Springboks: Seven concerns Rassie Erasmus will want addressed against Portugal
Seven concerns Rassie Erasmus will want to address against Portugal.
Following an epic series between the Springboks and Ireland, Rassie Erasmus’ attention now turns to a one-off Test against Portugal and, of course the Rugby Championship.
The Bok head coach will certainly be disappointed that they did not seal a 2-0 victory over Ireland, but he will concede that it is now verby (in the past) as an historic clash against Os Lobos in Bloemfontein awaits.
Erasmus has made 14 changes to his Springboks starting XV for the clash with Kurt-Lee Arendse the sole survivor from Test II against Ireland to start again in Bloemfontein.
Still, the matchday 23 is ladened with quality players and World Cup winners hoping to prove a point and press for more regular minutes.
However, the Springboks boss admits that the clash is being used to test some of their depth, which could prove mightily important with an eye not only to Rugby World Cup 2027 but to address the more immediate concerns of an ageing squad and an injury stricken one too.
We will take a look at seven areas of concern that Erasmus will want to address against Portugal.
Next in line at hooker?
Since 2018, Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx have been far and away the first-choice hookers for the Springboks, with Schalk Brits providing cover during the World Cup in 2019 and Deon Fourie doing the same in 2023, with both selected as back-row options too.
After the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Joseph Dweba was the only other hooker that the Springboks seemingly invested caps in, but the coaching staff seem to have lost trust/patience in the Stormers man, opting not to take him to the tournament and not to call him up after injuries. Following France 2023, they have now shifted focus to Johan Grobbelaar, Andre-Hugo Venter and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Erasmus has made it clear that they have to develop the next line of hookers, as Marx will likely make the next World Cup, while there is doubt over Mbonambi, who celebrated his 33rd birthday in January. Cue Grobbelaar, who the Bok boss said earlier this month, is the ‘clear third-choice hooker’ in the squad.
The Bulls front-rower has been arguably the in-form hooker in South Africa for several seasons now, and while he did earn a training squad call-up previously, he will make his debut against Portugal.
The 26-year-old fits the age profile the Boks are looking for and ticks all the boxes around work rate and set-piece accuracy – at club level, at least. Now he gets his first opportunity to shine in the green and gold jumper, and with concerns around Marx’s fitness, he could well be adding to his cap tally rapidly this year.
But he will face stiff competition from his replacement on Saturday, with Venter following in his father Andre Venter’s footsteps in pulling on a Springboks jumper.
The 22-year-old has come off the bench for Dweba for most of the season but could stake his claim for further improvements with the Boks on Saturday and perhaps even close the gap on Grobbelaar.
There is a very good chance that Mbonambi and Marx will not play the entire Rugby Championship, so there is certainly minutes to be claimed going forward.
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New Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi?
After announcing his team to tackle Portugal, Erasmus spoke highly of his two starting flankers, Phepsi Buthelezi and Ben-Jason Dixon, the former making his Test debut as the latter did against Wales.
The Bok boss again explained that the Springboks rarely select openside and blindside flankers but did reveal that the coaching staff saw similar attributes in their new starters to the pair who have won back-to-back World Cup titles.
Buthelezi produced solid performances throughout the season for the Sharks despite the club’s struggles, and when the Springbok contingent returned – his performances went up another gear. A hard-working back-rower, he has plenty of pace and is powerful in contact, which will come in hand in the trams – an area where Kolisi thrives too.
Meanwhile, Dixon has been likened to Du Toit by the Bok coach with his ability to potentially cover lock too and will also be a good option in the lineout, a hard-worker on both sides of the ball and another who can impress in the wider channels.
The Springboks are in a luxurious position of selecting players that fit their system rather than creating a system to fit the players and these selections highlight that.
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Where does Aphelele Fassi sit in the pecking order?
