Finals fortnight puts hopefuls in Springbok shopping window as Rassie names 54-man squad
The Springbok pecking order may well be shaped by performances in the United Rugby Championship and English Premiership playoffs over the next two weeks.
Form matters, and over the years Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has rewarded several players outside of his initial training squad, particularly those who have made a statement in major club finals.
With that in mind, Erasmus named a predictable 54-man squad for this season's incoming matches on Thursday, with 30 forwards and 24 backs.
It features nine uncapped players and 31 Bok Rugby World Cup winners. History has shown though that players not selected now could force their way into contention.
The only obvious 'bolter' is University of Cape Town utility back Ntokozo Makhaza, who starred in the 2025 Varsity Cup but has no senior professional experience.
Erasmus has never been afraid to make bold selections though. Cheslin Kolbe and Rynhardt Elstadt earned their first Test caps on the back of a dream run with French club Toulouse in 2018 and 2019 respectively, while the unheralded Jasper Wiese caught the selectors' attention after running over defenders in the English Premiership in 2021.
Closer to home, the well-travelled Manie Libbok made his international debut after he steered the Stormers to the United Rugby Championship title in 2022.
Erasmus and former Bok coach Jacques Nienaber have often spoken about club playoffs as a testing ground for international players, whether they are capped or not.
No 8 Juarno Augustus forced his way into the national conversation recently after excelling for Northampton Saints in the European Champions Cup playoffs, while RG Snyman has had an outstanding season for Leinster. The underutilised Test prop Thomas du Toit reminded all and sundry of his class in Bath's Challenge Cup final triumph.
Meanwhile, the South African teams were conspicuous by their absence in this season's European semifinals and finals.
While there are many reasons that the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers failed to advance, it ultimately amounts to a missed opportunity.
None of the local players hasn't been exposed to the pressure and intensity of the Champions Cup playoffs – which, as many coaches will tell you, is a lot closer to Test rugby than the respective domestic tournament, and thus a better gauge of an individual's form and aptitude ahead of the international season.
URC playoffs to provide answers
That said, the URC and Premiership playoffs may provide Erasmus with some answers over the next two weeks.
While the Boks will employ different patterns and systems over the course of the 2025 Test season, and may use certain individuals in different roles, it's worth noting who's firing at the business end of the club schedule.
Some critics have been quick to dismiss the Stormers' recent capitulation in Glasgow, where the Cape side went down 36-18 to the Warriors. But again, it must go down as a missed opportunity in a club and national context.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was on fire in the latter rounds of the URC league phase, while Libbok made a rousing return in the last home fixture against Cardiff.
While the Stormers travelled to Glasgow as underdogs, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Libbok were expected to stand tall. In the end, they underwhelmed along with the rest of the touring party, and Erasmus would have taken note.
The Bulls and Sharks have a history of choking in big matches, with the former losing two of the past three URC finals.
While the Sharks won the second-tier Challenge Cup last season, they have not won a Champions Cup quarterfinal and, until last Saturday, had not won a URC playoff fixture.
The Bulls will look to Springbok leaders such as Willie le Roux in the coming semifinal against the Sharks, while form players such as prop Wilco Louw, utility forwards Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Ruan Nortje, flanker Marco van Staden and winger Canan Moodie will have the chance to strengthen their bid for a place in the Bok squad this July.
Uncapped players Cobus Wiese and David Kriel, who were invited to national alignment camps earlier this season, will be desperate to make a statement, while hooker Johan Grobbelaar may be determined to show Erasmus why he was wrong to leave him out of the most recent squad.
The Sharks beat the Bulls twice during the URC league phase and also won last year's Currie Cup semifinal in Pretoria.
Whether they have the endurance to win this weekend at Loftus Versfeld is another story, after emptying the tank in a 1oo-minute marathon against Munster, which was eventually decided by a place-kicking shootout.
Hooker strengthens case for selection
Sharks wing/centre Ethan Hooker certainly strengthened his case for a Bok cap in that quarterfinal, after scoring a game-breaking try.
The 22-year-old has been one of the Sharks' most consistent performers over the course of the season, and yet his ability to deliver at the do-or-die stage of the campaign won't have gone unnoticed by national selectors.
If Hooker continues to deliver in this fashion on Saturday, and possibly in next week's final, Erasmus will have to find a place for the versatile player in a Bok group stacked with backline options.
The Sharks struggled to get a foothold in that fixture, but the senior Boks showed their class as the match progressed.
The injury-ravaged Eben Etzebeth has only played seven matches for the Sharks this past season but is finding some form in the latter stages. Meanwhile, players who have been on the fringe of Bok selection in recent seasons, such as prop Ntuthuko Mchunu and loose forward Phepsi Buthelezi, are peaking at the right time.
'We used a total of 50 players last season in an attempt to balance the load on them, while at the same time building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia,' Erasmus said.
'With a few more talented youngsters in this group, we hope that they will learn valuable lessons and stake a strong claim for places in what will be a challenging yet exciting season.'
An eye on the Premiership playoffs
The Japanese season recently concluded, and while his side Kubota Spears went down in the final, Bok hooker Malcolm Marx capped an outstanding campaign with yet another fine performance.
Thomas du Toit will be in action again for Bath in the coming weeks, as Johann van Graan's team attempts to clinch a long-awaited Premiership title and finish the season with three trophies.
Handré Pollard's Leicester Tigers may have something to say about that, although their most pressing assignment is a showdown with the Sale Sharks this Saturday.
Jean-Luc du Preez is having an impressive season for the Sale Sharks, and a strong performance in the Premiership playoffs may increase his chances of Bok selection later this season.
While it's great to see South African players performing abroad and winning titles, it's fair to say that the local teams are overdue a major trophy.
With the Bulls playing the Sharks in the second URC semifinal this Saturday, South African rugby is guaranteed a representative in the decider for the fourth successive season.
It remains to be seen whether that game will be staged in South Africa or in Dublin – and local fans will be hoping that Glasgow pull off an upset when they visit Leinster in the first semifinal.
Either way, the top players will need to stand tall in the semifinal and final if South African rugby is to take some momentum into the international season. DM
Springbok squad (in alphabetical order)
Forwards: Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Renzo du Plessis (Emirates Lions), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (both Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu (both Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Vincent Tshituka (Sharks), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi (both Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker (all Sharks), Quan Horn (Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwilll van der Merwe (both Lions), Damian Willemse (Stormers), Grant Williams (Sharks).
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