Injuries and playoff permutations will shape Springbok selections

Rassie Erasmus will be watching the final round of the United Rugby Championship (URC) with interest as the Bulls, Lions and Stormers joust for favourable log positions on the eve of the playoffs.

Although there are a number of permutations to consider, it’s possible that the Stormers could go on to host the Bulls in Cape Town in the final – in a repeat of the 2022 decider. Should they qualify, the Lions may surprise a team or two, but travel fatigue may catch up with them over the course of the knockouts.

The collective push for the URC title may affect the Springboks’ preparations for the 2026 Test season, with the club playoffs set to overlap with the start of the international schedule. The URC final will be staged on 20 June – the same day that the Boks tackle the Barbarians and South Africa A face Zimbabwe in an historic double-header in Gqeberha.

There’s still a lot of rugby to be played between now and then, and it’s possible that the injury toll will rise. As a result, Erasmus may go deeper into the South African rugby depth chart to field 46 players in those two games.

The Bok coach recently confirmed that Lions flank Siba Mahashe and the promising Sharks utility back Zekhethelo Siyaya will attend the next national alignment camp in Cape Town from 19 to 21 May. Embrose Papier (Bulls), Francke Horn and Henco van Wyk (Lions) and André-Hugo Venter (Stormers) will rejoin the squad for the first time in 2026. And yet, one wonders whether Erasmus may be forced to cast the net even wider before 20 June.

Injury toll already a concern

The Boks could be without several key players for the hit-outs against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe. RG Snyman, Ethan Hooker and Sebastian de Klerk have been ruled out with long-term injuries, and it remains to be seen when Frans Malherbe, Trevor Nyakane, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Aphelele Fassi will return after lengthy spells on the sidelines.

The extent of Ruan Venter’s knee injury has yet to be confirmed, after he had to be driven off the field in Dublin last week. Although Asenathi Ntlabakanye was invited to the next alignment camp, he has since been banned for 18 months after a doping violation. The verdict was handed down on Thursday, hours after his name was included on the list for the Bok camp.

Jaden Hendrikse, Cheswill Jooste, Cobus Reinach and Markus Muller are recovering from short-term injuries, but may feature in the international season opener – unless, of course, the Stormers and Bulls players among that group feature in a URC final.

At the very least, Erasmus will be hoping for a change of luck with regard to injuries over the course of the coming playoffs. The Bok coaches will look to extract as much value as they can out of the fixtures against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe before the focus shifts to the Nations Championship matches in SA.

The reality is that a large group of players may be unavailable for the initial matches. Northampton Saints and Bath are ranked first and second in the English Premiership at present, and there’s a good chance that both will advance to the final on 20 June. As a result, Bath prop Thomas du Toit and Northampton lock JJ van der Mescht – who was invited to a recent Bok alignment camp – may not be available for the double-header in Gqeberha.

That these games will be staged outside the international window will also be a factor. Bordeaux-Bègles may retain Jean-Luc du Preez and Carlü Sadie, whether the team qualifies for the latter stages of the French Top 14 or not, and Munster may hang on to Jean Kleyn and new signing Marnus van der Merwe. Bayonne may do the same with Herschel Jantjies.

There’s been growing speculation that Erasmus may use the South Africa A fixture as an opportunity to explore younger options with a view to the future. In this respect, Junior Boks such as Muller, Jooste, Siyaya, skipper Riley Norton and Kai Pratt would certainly benefit from a run.

And yet, one wonders if the timing will work out, as the Junior Boks are set to play their first fixture at the World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia just seven days after the fixtures in Gqeberha.

Japanese squadron

Erasmus and company have been in a similar situation before. Two years ago, a Test season opener between the Boks and Wales was staged in London on the same day as the URC final and outside the international window. As a result, the Bulls players were unavailable for selection because they were hosting Glasgow Warriors in the decider at Loftus Versfeld. The Europe-based Boks also missed out because of club commitments. Overall, as many as 16 internationals missed that clash. The bulk of the starting team was powered by a Japan-based contingent.

Eleven Springboks currently play their club rugby in Japan – and this number will increase next season when Kurt-Lee Arendse, Ruan Nortjé and Grant Williams make the move to the Land of the Rising Sun.

The league phase of Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) concluded last week, and the teams that are not involved in the playoffs have already released their international stars. The upshot is that Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert, Jesse Kriel and Faf de Klerk will now turn their attention to the Springboks, and the last of the Japanese contingent will be back in SA after the JRLO final on 7 June.

One would expect to see most of these players facing the Barbarians next month. The big question is who will feature for the SA A side in the match against Zimbabwe.

Sharks’ slump a blessing in disguise

With their club commitments coming to an end this weekend, the Sharks’ Test players will have the chance to focus on the matches against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe.

Emmanuel Tshituka could line up alongside his brother, Vincent, in the back row and former Junior Bok Jaco Williams may be unleashed in the back three. Don’t be surprised if Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse start in the halfbacks, or if Test veterans such as Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch are brought back into the mix.

Erasmus’ player-management task will be made easier when one or more of the South African contenders falls out of the URC title race. If the Lions go down this weekend or in a subsequent playoff, then the players who were invited to the recent alignment camps will become serious contenders for the matches in Gqeberha.

Quan Horn, Haashim Pead and Batho Hlekani are already on the Bok radar, but Erasmus may have to go deeper into the depth chart to fill the gaps. As a result, form Lions players such as Mahashe, Horn and Van Wyk may well be considered.

If the Bulls and Stormers bow out of the URC before the final, then the Bok selectors may be spoiled for choice, even before a double-header where a minimum of 46 players will feature.

In an ideal world, all the players would be available, and some of the Junior Boks would be considered with a view to the future. But injuries are a part of rugby and player availability is always going to be a challenge at this time of the year.

The Bok coaching team will need to adapt their plans as events unfold in the coming weeks, and if the most challenging scenario comes to pass – two local teams advancing to the URC final – Erasmus may need to cast the net wider than ever before. DM

Jon Cardinelli is a freelance writer.

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.