Springboks Heat Check: Who Will Crack The Autumn International Squad?
Springboks Heat Check: Who Will Crack The Autumn International Squad?
The Springboks prepare for November internationals with injuries to key players. See the rising stars and team depth to face Scotland, England and Wales.
Out of sight but never out of mind, the reigning Rugby World Cup winners, the South Africa Springboks, are nearing their return following a triumphant Rugby Championship campaign.
Getting set to make their annual pilgrimage north, the Springboks have been steaming along beautifully since securing their fourth world title just about a year ago.
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Yet, as ever, with an all-time great side, the Boks have begun to see several seasoned veterans edging closer to the end of their peak years. In saying this, as he has proven time and again, head coach Rassie Erasmus has a keen eye for talent and already has begun to work with several talented youngsters.
Leading the charge on this front is the exceptionally exciting fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has taken the world by storm since making his debut against Ireland in July.
Unfortunately for the Boks fans, they will not see the Stormers star until 2025. A long-term injury will keep him sidelined for the coming months.
This injury got us thinking about which Springboks will miss the upcoming November internationals against Scotland, England and Wales and who could replace them.
We also felt it pertinent to highlight which talented youngsters Erasmus and his coaching staff could bring into the fold for some valuable game time.
The Injury Report
As highlighted above, Feinberg-Mngomezulu leads the charge in terms of important players missing for what would’ve been an incredible growth experience for the former Bishops standout.
In addition to the playmaker, other players who look set to miss the tour include Faf de Klerk, Steven Kitshoff, Salmaan Moerat, Franco Mostert, Evan Roos and Lood de Jager.
On a positive note for the Boks, captain Siya Kolisi looks poised to make his return for his club side the Hollywoodbets Sharks this weekend in the United Rugby Championship, and as such, should be fit and raring to go for November.
Fit And Firing
Fortunately for the world champions, they are pretty well-stocked in every position on the pitch and likely will fill the void left by those listed above with players who previously have been in the squad.
Starting with the front row, with Kitshoff appearing to still be on the injury report, Ox Nche will continue as the undisputed first-choice loosehead.
Backing up the Sharks star will likely be the Bulls loosehead, who feels like the heir apparent to the starting throne at just 23 years old, Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Wessel’s provincial teammate Gerhard Steenekamp will compete with this pair, and he brings bundles of power to proceedings.
On the tighthead side, Frans Malherbe will travel as the first-choice tighthead and likely will compete with Vincent Koch and Thomas du Toit for his position.
At hooker Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi and Johan Grobbelaar feel like the likely trio to tour, but don’t count out Stormers powerhouse Andre-Hugo Venter as a viable option.
In the second row, the loss of Moerat, Mostert and de Jager will be offset by the iconic Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman and Ruan Nortje. Adding to this group are a host of exciting options who could not only do a job now, but could begin to challenge the veterans for their places in the squad.
Leading the charge in this department is Vodacom Bulls standout JF van Heerden, who possibly is the worst-kept secret in South African Rugby as a potentially generational talent.
Alongside van Heerden are his two Bulls teammates Cobus Wiese (27) (brother of Jasper) and Ruan Vermaark (26), both of whom have bundles of talent and look capable of playing test rugby.
Heading to the coast, Sharks youngster Emile van Heerden is an impressive operator who also could push for inclusion with a big couple of rounds in the URC.
In addition to the locks for the squad and the upcoming prospects, two players who have been part of Springboks squads in the past are World Cup winner and former Irish international Jean Kleyn and Shark’s enforcer Jason Jenkins. On this front, it would be more surprising if Kleyn was not on the squad than if he was, given that he has been playing consistently for his club side, Munster, since returning from an eye socket injury.
Shifting to the back row with Roos out, the talented young Stormers bruiser has been in and out of Boks' squads since making his debut in 2022 but certainly would have been in the running for the squad if fit.
In this department, the Boks are absolutely loaded with Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw, Jasper Wiese and Ben-Jason Dixon, all featuring heavily in The Rugby Championship.
Adding to this group surely will be Bulls star Cameron Hanekom, who is Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s equal in terms of hype around what he can become in the test arena. In short, Hanekom can become one of the greatest No. 8s in World Rugby over the next couple of years, which is a scary thought, given he is only 22 years old.
Other back row players who could well get a look in this year are the Lions trio of Francke Horn, Jarod Cairns and JC Pretorius, who all have been immense during their team’s unbeaten start to the season.
In addition to this group, Sharks trio Phepsi Buthelezi and the Tshituka brothers Vincent and Emmanuel are top-class operators, while Bulls star Reinhardt Ludwig is a superb footballing utility forward in the same mold as Pieter-Steph du Toit and is a Springbok in the making.
Shifting to the back line, where de Klerk looks set to be unavailable at scrumhalf, Erasmus has a host of options to choose from.
On the experienced end, veteran Cobus Reinach is getting up there in age at 34 years old but still is performing at a high level, so when the Boks coaches pull the plug remains to be seen.
