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Did Rassie Erasmus miss a trick with his latest South Africa squad?
Rassie Erasmus’ latest Springboks squad selection serves as evidence of two important truths in elite sport: nothing comes easy at the top and winning makes the wheels go round.
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The group picked to take on Scotland, England and Wales next month is stacked with familiar faces. Of the 34 players assembled, 29 are World Cup winners. Prop Gerhard Steenkamp, lock Ruan Nortje, the versatile Jan-Hendrik Wessels, loose forward Elrigh Louw and fullback Aphele Fassi are the only members who do not have a golden medal or two stacked away at home.
They’ll be desperate for a piece of that glory. They’ll be acutely aware that they have fought their way into a very exclusive club. This Springboks outfit is a winning machine, a juggernaut that has mostly stayed intact for eight years despite so much talent and heft pushing at the gates.
Monikers like ‘golden generation’ can be overused, but it is undeniable that South African rugby is currently sitting on top of a deep mine bursting with Test-quality players. Their depth is insane. Serious people are asking with straight faces if South Africa’s second team could win the Rugby Championship in place of the regulars.
That’s just silly banter, right? Well perhaps if Siya Masuku got enough front foot ball, and if Cameron Hanekom had enough room to roam, and if that side was bolstered by some injured players like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Jean Kleyn, and if some squad members like Andre Esterhuizen and Thomas du Toit could also get involved, then maybe? Possibly?
Of course, we don’t really know. And therein lies the danger of Erasmus’ insistence on consistency. Appearance records for individuals and combinations on the pitch feel like they’re being broken every other week but several players have only an outside chance of reaching the next World Cup. And whether or not it’s uncouth to say it, the global showpiece really is the one thing that matters most of all.
Which is why some selections for a European tour that does not include Ireland or France feel a little off. Cobus Reinach, Willie le Roux and Makazole Mapimpi are still performing, but could at least one of them have made way for someone new?
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Was there no room for a young hooker? On SA Rugby’s press release, Wessels is listed as a ‘Utility Forward’. He’ll likely get a shot in the front row but there’s something about backing a player in a manner that says, ‘You’re the next cab off the rank. Here’s a jersey with a specific number on it. Go make it your own.”
No doubt Erasmus knows what he’s doing. That’s what sustained success gets you. You can make just about any decision and it’ll likely get something close to unanimous support.
Which only amplifies the argument that some experimentation would have been well received. A look at another centre could have been interesting. So too would a tweak to the back row that could have seen an inexperienced rookie learn on the job alongside a couple of legends. A look to the future was on offer for Erasmus but he turned it down. This was a misstep.
Because let’s face it, apart from the game against England, which is a job that does require the veterans, the absence of the continent’s top two teams means the Boks should have ample firepower to take care of Scotland and Wales.
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Scotland are a quality team, full of dash and daring and sharp edges from front to back. Wales, for all their recent woes, still front up and have a smattering of individuals – especially in the back row – capable of challenging for places in better teams. But let’s be real. If either side runs South Africa close it would constitute a shock.
Then again, the Springboks haven’t made a clean sweep of Europe since 2013. And what does Erasmus, a man who already has most of what’s available, still need to complete his set? An unblemished tour would look nice alongside all his other trinkets.
That doesn’t mean some questions don’t need answering. There’s a good chance this is the final run for a few warhorses. Erasmus might want one look at Lukhanyo Am at 12, or see if there’s room for Canan Moodie and Damian Willemse in the same backline. Can Handre Pollard have a multi-phase attack plan? Does Manie Libbok have the minerals to be trusted when a game is on the line?
There are other structural questions that need addressing. At times during the Rugby Championship the vaunted rush defence was off-key, as if members of the band were playing different tracks all at once. If this isn’t fixed, some clever coach is going to put together a plan that can truly hurt the Boks.
The breakdown could also do with a clean-up. New Zealand’s early ascendency in consecutive Tests was wrought through a simple approach. They clattered the South African ruck and isolated ball carriers. Were it not for the All Black’s inferior bench, we might be having an entirely different conversation about a team looking to cement its status as the world’s best.
Because that is what South Africa are right now. World Rugby’s rankings are calculated with unthinking maths, but anyone who understands this game knows that South Africa are the current kings of the oval ball. That’s not cheerleading. That’s not trumpeting the party line. It’s just how it is.
Previous iterations have blown hot and cold during the troughs between World Cups. Has Erasmus – a master at turning perceived slights into points to prove – identified that this is an opportunity to really ram home his team’s supremacy?
If so then his selections make total sense. Win now, win well, dominate, leave no doubts, silence dissent. For a team emboldened by a sense of mission, maintaining a dynasty can be a powerful motivator.
But then the stakes only get higher. There are no excuses. South Africa will traverse the United Kingdom with one single goal. Nothing other than perfection will be accepted.
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Probably blooded more new players than any other country but still gets stick. If any other coach did same , they would get ripped to shreds. When you are at the top , people will always try to knock you down.
If I am not mistaken, the Boks have a win-loss record for the EOY tour that looks like [Year: win-loss]: 2022: 2-2, 2021: 2-1, 2018: 2-2, 2017: 2-2, 2016: 0-3. Other years were RWC years (2019 and 2023), or Covid (2020). So that looks like a record of winning 8 and losing 10 for the last 5 EOY tours. And it includes losing 20-18 to Italy in 2016. Not great.
