundamentals, namely lineout throwing, cast huge doubt around the star.

The Springbok certainly was not ready to start against the All Blacks, and many make a fair argument that Dweba should not be in the mix and should put his head down at the Stormers and show consistent form.

However, the 27-year-old is likely to be selected at least for the South Africa ‘A’ squad as Bulls star Johan Grobbelaar, who has been in the Springboks structure before, is sidelined with an ankle injury. It is a platform for Dweba to prove that he deserves that spot behind the world-class duo of Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi, who are and will remain the two best hookers in the country going into the World Cup.

The Springboks cannot rely on only two hookers, given their philosophy of using bench players, particularly in the front-row. For the South Africans to make a serious charge at defending the World Cup, three trustworthy hookers are non-negotiable.

Rassie’s return

Another big factor is the return of Erasmus himself, who has now completed all his bans imposed after the video that was leaked following the first British and Irish Lions Test in 2021.

There is no denying his influence on the players, the way he communicates, and the way he builds belief. Erasmus is genuinely one of the greatest rugby minds the game has seen, and any team would benefit from having him in and around the action on match day.

Adding to that is the partnership between Nienaber and Erasmus that extends back to the army and throughout. One can never forget how they turned a below-average side into world champions in two years.

The band is back together with the goal of defending their title – something that can only be done if the pair are operating in tandem.

The Springboks have difficult fixtures, but it is exactly what the coaches wanted. There have been steps taken to address the fly-half issue, but more concerns remain, and the management cannot afford to turn a blind eye as they did with depth at 10.

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Features Joseph Dweba Rassie Erasmus Sacha Mngomezulu

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