Willie le Roux won’t be around forever and Damian Willemse needs some healthy competition. On Saturday, Aphelele Fassi gets another opportunity to stake his claim in his preferred position, starting just his second Test match in the full-back role. However, Erasmus has also included a likely competitor to Fassi on the bench, with Quan Horn in line for his debut, along with utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The Bok coaches have no shortage of options and avenues to explore when drawing up their full-back depth. While Willemse is the likely front-runner and Le Roux his back-up, there is scope for the next in line to push their way through.
Versatility is of high value in Test rugby nowadays, and while Fassi has been featured on the wing for the Boks previously, he will be eager to prove once again that he can perform adequately in both roles to secure further involvement with the squad.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu is clearly going to be involved with the squad for a very long time with his ability to play 10, 12 and 15, particularly after impressing in his three caps to date.
Springboks utility front-rowers
Swing props Trevor Nykane and Thomas du Toit have played key roles in the Springboks squad for some time now, but Erasmus and scrum guru Daan Human will be looking to the pair for answers this week.
For Nyakane, the question will be whether age is starting to take its toll. At 35, he is undoubtedly in the twilight years of his career, and eventually, a decision will need to be made as to whether he can still perform at this level for the Boks. If not, then the tough decision will have to be made.
Meanwhile, Du Toit is Nyakane’s natural successor with his ability to play both sides of the scrum, and for him, it will not only be whether he can successfully do that but whether he can reproduce his stunning club form at the heights level. If so, Du Toit will become a hugely influential player for the Springboks in this World Cup cycle and beyond. He is not a rookie in the set-up either, so this is an important period for the front-rower.
There is one rookie, though, in hooker/prop Wessels, who makes his Test debut at loosehead. The highly-rated front-rower has been tipped for high honours since his schoolboy days, and since joining the Bulls, he has shifted from prop to hooker. As mentioned earlier, the Boks value versatility highly, and Erasmus has spoken about the potential of him filling a hooker/prop role at the World Cup. While he played youth levels at prop, his Test debut will be his first start at prop in senior rugby, a massive ask for the front-rower and a serious litmus test.
Salmaan Moerat’s leadership quality and lock issues?
South Africa have been renowned for their ability to produce quality lock after quality lock but they enter the clash against Portugal with a bit of a second-row injury crisis.
Jean Kleyn and Lood de Jager were both sidelined before the July internationals, and the Boks have since lost Franco Mostert to a broken leg.
This means that RG Snyman will partner up with Salmaan Moerat against Os Lobos, with the latter skippering his country, becoming the first Muslim player to do so.
Moerat is held in high regard for his leadership capabilities having captained SA Schools as well as Western Province and the Stormers. But many have raised concerns about his ability around the park – something he will look to put to bed quickly while also letting his leadership shine.
Still, it is somewhat puzzling that Ruan Nortje and Ruben van Heerden have been overlooked, with Erasmus calling upon Lions blindside flanker Ruan Venter instead for bench cover.
Venter and Elrigh Louw will both provide possible second and back-row cover, as will starting blindside Dixon. It is a rather strange call from the coaching staff to back the utility in this case, considering how important locks are around the park and in the set pieces. It’s a bit of a gamble, but one that could pay off as answers are needed for the upcoming Rugby Championship, where perhaps we will see Pieter-Steph du Toit returning to the second-row.
A second coming for Lukhanyo Am?
Since his injury in 2022, Lukhanyo Am has struggled to hit the highs of his 2019 form but that could all change as he makes his first start in almost a year.
Injury denied him any game time during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but when fully fit and firing, he is one of the best number 13s in the game. Jesse Kriel has made the starting role his own, but Am will be hellbent on staking his claim on his return to the green and gold jumper.
Can Reinach and Libbok bounce back?
After somewhat poor showings in the Rugby World Cup semi-final, Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok get their chance to shine back in the starting XV.
The pair were both dropped from the matchday 23 entirely for the final after starring against France but failing to back it up a week later. Two incredibly gifted players, they will both be out to not only prove a point but apply the pressure on Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard in the ‘first-choice roles’.
They will both be wary of the rising stars on the bench, too, with Morne van den Berg primed to make his debut and the excellent Feinberg-Mngomezulu set to earn his fourth Test cap.
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