Springboks squad: Five takeaways as ‘sad days draw nearer’ with Rassie Erasmus rewarding form over ageing stars
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and wingers Edwill van der Merwe and Makazole Mapimpi.
Following the announcement of the Springboks squad for the opening two rounds of the Rugby Championship, here are our five takeaways from Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team’s selections.
Top line
After the final mid-year international against Georgia in Nelspruit, Erasmus stated that the time for experimentation in the Springboks ranks had come to an end, with all the focus now shifting to defending the Rugby Championship title.
Last year, 50 players pulled on the Green and Gold jersey, with that bar already under threat in 2025, but no fresh faces have been added to the squad for the second batch of matches.
“We’ll name 37 guys for the Australia series and within that squad there’ll be one or two guys that we experiment with, but the bulk of that squad will be experienced players who are suited to the way we want to play,” he said after the 55-10 win over Georgia.
“The nice thing is that we’ve got a group of 48 players or so that we’ve used this year and there are quite a couple that we’d also like to give opportunities to, the likes of Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Quan Horn, Renzo du Plessis. But this was a series where we wanted to experiment a little bit so getting the scorelines we did is pretty satisfying. But the Rugby Championship is definitely a step up.”
Reading into the squad selections, perhaps further investigations into the depth at South Africa’s disposal have been put on pause, with none of the above-mentioned quartet cracking the nod, while three of the seven debutants in July have been released, more on that later.
On paper, this is a strong, settled squad jampacked with many of the names that have graced the Green and Gold jersey over the past few years, but at the same time, it does boast fresh legs.
The 37-man squad is split into 20 forwards and 17 backline players, with 24 Rugby World Cup winners included – 17 of whom are double world champions.
One thing is clear: Erasmus is not mucking about in the Rugby Championship, even though a battered Wallabies outfit is set to arrive on the Highveld for the opener. It’s time for business.
Phasing out taking place?
The Springboks coaches have made it clear that as long as the older players in the squad continue to hit the right fitness markers in training, along with their performance indicators and stay on top of their game, they will continue to be picked in the squad with age being a non-factor.
There is clear evidence that age matters little to the selectors with Schalk Brits and Deon Fourie playing big roles in 2019 and 2023, respectively, despite being well into their 30s. But last year Erasmus admitted that a natural phasing out would be occurring at some point, and perhaps we are seeing the slow start of that with this squad selection.
Father Time looks to be catching up with the likes of Faf de Klerk and Makazole Mapimpi. The pair looked in great nick during the July internationals, but have become victims of the ever-growing depth in the Boks squad and competition for places.
“It will be sad the day when Mapimpi is done because he always produces,” Erasmus said last November.
While the winger and De Klerk have been included on the standby list, it does suggest that their stocks are declining somewhat, with that sad day drawing nearer. It paints a picture of that right now, the pair are on the fringe of the squad but are still of international standard, so if a crisis were to arise, then their phones would be ringing.
They might be the first of the double World Cup winners who could be on the phasing-out block, but many of their long-time teammates will be looking over their shoulder, more on that later.
Rewarding form
Proven pedigree and experience have been backed for the title defence, but Erasmus and his staff have still found slots to reward form.
After three Test matches, five tries and two man of the match awards, Edwill van der Merwe fits perfectly in the category with the Boks finding another speedster cut from the same cloth as Gio Aplon, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse. The Sharks-bound winger has seemingly dislodged Mapimpi from the squad, which is no mean feat and just reward for his form with the Lions this season, which he has replicated in Green and Gold.
His now former clubmate Asenathi Ntlabakanye has also taken the opportunities that have come his way, and while he does benefit from the propping crisis in the Bok squad, he has worked his socks off at ‘Kamp Daandraad’ and shone on the pitch to position himself to make his Rugby Championship debut.
As for try-scoring debutants Boan Venter and Marnus van der Merwe, they have taken the road less travelled to seal Springboks call-ups, but impressed against the physical Georgians to retain their positions. Erasmus admitted that the pair still have a lot to work on to become regular members of the team, but surviving the cull went a long way to ensuring that doesn’t happen.
