COMMENT | No more mixing and matching as Springboks lock in core combinations

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus could’ve easily continued his experimentation with combinations for the first Test against Japan this Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London.

With it falling out of World Rugby’s international window and having only the local United Rugby Championship and Japan-based players available, the Boks resisted the urge to continue that rotation policy they had followed since the mid-year matches and the Rugby Championship.

The Japanese will face an almost full-strength side apart from a few positions, like tighthead prop, where Zachary Porthen will make his debut and at fullback with Cheslin Kolbe covering for the injured Damian Willemse.

At first glance, you might have expected Erasmus to use this fixture as another testing ground.

Although Japan is a dangerous side, they aren’t France or Ireland. It could have been an opportunity to give younger players more minutes, to mix up combinations, and to expand depth. But Erasmus has gone with the opposite, naming a side loaded with established combinations and proven performers, showing his intentions.

He’s looking beyond Wembley — toward Paris and Dublin — and he wants his core players going on full throttle by the time those games arrive.

And you can’t blame him for thinking that way.

The French and Irish represent the biggest European hurdles the Boks will face in November, both teams still hurting from the 2023 World Cup disappointment and desperate to make a statement against the world champions on their home turf.

To win those matches, South Africa can’t afford to look disjointed as they did in certain Rugby Championship matches and against Italy in the first Test earlier this year. These are the kind of games where combinations will be key — the understanding between halfbacks, the collective effort of the loose trio on defence and attack, the defensive trust between the centre combination.

So, this Test against the Japanese isn’t just a warm-up; it represents a rehearsal for the team and an opportunity to find rhythm, to sharpen up established combinations that could ultimately decide whether the Boks leave Europe with a statement tour or a missed opportunity.

There won’t be space for errors. One loss could hamper their momentum and derail the plans of finishing on top of the rankings by 3 December to be the No 1 side in the world for a more favourable 2027 Rugby World Cup draw.

If the Boks can build that run of victories over the next few weeks, they’ll also be in the perfect position to silence two of the toughest crowds in world rugby. Momentum, not rotation, seems to be the plan for these five Tests. And as Erasmus has shown over and over, when the Boks stick to a plan, they usually get it right.