Springboks shake-up on cards? Injuries, form may push Rassie Erasmus toward overhaul

Ruck&Maul Column

You may have expected a Springbok ‘changing of the guard’ at the end of 2025, but it could happen before that.

Through form, injury and other circumstances, the team Rassie Erasmus selects for the first massive Test of the year against the Wallabies at Ellis Park on August 16 – the Rugby Championship opener – could look very different from the first-choice group of the last two years.

With all due respect to Italy and Georgia, it would make little sense for the strongest possible Bok side to run out on July 5, 12 and 19 in Pretoria, Gqeberha and Mbombela respectively.

The main goals for 2025 should be winning the two Tests against the All Blacks in New Zealand on September 6 and 13 in Auckland and Wellington, as well as the November 22 date with Ireland in Dublin.

Considering Erasmus’ understandable loyalty to his World Cup winners, you would expect that the top players would be lining up at Eden Park, Sky Stadium (Cake Tin) and Aviva Stadium.

But who those players are may have changed by the time the kick-off arrives. Damian Willemse was the first-choice fullback before he got injured last season, and then Aphelele Fassi took over at No 15.

But both men have been sidelined for months, with Willemse only making his comeback for the Stormers in the last two weeks of March.

Now the Capetonians are again on a lengthy three-week break – due to missing out on the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup knockout rounds – and will be back on the pitch on April 19 against Connacht in Cape Town.

In Willemse and Fassi’s absence, Warrick Gelant has stood out as the best South African fullback this season.

Other worthy candidates for the Bok No 15 jersey are Jordan Hendrikse – who can also fill in at flyhalf – Quan Horn and even Cheslin Kolbe in Japan.

Bulls veteran Willie le Roux also needs to be accommodated for a deserved 100 Test caps this year.

At flyhalf, Handré Pollard is an established figure, but what about Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s claims for the No 10 jersey?

The latter also missed a chunk of the Stormers season with injury, but mixed the sublime with the ridiculous in a positive and negative light in the 38-34 loss to Ulster on March 28.

Manie Libbok is still busy with his rehab on his knee injury, and it is unclear when he will return to action for the Cape side.

One of the big elephants in the room is Bok captain Siya Kolisi’s situation. He has played mainly at No 8 for the Sharks this season, and done really well.

But is he better suited to No 6 for the Boks? And if that’s the case, he should be playing in that position for his franchise regularly.

Bulls opensider Marco van Staden has been part of the SA set-up for many years, but his franchise teammate Marcell Coetzee is in fine form as well – although he hasn’t been called upon by Erasmus previously.

Japan-based Jasper Wiese was the first-choice Bok No 8 last year, while outstanding Bulls youngster Cameron Hanekom is pushing hard for more Test game-time, and Stormers stalwart Evan Roos is in the mix as well.

There isn’t actually a clear-cut back-up to Pieter-Steph du Toit at blindside flank – especially with Elrigh Louw out until next year – so perhaps Hanekom or Roos should be used at No 7 instead?

The No 4 lock situation is not ‘clear and obvious’ at the moment either.

Eben Etzebeth’s concussion issues are a real worry, and next in line, Salmaan Moerat, enjoyed some fruitful displays for the Stormers before picking up another injury niggle (foot) – although coach John Dobson said that it wasn’t serious.

After Moerat, though, the No 4 cupboard is quite bare, although Jean Kleyn made a welcome return for Munster at the end of March after a five-month quad muscle injury layoff, and RG Snyman can play in both second-row positions.

There are some major question marks in the front row, though. Frans Malherbe is getting serious competition for the Bok No 3 jersey from Bulls scrum master Wilco Louw and Bath captain Thomas du Toit, not to mention Lions powerhouse Asenathi Ntlabakanye.

Bongi Mbonambi and fit-again Malcolm Marx are the clear front-runners at hooker, but what about the eye-catching displays by Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Joseph Dweba at the Bulls and Stormers?

Ox Nche is a rock at loosehead prop, but Wessels is even more comfortable at No 1 than No 2 and warrants more Test action, while the Bulls’ Gerhard Steenekamp has been out for a number of weeks as well.

So, with four URC league games to come before the playoffs – and the Bulls will face Edinburgh in a Challenge Cup quarter-final on Saturday – now is the time for those top Boks to remind Erasmus of their qualities if they want to remain in the hunt for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.