Player shortages force Springboks into unusual 7–1 bench split for Cardiff clash

The Springboks have been pushed into selecting a 7–1 bench split for Saturday’s Test against Wales in Cardiff, a move driven primarily by player unavailability and the match falling outside the international window.

With several regular backs unavailable due to club commitments, head coach Rassie Erasmus has turned to his famed Nuke squad with only one specialist back among the replacements.

The Boks will rely heavily on the forwards for the clash at the Principality Stadium, and Erasmus said some forwards will have to step into backline roles should injuries strike.

While South Africa has used forward-loaded benches before, this weekend’s situation is less a tactical experiment and more out of necessity. Cobus Reinach, playing in his 50th Test, will run on from the bench as he becomes the second Bok to reach that milestone in Europe.

Loose forwards Kwagga Smith and Ben-Jason Dixon are the other replacements slated to fulfil a role in the backline if push comes to shove in the final Test of 2025.

“I don’t think we planned at the beginning of the year to go 7-1 against them,” Erasmus said about the composition of his bench.

“It’s actually just the only guys available after discussions with the franchises, and it was almost forced on us. Player 24 (currently) is Thuks (Ntuthuko Mchunu), and Player 25 is Duane Vermeulen. One injury and Thuks is in, and another, then Duane is in. But that is a chance we were willing to take.

“We knew from the outset we would lose players for this match due to club commitments, and we are pleased with the quality of the team we’ve selected. Our hand was a bit forced with this.”

Apart from the gamble on the bench and not having cover at loosehead prop, the Springboks will still field a formidable side that should be too strong for the disrupted Welsh. The hosts are also without some key internationals due to club commitments.

There is a power front row of Wilco Louw, hooker Johan Grobbelaar and loosehead Gerhard Steenekamp that should rule the scrum battle. Behind them, Ruan Nortjé and Jean Kleyn will man the second row, while captain Siya Kolisi leads the team, combining in the back row with eighthman Jasper Wiese and Franco Mostert.

Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, centres André Esterhuizen and Damian de Allende, and fullback Damian Willemse are expected to dominate at the back to allow wings Canan Moodie and Ethan Hooker to make their magic in space.

“We’ve got a whole lot of players who can cover multiple positions for us,” Erasmus added.

“Cobus will cover the wing. Kwagga covers nine on defence if we lose two backs to injury, and on attack, he’ll go onto the blind wing. Then we also have Ben-Jason, who’s on standby, should we get a third injury in the backline, which is quite possible in a game like this.

“For Cobus getting his 50th, he will run out in front, but like RG last weekend, he accepts that for the best of the team this week, a start will not work out for us with a 7-1 split.”

Erasmus says they wanted to finish as the No 1-ranked team in the world, and Saturday will give them that opportunity to. This duel will also give them another opportunity to gain experience amongst their fringe players.

The Boks have used 49 players this season, and it is a testament to the depth created as they approach the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.  The coach added that they’ve learned a helluva lot about themselves, but there are still opportunities to improve their game going into next season.

“Overall, we have achieved our goal, but we can throw everything away with a bad performance on Saturday.”

Springboks XV

15 Damian Willemse, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Damian de Allende, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5, Ruan Nortje 4, Jean Kleyn, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.

Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Zachary Porthen, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Ben-Jason Dixon, 22 Kwagga Smith, 23 Cobus Reinach.

Wales XV

15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Alex Mann, 6 Taine Plumtree, 5 Rhys Davies, 4 Ben Carter, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Gareth Thomas.

Replacements: 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 James Ratti, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Ben Thomas.