It is arguable that Bok coaches have historically picked development teams for these tours. Jake White resting 10 or 11 first choice Boks (Os du Randt, Victor Matfield, Joe van Niekerk, Eddie Andrews, Hanyani Shimange, Fourie du Preez, Percy Montgomery, De Wet Barry, Wayne Julies, Jaco van der Westhuyzen) for the 2006 tour may be the extreme example. He brought in young guns like Frans Steyn, of course.
Every year there are calls for the Bok coaches to blood youngsters, offer game time to the next generation etc. But it costs results, looks like inconsistency, imperils your world ranking, and interrupts other stats (like longest sequence of wins). It also undermines the building of any NZ-like "aura of unbeatability".
So, it looks like Rassie is tired of it. He has picked a very strong squad, and if they are doing much development it will be in the area of game plan development rather than squad selections.
It will be fun to watch.
Italy and Georgia looks increasingly like the proving ground for the young players with the seniors to return in 2025 Rugby Championship. I reckon Willie was taken on this tour because he is a mentor and player coach. Mapimpi is probably in his last or second last year and Erasmus knows he still has the quality to perform in Europe which is always tricky for young wingers. Reinach is still needed as he adds depth and experience having played in Europe for a while and is also a good mentor for Williams and Hendrikse. The Springboks know they have time. They already have backup options in every position with test caps after blooding players in the first 10 tests of the year. Rassie is also picking players from Japan who are fresh and who have not played any rugby since the end of TRC. So its a selection more geared to ensuring high performance than development. Would have loved to see Hanekom, Jordan Hendrikse and Van Wyk and perhaps a few more opportunities for one or two others who were part of the alignment camps and the wider squad but I think Rassie has gotten what he wanted to this year out of player development. Perhaps this tour will be an opportunity for him to finalise his decision on who he will keep around in his long term planning for 2027.
Hanekon need to play a few more URC etc game to build his portfolio. Undoubtedly a big star for the future. Hendrikse yes or know, time will tell. Van Wyk is a walking bandage and needs to shoe 2 seasons of no fall down. A losing side is difficult too turn around and so I think Rassie has done the correct thing and he can experiment next year which he was always going to do.
Strong squad with no surprises. I think youngsters will come through for Italy and Georgia next year.
Hopefully can go unbeaten and put some of the old war horses out to pasture.
A small thing but could RugbyPass commentators be more accurate when describing tour locations? The author maintains SA are touring the "United Kingdom".
The UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
National sides Scotland, England and Wales constitute the Island of Great Britain whereas Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland together constitute the Ireland team.
Ergo the tour playing Scot, Eng, Wal is a tour of Great Britain not of the UK (unless there is an International in Belfast we are unaware of).
I kept silent for the first two articles to get this wrong. Annoying now.
I think you're mistaken about this.
Scotland, England and Wales are all part of the UK.
The Boks are not going to Ireland, North or otherwise.
"Ergo" (please!) it is legitimate to call it a tour of the UK.
🥱
get a life for God sake which I have said to you before. Tour New Zealand???? Tour South Africa???/ Tour Australia??? Really!!!
its not wrong though. A team playing matches in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Gauteng would be touring South Africa despite an absence of fixtures in Limpopo or Free State. A team playing matches in France, Italy, and Ireland would be touring Europe despite an absence of fixtures in Sweden.
10 November Scotland, 16 November England and then 23 November Wales.
Ah, damn. You're right. Thanks for clarifying, won't make that mistake again.
all fair points, to me Rassie might have decided the risks outweighed the rewards for young players in northern conditions and probably either wet and/or cold. They have roadmaps possibly better served playing urc and champions cup fresh in Dec. Only SFM probably would have gone instead of Manie if it hadnt been for injury. Last dance for several of these Boks. from 2025 it will be a new look consistently and RWC being in Aus I think thats why he pushed to play the youngsters there in 2tests
With WR now even further entrenched in ensuring that SA appear competitive it makes absolutely no difference who Erasmus selects.
First class, gold plated, export quality bullshit. Go love your mother, Nigel.
Hi Nigel 😊
Short answer. Yes.
Damned if you do damned you don’t pick an inexperienced side to go North. But let’s not forget that a large number of players were tested this year already (49) to get to this group. 2024 has been a best of both in terms of building depth and winning.
I don't understand the point of this article. Rassie has used 50+ players so far this year and blooded plenty. No one can accuse him of being conservative in his selections.
Having grown 3-deep+ players in each position who are high quality, surely he can now select who he wants and needs to achieve his goals.
I, for one, am very happy that he went for the best players for this tour.
I think there has been enough experimentation this year.
Great Bok squad!
Agree 100%. Up-jumped arrogance on the part of Gallen to portray himself as being superior to Rassie. It might have been interesting to see Edwill, Hanekom, Henco van Wyk, etc in the team, but Rassie is boss and I'm very happy with what he does.
100%
At least 4 new players SHOULD have gone. A massive trick missed, it's not as though we're defending a WC. It's the EOYT, perfect time to blood youngsters. A disappointing squad.
Check the team sheets in the away games against Australia and Argentine. Your argument is baseless.
I tend to agree. But I am finding it difficult to pick who to leave at home.
I disagree. Next year the Boks will have three tests at home against Italy and Georgia to blood more new players. I think there's a lot of sense in Rassie wanting to maintain winning momentum in tough battles in tough conditions against good opposition now.
Yea not what we expected but a strong squad anyway. Maybe some new blood will get a chance next year against Italy and then during the Rc.