Springboks squad selection winners and losers as Rassie Erasmus swings the axe and welcomes back ‘world-class’ superstars for All Blacks Tests
Our winners and losers as Rassie Erasmus names his squad for the upcoming Tests against the All Blacks.
Following Rassie Erasmus’ announcement of the Springboks squad for the two Test matches against the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship, we pick out our winners and losers from the selection.
Erasmus has boosted his squad following the back-to-back wins over Australia, with three Rugby World Cup winners parachuted right back into the team, having returned from injury.
A further two players have completed their suspensions and are back in the mix, while the Bok boss has also recalled a one-Test cap star to bolster his second-row options.
The Springboks return to South Africa having collected a full house of points Down Under and are well placed to win the Rugby Championship but now face their fiercest foe, the All Blacks, for the first time since the Rugby World Cup final.
Erasmus’ selections indicate that he is not underestimating the task at hand as the preparations ramp up for what promises to be an epic two weeks of international rugby.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Suspension returnees
As if the challenge of facing the Springboks was not daunting enough, Erasmus has recalled two massive ball carriers who are equally furious on defence in the form of Andre Esterhuizen and Jasper Wiese.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup winners have served out their respective bans with Wiese copping six games in his final Leicester Tigers match while Esterhuizen was slapped with four-game suspension after his sending off against Portugal.
Technically, both players were available to the Bok boss in the second Test match against Australia but Erasmus opted to leave them in South Africa to prepare for the clashes against the All Blacks.
The pair add yet another layer of depth in the squad and will be both vying for starts against the All Blacks. Wiese looked set to be the heir to Duane Vermeulen’s number eight spot after the 2023 World Cup but has been forced to watch on as others wore the jersey for the first six Tests of the year. It is likely that he will slot right back into the starting role or perhaps perform a job off the bench as he did in Paris last year.
Meanwhile, Esterhuizen started the Twickenham clash between the Boks and All Blacks last year, playing a pivotal role in hammering New Zealand. Starts in big Test matches have been few and far between but he has impressed when given the opportunity and will give great competition to Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am for that starting role.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Erasmus has notably named just two hookers in the form of Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx in his squad with Johan Grobbelaar released back to the Bulls. The move means that Jan-Hendrik Wessels will be entrusted with covering hooker in training and possibly on the pitch along with Marco van Staden, as confirmed by the Boks boss.
“Jan-Hendrik is a versatile player who enjoys playing both prop and hooker and we also have Marco van Staden who can slot into the middle of the front row if needed, hence we opted against selecting another hooker,” he explained.
“That said we have drawn up an extensive list of standby players who could slot in at any time if we suffer injuries.”
Grobbelaar could simply link up with the squad in Johannesburg if the Boks sustain an injury at hooker while the same is true in Cape Town for Joseph Dweba and Andre-Hugo Venter for the second Test.
Still, it is a huge show of faith from the Bok coaches in the capabilities of 23-year-old Wessels who has clearly impressed the staff. While he is certainly a star for the future, he is already making his mark.
Ruan Nortje
The injuries to Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager swung the metaphorical selection door wide open for Ruan Nortje and he certainly sprinted through it and delivered on the other side.
With RG Snyman missing both Test matches in Australia through injury, Nortje was primed to start in Brisbane and Perth but only featured in the latter after a niggle of his own. Still, he did not let his opportunity go to waste, producing an all-action showing – one fitting of the iconic number fives before him.
A real workhorse, Nortje has shone for multiple seasons now for the Bulls and is finally getting the opportunity to make his mark in the Test arena, adding to the Springboks’ already ridiculous second-row depth.
Even with the return of Snyman to fitness and the addition of Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Nortje will fancy his chances of turning out against the All Blacks – the match every Springboks hopeful dreams of featuring in.
Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg
The Springboks’ second-row depth is only further highlighted by the fact that a player of Janse van Rensburg’s quality has just one cap and hasn’t featured for the side since his debut off the bench against Argentina in 2021.