But performances on the pitch in the Bok jersey are far from the only barometer the coaches have used in their selection process, as Ethan Hooker also retains his spot after a brief cameo against the Azzurri.
Elsewhere, Ruan Nortje has earned the tag of a ‘proper lock’ from Erasmus during the mid-year internationals, barely a year on from the head coach noting that he needed to bulk up somewhat. He was central to the open play lineouts against Italy and picked up a man of the match award for his performance against Georgia. This time last year, Nortje earned a call-up due to the plethora of unavailabilities in the second row but in 2025, he is in the mix purely on his performances, with many of those injured 12 months ago fit and in the squad as well.
Also forcing their way into the squad is scrum-half Morne van den Berg who has edged ahead of Jaden Hendrikse and Faf de Klerk in the pecking order.
The curious case of Evan Roos
In and out of the squad. It’s been a turbulent year for Evan Roos when it comes to the Springboks. He was included in the July squad last year and after two appearances, he opted to go under the knife to sort out a nigglesome injury. That saw him miss the Rugby Championship.
This year, he was initially overlooked in the first squad of the year before being called up following the withdrawal of Juarno Augustus. He got a cameo appearance off the bench against Italy in the second Test and now features on the standby list.
Roos certainly has the raw talents to shine at the highest level, but there are clearly flaws in his game that are preventing him from featuring more regularly, to the extent that Erasmus turned to Cobus Wiese, usually a lock and blindside flanker, to fill the number eight jersey instead.
The Stormers’ loose forward’s temperament and discipline has certainly improved in recent seasons, which can not be the reason why he is being overlooked considering Jasper Wiese’s recent record, so perhaps the answer lies in what he offers around the park.
He has a tendency to be too upright in his carries, something he can get away with in the URC but not at Test rugby, while there may be shortcomings in his lineout and collision work. The positives for him are that he is still very much on the fringe of the squad, having been named on the standby list and will have been given a work-on list upon his return to Cape Town.
The potential to be a real standout at Test level is obvious to see, and while the shortcomings might not be for the general viewer, the Springboks see flaws in his game that don’t quite suit the requirements of the team and frankly, considering quality of depth and options at their disposal, they are well within their rights to snub him once again.
Value of versatility and IP
It’s no secret that the Springboks’ coaches love some versatility in their playing squad and that is once again highlighted for the first squad for the Rugby Championship.
While there are no out-and-out swing props this time around, Jan-Hendrik Wessels continues to cover loosehead and hooker, while Cobus Wiese will be tasked with filling in at tighthead lock, blindside flanker and number eight. That skillset and ability to cover all three roles is something that the coaches will be eager to develop with Danie Rossouw, one of the few players in recent-ish history who has effectively performed in all of those positions so for the Boks.
Looking elsewhere in the pack, Erasmus may turn to Franco Mostert and Nortje as possible number sevens too, while Jean-Luc du Preez, like Wiese, can cover at lock but also across the loose trio. This filters into the backs, where a lot of wingers can shift to full-back and vice-versa, while Canan Moodie impressed in the midfield twice in July.
And while the utility factored heavily in selection, the coaches are still leaning on experience to pass on IP to the players, with veterans littered throughout the squad.
While De Klerk and Mapimpi have been filtered out of the squad for now, Willie Le Roux remains with the experienced playmaker tasked with guiding the younger outside backs and game managers at the highest level. After underwhelming performances in the incoming series, Bongi Mbonambi also retains his spot in the squad. A proven quality, Mbonambi could well rediscover his form and accuracy, but until then, he will be invaluable on the training paddock, especially with so many youthful front rowers included.
Both Le Roux and Mbonambi will know that there are no free rides with the Boks anymore and will need to produce on matchday as much as in training.
READ MORE: Springboks: The unique reason why World Cup winner has been omitted despite prop crisis
