Watershed 2025 season looms for ageing Springbok stars as Rassie eyes the future

The Springboks will win their next four matches in South Africa by comfortable margins.

This prediction is based on the quality of the hosts as well as the make-up of the opposition.

The Barbarians only finalised their 23-man squad on Tuesday — four days before the clash against the world champions at the Cape Town Stadium.

Meanwhile, Italy have arrived in southern Africa before the two-Test series against the Boks without 10 first-choice players, and the ever-improving Georgia — who will meet the Boks in a one-off on 19 July 2025 — are 11th in the World Rugby rankings.

Nevertheless, the Boks have a great deal to gain from this four-match block, with a view to the 2025 Rugby Championship and Rugby World Cup 2027.

The double-header against New Zealand this September and the tour fixtures against France and Ireland in November are must-wins for a Bok team looking to retain its No 1 ranking before the Rugby World Cup 2027 draw at the end of the year.

With development as well as results in mind, coach Rassie Erasmus must strike a balance between youth and experience in his matchday squads.

Several youngsters and fringe players will receive more game time in the coming months, while decorated veterans that fail to meet the team’s high standards may be phased out.

Toughest preseason ever

The “Hunger Games” theme has been pushed by Bok players and coaches alike at press conferences staged over the past two weeks.

According to Cheslin Kolbe, who has been with the national side since 2018, the recent conditioning camps have tested the players like never before.

Erasmus has spoken about the group’s new fitness programmes, and the fact that front-row rookies like Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Jan-Hendrik Wessels have been sent to assistant coach Daan Human’s farm in Bloemfontein for a more specialised training regime.

After sharing this story at a press conference in Cape Town on Tuesday, Erasmus posted a series of videos on social media. As the footage suggests, training on “Daan’s Farm” is clearly no picnic, and Ntlabakanye, who tipped the scales at 155kg last year, has shed “between 15 and 18kg” according to Erasmus, as a result.

Ultimately, Erasmus has created an environment where rookies and veterans alike are fighting for places in what is a crucial period in the World Cup cycle.

The Boks should win their next four games well, but there will be consequences for individuals — particularly those among the ageing contingent — if they approach these fixtures with a complacent attitude.

Balancing the scales

Some critics have accused Erasmus of taking a conservative approach in the lead-up to the one-off against the Barbarians, given that only four uncapped players – Ntlabakanye, Vincent Tshituka, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouché – have been included in the matchday 23.

The reality is that the playing squad includes several layers of experience, as Erasmus continues to strive for the right balance. The days of selecting an entirely young side or a team stacked exclusively with veterans are long gone.

Morné van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Wessels are only in their second season of international rugby, while an older player such as Jean Kleyn has played just seven Tests for the Boks. Lood de Jager and Jean-Luc du Preez will represent the team for the first time since 2023.

Siya Kolisi, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx and other seniors will be on hand to guide the starting side, while further veterans in Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith and Cobus Reinach have been included on the bench.

The latter has been a big talking point in recent seasons — and it’s now accepted that the balance of South Africa’s Bomb Squad is almost more important than that of the starting XV.

Those who have followed the Bok selections over the past few years will know that the line-up for the Barbarians match should be a taste of things to come.

Erasmus is looking for answers this season, regarding individuals as well as combinations, before the Rugby Championship and other big matches that follow.

More experimentation to come

Injuries have forced Erasmus’ hand in the front row, with one prominent member of the old guard forced to retire.

Since Steven Kitshoff made this announcement in February, two more double World Cup-winners in Frans Malherbe and Trevor Nyakane have sustained season-ending injuries.

It’s unclear whether they will play for the Boks again, given the nature of those injuries (back and Achilles) and the fact that both props are in their mid-thirties.

Two more props — Gerhard Steenekamp and Ntuthuko Mchunu — have been ruled out of the mid-year matches, which has resulted in opportunities for the untried Ntlabakanye and Fouché.

Looking ahead to the Tests in July, the likes of Thomas du Toit and Wilco Louw should play a greater role for the Bok front row.

Du Toit and Louw have sat behind Kitshoff, Malherbe and others in the pecking order for several years, but 2025 could be their time. Du Toit recently won the English Premiership title with Bath, while Louw was one of the Bulls’ best players in the United Rugby Championship.

Over the course of the games against Italy and Georgia, Erasmus will look to give a few other rookies opportunities.

Some felt that Ethan Hooker should have been included for the outing against the Barbarians, but it seems more than likely that the 22-year-old utility back will make his debut against Italy, as the Bok coaches look to gauge his ability before the more demanding matches to follow.

If the Boks pick up a few more injuries, the Bulls lock-cum-blindside Cobus Wiese as well as Edinburgh prop Boan Venter could also get a run towards the end of the series.

Blooding rookies

Apart from blooding rookies and giving fringe players more game time, Erasmus has to bring senior players up to speed over the next four matches, before the Boks go into battle with the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Argentina — and France and Ireland at the end of the year.

Current World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit hasn’t played since injuring his shoulder in the Test against England last November. Jasper Wiese and Faf de Klerk are short of a gallop, while Manie Libbok will feature against the Barbarians after an injury-disrupted season with the Stormers.

Damian Willemse missed the entire 2024 Test season, and should be recalled to the matchday squad once his current suspension expires. Eben Etzebeth, another leader within the squad, has battled with injuries throughout the club season, and will want to prove a point when given the opportunity against Italy.

The list of established players needing game time goes on. Grant Williams will get a run later in the series once he recovers from injury, while Canan Moodie, another fringe member of the 2023 World Cup squad who is touted to spearhead the 2027 title assault, also needs to be factored into the equation.

While the situation highlights South Africa’s depth, Erasmus is under pressure to get his selections right over the next four weeks.

Answers regarding specific players and combinations will be more important than results, as the marquee matches of the Rugby Championship draw close. DM