Springboks: Rassie Erasmus ‘spoilt for choice’ despite RG Snyman’s crushing setback and doubt over Lood de Jager
Springboks lock RG Snyman and an inset of head coach Rassie Erasmus
Rassie Erasmus is spoilt for choice despite the crushing news that RG Snyman has suffered another long-term injury.
The double Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok did not play any international rugby from 2020 to 2022, only making his return to the Green and Gold jumper in the build-up to France 2023.
After he suffered back-to-back ACL tears to his left knee during that period, he has now sustained the same setback, this time on his right knee, which occurred during the United Rugby Championship game against Glasgow Warriors.
Leinster have confirmed that his club season is over, and considering that an ACL injury usually takes six to nine months to recover from, his involvement for the Springboks in 2026 is in serious doubt.
Earlier this year, Bok head coach Erasmus stressed the depth he has at lock, and Snyman’s absence for the inaugural Nations Championship and Greatest Rivalry Series will only emphasise his concerns.
“My honest opinion is that we are thin at lock, if you look at our lock depth, age bracket, and the number of caps that we have there. Ruan and Salmaan are the settled, average-aged guys,” he said.
To rub salt in Erasmus’ wounds, Lood de Jager is also in doubt for selection, having last played during the November internationals and is currently sidelined having undergone hip surgery.
Despite his concerns, the Springboks head coach is not short on options in the second-row, as we dissect the possible choices at his disposal.
Possible tighthead locks
Erasmus very much subscribes to select tighthead and loosehead locks, with the former being the ‘enforcer’ in South Africa, think Bakkies Botha, less of a jumper at the lineout but a player that thrives in the contact areas and adds grunt and weight in the pack. Eben Etzebeth has been the go-to number four over the years, but what has made Snyman such a crucial cog for Erasmus is that he has dovetailed between the two locking roles depending on what the team requires.
Etzebeth is primed to return from his suspension this week for the Sharks, which eases the woes, but he rarely plays a full 80 minutes for the Springboks, so who is next in line for the number four jersey? The short answer is probably Jean Kleyn. The 32-year-old is a consistent performer for Munster and has been fit and firing for the Irish club recently after his international season last year was marred by injuries.
Erasmus and his coaching team hold Salmaan Moerat in high regard and if he can overcome his troublesome spate of injuries, he too will come into the mix.
Cobus Wiese will also be there or thereabouts, whilst JJ van der Mescht could benefit from the setback of Snyman most after earning his maiden invitation to a Springbok alignment camp. He has been tearing it up for Northampton Saints this season, but there are local options too.
Jason Jenkins has hit good form for the Sharks despite the Durbanites’ inconsistent results and the same is true for Corne Rahl, both of whom weren’t invited to the camps. There are more versatile options to but we will get those.
Springboks star RG Snyman’s worst injury fears confirmed as Leinster issue grim update
Loosehead locks
As mentioned above, Snyman has lended his shoulder in both locking positions with Erasmus preferring a more four-and-a-half second-rower in the five jersey. De Jager and Snyman are great examples of this, being bigger-bodied men than the other five locks and could pack down on the tighthead side, but are also lineout generals.
While that is a preference, it’s not a requirement with Franco Mostert and Ruan Nortje regular inclusions in the Springboks squads and will continue to be so. They will be leading contenders to start in the number five jumper if Snyman and De Jager are unavailable.
Immediately under them is where the waters are a bit murkier. JD Schickerling could be a solid replacement, but also wasn’t invited to the alignment camps, but could come into the picture very quickly.
Ditto for Bulls locks JF van Heerden and Nico Janse van Rensburg, the former hasn’t played since December and the latter since October. Perhaps this could leave the door ajar for Sharks lock Emile van Heerden?
Rassie Erasmus’ ‘honest’ admission on Springboks depth with ‘monster’ lock on the radar
Versatile options
And then there are the versatile options who could shift from the back-row to cover what could become a crisis position for Erasmus’ Springboks.
When they endured a plethora of injuries in the second-row in 2024, the Bok boss deployed Pieter-Steph du Toit in the locks – a position that is far from foreign for him. Ideally, Erasmus would want the double World Rugby player of the year in the loose trio, but he has proven that he can get the job done in either locking role. He too is sidelined for the rest of Toyota Verblitz’s season but is expected to return in time for the international campaign.
Jean-Luc du Preez is another handy, versatile option that Erasmus may have at his disposal. He returned to action for Bordeaux earlier this year after a luckless spell with the Boks in 2025. He was part of the virtual camp but been sidelined due to a concussion recently.
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On the local front, Erasmus has name-dropped Ruan Venter as a possible tighthead lock in the Green and Gold jersey and recently the Lions trialled him in the role. He is bound to add to his single Test cap this year, fitness permitting. Similarly, Elrigh Louw is back in the mix after injury denied him the opportunity to build on a strong 2024 in Green and Gold. While he is more comfortable at number eight and at blindside, he is capable of doing a job in the engine room.
His new clubmate Bathobele Hlekani could do a similar job having played in the second-row for the Junior Springboks and Sharks. The question mark with him is whether he is ready to make the step up to international rugby or not and the same applies to his U20s teammate Riley Norton, who has had limited gametime for the Stormers.
Perhaps the injuries open up a route for BJ Dixon to get more regular time with the Springboks. He has the build to pack down in the second row and has done so for Stormers previously.
Lastly, Reinhardt Ludwig was invited to a Bok alignment camp last year and could also come into the mix, but will likely need more gametime with the Bulls having last played in January.
