Springboks selections winners and losers as ‘new Siya’ gets a chance, injuries rack up
Our winners and losers from the Springboks selection to face Portugal.
Following the announcement of Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks matchday 23 to tackle Portugal in Bloemfontein, here are our winners and losers.
The Bok boss has made 14 changes to the starting XV that featured against Ireland in Durban. Kurt-Lee Arendse is the only player to start all three home Tests, although he has switched from the left wing last week to the right this week.
Otherwise, it’s an entirely new backline and forward pack to tackle Os Lobos.
Here are our winners and losers from the selection.
Winners
Lukhanyo Am
After his heroics at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, few would have imagined a situation when the Springboks wouldn’t have selected the world-class outside centre Lukhanyo Am in the starting XV.
However, injuries have severely hampered Am’s involvement, particularly last year, when he missed out on the initial World Cup squad due to injury. While he was called up later in the tournament, he failed to make an appearance in France.
This means that he earns his first Test cap for the Springboks since August last year and will be eager to get his international career back on track, with Jesse Kriel now the clear frontrunner for the starting 13 jersey.
It’s a massive opportunity for Am to rediscover his form and get back to his best.
Returning half-backs
Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok return to the Springboks starting line-up and earn their first caps since the pair were both dropped from the squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup final.
The duo both started the quarter and semi-final victories for South Africa but were underwhelming in the clash against England, with Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard coming off the bench to steer the Boks to victory before starting the final.
Reinach and Libbok will both be out to make a mark and press for further minutes in the Rugby Championship, while their experience will be key in what is a rather youthful-looking squad.
Erasmus will be keeping a keen eye on Reinach, 34, as he continues to evaluate the older squad members with Rugby World Cup 2027 in mind, while Libbok will be tasked with controlling the new attacking shape and being accurate off the tee.
Three starting debutants
Three players, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Phepsi Buthelezi, will make their Test debuts in the starting XV against Portugal.
It’s been a long time coming for Grobbelaar, who first linked up with the Boks squad in 2021 but never made his Test debut. He has arguably been the form South African-based hooker since then but has not been afforded the opportunity until now. Erasmus said during the Ireland series that it was quite clear that Grobbelaar is now the third-choice hooker in the squad. Now, it is up to him to make the most of his opportunity by replicating his club form at the highest level.
As for Wessels, he has played much of the season with the Bulls as a hooker but has shifted across the front-row in professional rugby. The Springboks value versatility highly and the highly-rated prospect is now tasked with making the most of his opportunity to shine, even if it is a loosehead.
Finally, Buthelezi shone for the Sharks in the latter stages of their season after going somewhat under the radar at the start. He is viewed by many as a like-for-like replacement for Siya Kolisi with his powerful carrying ability and handling skills so he too will be eager to impress against Portugal.
Salmaan Moerat
Saturday’s match is particularly special for Salmaan Moerat as he becomes the 66th player to captain the Springboks in a Test match.
The second-rower is held in high regard for his leadership capabilities having skippered SA Schools, the Junior Boks and both the Stormers and Western Province.
“Salmaan commands respect from his teammates, so we’d like to congratulate him on this achievement, and we have no doubt that he’ll take on this responsibility as well as he has for the other teams he has led,” Erasmus said after naming his team.
The lock has been incredibly unlucky with his injury record in recent seasons and was on the cusp of potentially making the World Cup squad. With the injuries in the second-row within the team, he has a real opportunity to cement his place.
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Portugal
Often when the big nations host the so-called Tier 2 nations, they do select a largely second-string side but Portugal will still be pleased that they are tackling a strong Springbok outfit.
Youthfulness aside, there are still eight Rugby World Cup winners in the starting line-up and another on the bench.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
A fourth Test cap from the bench awaits Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu after impressive cameos so far this month.
He could have easily slotted in as a loser, as this could well have been his first start for the Boks had Willie le Roux not been injured so early in the second Test against Ireland, but he is the only player to feature in all four internationals so far this year.
Four bench debutants
There are four further potential debuts on the bench for Andre-Hugo Venter, Ruan Venter, Morne van den Berg and Quan Horn.
For Andre-Hugo Venter, he follows in his father, Andre Venter’s, footsteps in representing the Springboks – becoming the 16th father-son duo to play for the Boks. Venter snr played 66 times for the Boks between 1996 and 2001 – 23 of which in the same starting back-row as Erasmus. But make no mistake, Venter may be dating Erasmus’ daughter, but there is no nepotism here; the hooker has been superb for the Stormers for the last two seasons and is certainly in the picture for a shot at the 2027 World Cup.
Meanwhile, late call-up Ruan Venter is another who has a bright future in the Bok pack, whether that is in the second or back-row. The powerful Lions forward has been a real standout for the Jo’burg side and could make his debut along with his clubmates Van den Berg (scrum-half) and Horn (outside back). For a long time, the Lions had no representation in the Springboks squad, but their new additions are more than deserving after their form this campaign.
Losers
Cameron Hanekom
Injuries are a sad reality of the sport, but with so many debutants against Portugal, one cannot forget that if Cameron Hanekom had not debuted against Ireland, he would have been in Bloemfontein.
The breakout campaign with the Bulls led to him being involved in the alignment camps, and the coaching staff has regularly mentioned him as one of the names on the injury list. While he is unavailable this time around, it does open the door for his clubmate, Elrigh Louw, who also had a stunning season to force his way back into the selection frame with a standout shift from the bench.
Injury list
It was unlikely that the pair would have featured against Portugal, but the team announcement was paired with the bad news that Pieter-Steph du Toit and Franco Mostert will both miss the Boks’ Rugby Championship opener against Australia.
Mostert will miss six weeks of action with a broken leg, with Du Toit missing at least the first Test, too, while Malcolm Marx has a tibia fracture.
Finally, Edwill van der Merwe is also nursing an injury along with Cheslin Kolbe.
Ruan Nortje and Ruben van Heerden
With injuries racking up, particularly in the second-row, where Du Toit may have covered, and with Jean Kleyn and Lood de Jager ruled out, both Ruan Nortje and Ruben van Heerden will be disappointed that their phones did not ring this week.
The Bulls and Stormers locks both enjoyed strong domestic seasons, and many would have predicted that they would have been selected for the July series, but it was not to be.
Siya Masuku and Jordan Hendrikse overlooked
Jordan Hendrikse struggled on debut against Wales and perhaps would have hoped that he got another shot in Bloemfontein, particularly considering how much of the second Test Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu played.
Meanwhile, his new Sharks teammate will also feel slightly aggravated that he didn’t get more of an opportunity to press for a debut after being released from the squad for the Wales victory.
Libbok was always going to play this game after missing both Tests against Ireland, but the pair would have hoped that one of the bench spots could open up for them.
READ MORE: Springboks coach warns that ‘highly motivated’ Portugal will be ‘no pushovers’