Some fans may not even remember the Montpellier second-rower featuring in the Green and Gold but he has become renowned for his relentless work-rate in France as well as his expertise at the lineout. He will likely go toe-to-toe with Nortje as the lineout operator but also provides an option on the side of the scrum. If the Springboks do revert back to the 7-1 split on the bench – like they did twice against New Zealand last year – then Janse van Rensburg’s chances of adding to his single cap improve immensely.
Janse van Rensburg left the Boks squad in 2021 due to personal reasons and hadn’t been recalled until now, but there is no doubt that the coaching staff kept a close eye on his development, particularly with former Montpellier analyst Paddy Sullivan now part of Erasmus’ team.
Springboks: Who is Nico Janse van Rensburg and why has Rassie Erasmus recalled the one-cap forward?
Fit-again World Cup winners
Three Rugby World Cup winners make timely returns to the fold in the form of prop Steven Kitshoff, scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse and utility back Canan Moodie.
The trio have all got some game time under their belt in the Currie Cup for Western Province, Sharks XV and Bulls respectively and will add even more selection headaches for Erasmus and co.
When on form, Kitshoff is arguably the best loosehead prop in the game but may struggle to force his way into the matchday 23 with Ox Nche and Gerhard Steenekamp impressing this year.
Meanwhile, Hendrikse has forced out Morne van den Berg after impressing on his return to the Sharks, with Cobus Reinach and particularly Grant Williams having shone for the Boks when given the opportunity in Green and Gold.
Finally, Moodie will contest for a spot at outside centre and wing having done duty for the Boks in both positions last year, while he will also be a bolter for a spot at full-back. Again, there is little wiggle room with the outside backs and centres all performing well so far this year.
Rassie Erasmus
We have stated time and time again that Erasmus is in the luxurious position of selecting from an incredibly big pool of players and despite the somewhat lengthy injury list, he has still named a mighty 37-man squad stacked with world-class players.
A player like Janse van Rensburg would have multiple caps for just about any other nation while few coaches could drop a player of Grobbelaar’s quality or Van den Berg for that matter.
With the Boks’ fiercest rivals landing in the Republic shortly, the return of five World Cup winners is a massive boost and puts them in an incredibly strong position to further push for a Rugby Championship title.
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Losers
Johan Grobbelaar
Bulls hooker Grobbelaar finally earned a long-awaited Test debut for the Springboks when he started against Portugal in July and doubled his tally in torrid conditions in Perth.
The 26-year-old did not look out of place in the slightest but falls victim to the versatility in the squad and the return of Kitshoff.
It’s highly unlikely that this is the last time we have seen Grobbelaar in the Springboks jumper this year but as mentioned above, it is every aspiring Bok player’s dream to tackle the All Blacks but he will have to wait a little while longer to realise that dream.
Injured stars
While the injury news is overwhelmingly positive for the Boks with Snyman available again with Kitshoff, Hendrikse and Moodie returning, there are those still stuck on rehab programs.
Lock De Jager has confirmed that he is done for the year while Mostert may only return later in the year. Meanwhile, Jean Kleyn still hasn’t played since the Rugby World Cup final and Evan Roos recently added to the Boks woes.
There was hope that Damian Willemse would be back for the Springboks for the two Tests against the All Blacks but he looks set to miss the first encounter at least while there are fears that Faf de Klerk could also be sidelined until next year.
Morne van den Berg
After a standout shift off the bench against Portugal, Van den Berg was rewarded with a first start against Australia in Perth but was unable to seize his opportunity. The Springboks staff spoke glowingly about the manner in which he trained but that did not translate onto the pitch.
Still, he was dealt a tough hand with the horrible weather conditions and is bound to get another shot later in the year but the return of Hendrikse was always likely going to result in one of the scrum-halves dropping out of the squad and unfortunately for Van den Berg it was last in, first out.
Ruan Venter
There are very few players who can feel hard done by with Erasmus’ selection but perhaps Ruan Venter can with Janse van Rensburg favoured for a recall instead of him.
In fairness, the pair are vastly different players that offer the same positional coverage but Venter’s argument is that he had been involved in the previous training and alignment camps and Janse van Rensburg had not.
The Lions star is still a prospect to keep an eye on and as previously mentioned, Erasmus has the luxury of selecting players that fit a particular skill requirement.
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