Three things Springboks must achieve in Rugby Championship
From there they will face their arch-rivals at Eden Park in Auckland on 6 September, and the Sky Stadium in Wellington on 13 September respectively, before wrapping up their campaign against Argentina in Durban on Saturday 27 September, and in London on 4 October.
There are a host of things that the Springboks will want to achieve in the tournament, but we believe these are three top priorities.
Refine attacking evolution
Since winning the 2023 World Cup, one of the clearest focal points for the Springboks has been their desire to improve their attacking game since adding former All Blacks playmaker Tony Brown to their coaching staff. There has been a big shift in the way the Springboks are attacking with numerous set plays, and nuances to player decoys and running lines, but at times it hasn't all come together perfectly. It simply remains a work-in-progress, but the Springboks will really want to ensure they take some more significant steps forward in this area of their game evolution.
Balance winning and game evolution with the world rankings in mind
The Springboks' lead at the top of the world rankings has shrunk to just 0.72 points after the All Blacks claimed a 3-0 win over the All Blacks in their July Tests. Normally, only passing attention is paid to the rankings by coaches and players, but there is some serious incentive this year to ensure the Springboks remain in prime position. The reason for this is that the draw for the expanded 24-team 2027 World Cup is set to take place in December, and so the rankings then will be used to determine the top seeds for the various. To try and avoid any potential 'group of death', and to hopefully secure the most favourable draw, the Springboks will be determined to remain at the top of the pile.
Gain clarity on halfbacks
There is no doubt that the Springboks boast some remarkable player depth, but particularly when it comes to the 9-10 combination there has so much chopping and changing with selection that it's still hard to know who is the unequivocal first choice. As it stands, Handre Pollard and Grant Williams are probably at the top of the pecking order at flyhalf and scrumhalf respectively, but the Springboks will need to settle on exactly where the likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach and Morne van den Berg stand.
Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls).
Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers).
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