Alongside Reinach are a handful of No. 9s in their mid-20s: Jaden Hendrikse, Grant Williams, Morne van der Berg, Embrose Papier and Herschel Jantjies, all of whom are capped Springboks.
Outside of this group, Lions’ utility back Sanele Nohamba is a dynamic operator in both halfback positions, while Paul de Wet is a consistent operator for the Stormers.
Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok will duke it out at fly-half for the starting role with Feinberg-Mngomezulu out. In this battle, don’t be surprised to see Libbok backed with Hendrikse at No. 9 to take the goal kicks and Pollard backing up as a closer, if needed, from the bench.
Away from the two veterans, Jordan Hendrikse has been ticking along brilliantly for the Sharks since making his Boks debut against Wales at Twickenham in the summer, while Stormers superstar Damian Willemse played Round 5 of the URC in the No. 10 shirt.
Another key performer who, to date, has not had a look in is Bulls utility back Boeta Chamberlain, who can operate in both the 10 and 15 shirts and has something special about him.
Sharks points machine Siya Masuku and Lions up-and-comer Nico Steyn both are live options on the bolter front.
Shifting to the centers, where the regular starters all are north of 30 years old, expect Damian de Allender and Jesse Kriel to continue their combination given their exceptional form in The Rugby Championship. Competing with this pair will be the Sharks combination of Andre Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am, both of whom have stacks of experience.
In terms of younger options, Sharks prospect Jurenzo ‘the boogeyman’ Julius long has been heralded as the next big thing in South African Rugby and is starting to play like it.
Once again, the Lions have an exciting pairing to offer, if needed, in Marius Louw and Henko van Wyk, while the prospect of Willemse slotting in at 12 alongside Libbok is mouth-watering, to say the least.
Finally, for the centers, Bulls pairing David Kriel and his already established Springboks teammate Canan Moodie could do a heck of a job if backed to start in the centers or on the wing.
Completing our depth chart, the back three is yet another brutally difficult area to select, given the sheer quality available.
Of course, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe on the wingers are nailed on as starters. Fullback is up for debate, with Damian Willemse, Willie le Roux, Aphelele Fassi, and Quan Horn all seemingly in a shoot-out for the role.
Staring with the other wing options, 2019 World Cup winner Makazole Mapimpi now is a seasoned prop at 34 years old and is more on the fringes of the Boks squad than a foundational piece at this stage. This does not mean he couldn’t make the squad, but it would be strange, given the abundance of younger options coming through the ranks.
Lions try-scoring machine Edwill van der Merwe made his debut earlier this year and looks like a sure-fire tourist this year.
Away from the regular trio, DHL Stormers flyer Leoilin Zas has been knocking at the door for years and is one of the few Stormers in great form this season.
Sharks pairing Ethan Hooker and Eduan Keyter have been on fire without the key Springboks being in the squad, and they certainly are interesting prospects.
Further afield, Montpellier’s Madosh Tambwe has been tearing things up in European Rugby since 2022. Though questions remain about his eligibility, he could be a top-notch option if he is indeed available.
If fit, Willemse is the best player, but as listed above, he could be the long-term solution at inside center for the Boks as a second distributor with a strong kicking and carrying game.
Working on this premise, Fassi ended The Rugby Championship as the first choice, and for a good reason, he was exceptional. Offering a lethal counter-attacking option with his outright pace, rugby smarts, and clever kicking game, Fassi is the total package for a team looking to play an up-tempo brand of rugby.
Then there is Le Roux, a double World Cup winner and a magician of a player who opens up space for those around him. Yet, at 35 years old, he is in the twilight years of his career and could well be in the role of progress stopper if selected.
Finally, Lions standout Horn has been one of the best players in URC through three rounds and is a near-carbon copy of a young Le Roux. His ability to marshal the backfield and operate as a playmaker from deep is top-class and could bring a lot to Tony Brown's attacking game plan.
With all of the positions broken down, here is a Springbok squad that we would propose for November as follows:
Springbok Potential Squad | Autumn Internationals
Props:
Ox Nche, Jan Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Frans Malherbe, Vincent Koch
Hooker:
Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Johan Grobbelaar, Andre-Hugo Venter
Secondrow:
Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Jean Kleyn, Ruan Nortje, JF van Heerden, Ruan Vermaak
Utility Forward:
Pieter-Steph du Toit, Reinhardt Ludwig
Backrow:
Siya Kolisi (Captain), Kwagga Smith, Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden, Cameron Hanekom, Ben-Jason Dixon, Jasper Wiese, Francke Horn, JC Pretorius, Phepsi Buthelezi
Scrumhalf:
Jaden Hendrikse, Grant Williams, Morne van den Berg, Cobus Reinach
Flyhalf:
Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok, Jordan Hendrikse
Centre:
Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Henco van Wyk
Wingers:
Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Edwill van der Merwe, Ethan Hooker, Leolin Zas, Madoshe Tambwe
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