Rassie Erasmus heads into his first clash against the All Blacks in 2024 with plenty to ponder as he pieces his Springboks matchday 23 together for the Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park.
South Africa go into the highly-anticipated meeting between the two Rugby World Cup finalists at the summit of the tournament’s table after collecting a full house of points thanks to back-to-back wins over the Wallabies in Australia.
Erasmus tested his depth in Australia by selecting a full-strength side for the opening match in Brisbane before making 10 changes to his starting XV for the following Test, with the Springboks easing to victory on both occasions.
With standout performances across the two Test matches, Erasmus would have struggled to even select a 37-man Springboks squad to prepare for the battle against their fiercest foes, particularly with World Cup winners also joining the group having completed their respective suspensions and rehabilitation programmes.
This will likely result in some spirited selection meetings over the weekend as Erasmus and co. look to nail down the team to tackle the All Blacks at the iconic stadium in Johannesburg.
With that in mind, we take a look at the five selection calls and healthy headaches that will be pestering Erasmus.
Kits-on or Kits-off?
It’s a testament to the depth that the Springboks have in the front-row and the work that Daan Human has put in that double World Cup-winning loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff has hardly been missed in 2024.
The red-headed front-rower has been a mainstay in the Bok squad for several years now whether performing in the starting line-up or providing an impact off the bench, powering the side forward with his brilliance in the scrum, strong ball carries and ability at the breakdown.
With Kitshoff sidelined, Ox Nche and Gerhard Steenekamp have performed marvellously for the Springboks in both the Tests against Ireland and Australia with Jan-Hendrik Wessels also impressing against Portugal and the Wallabies.
It’s clear that Nche and Steenekamp have been the go-to loosehead props for the Boks and frankly, neither deserves to be dropped from the matchday 23 which leads to the question, what on earth do the coaches do with Kitshoff?
The 32-year-old is by far the most experienced of the loosehead trio having notched up 83 Test caps and has won two World Cups and a British and Irish Lions series. While he was rather underwhelming at Ulster this past season, he is a different beast in the Green and Gold jersey – a fact that won’t escape the Bok coaching team. But is he good to go up against one of the finest tighthead props in the business, Tyrel Lomax, or is it just a week too soon?
When he is on top of his game, Kitshoff is easily one of the best loosehead props in the world and brings a wealth of experience, IP and big-match temperament to the team. If he is deemed fit and firing, it would not be surprising to see his name appear on the teamsheet ahead of the excellent Steenekamp.
Lock concerns
Usually, the Springboks locks pretty much select themselves with Eben Etzebeth dominating the number four jersey and has either been paired with Lood de Jager or Franco Mostert. But with the latter pair both ruled out, Erasmus will be keeping a close eye on the brilliant RG Snyman, assessing his overall fitness having missed the two Tests in Australia through injury.
The Bok boss said that Snyman was set to return to training with the team when they reconvened in South Africa but there will be some doubts over his fitness considering his recent injury record.
If not, Erasmus will not be short on options as he could back Pieter-Steph du Toit to perform the role once again, as he did in the first clash against the Wallabies with Ben-Jason Dixon starting on the side of the scrum. If not, then Ruan Nortje thrived in the five jumper and running the lineout in Perth. Salmaan Moerat is unlikely to pack down alongside Etzebeth as he too is viewed as a tighthead lock but a left-field choice could be recent call-up Nico Janse van Rensburg who fits the same template as Mostert.
Options galore for the Boks boss even in a crisis.
Brave half-backs calls or returning to the tried and tested?
This could well be the easiest or most difficult selection call for the coaching staff as they weigh up the experienced heads versus giving youth the opportunity to impress against the men in black.
Starting with the half-back and with Faf de Klerk sidelined after his injury against Ireland, Erasmus has handed starts to Morne van den Berg and Cobus Reinach. The former has since been replaced in the squad by a player the coaching team clearly rate highly – injury returnee Jaden Hendrikse. Meanwhile, in-form number nine Grant Williams has been excellent off the bench in all but one Test match this year.
If the selection were to be solely form-based, one would think that Williams would be getting his first start of the year but the experience of Reinach and the all-round game of Hendrikse make it a far more complex decision.
Not to forget that whoever starts at scrum-half would also need to compliment the fly-half and again, Erasmus and his attacking coach duo of Tony Brown and Mzwandile Stick are spoilt for choice.
There is the uber-experienced and big match expertise of Handre Pollard going up against the attacking brilliance of Manie Libbok as well as the rising superstar Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
With Test matches against the All Blacks usually going down to the wire, Libbok’s inconsistency off the tee is unlikely to see him get the nod, which ultimately leaves the decision between Pollard and Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
If Erasmus were to be conservative – which he may well be – it is likely that Reinach and Pollard would take the starting roles but the Bok boss is anything but predictable.
How much ammo does the Bomb Squad need?
Erasmus recently explained that the 7-1 split first used against the All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium last year was suited against the New Zealanders because of their ability on attack to target the tiring forwards.
Hence why the Springboks employed the risky tactic against the All Blacks again in the Rugby World Cup final a few months later. In 2024, Erasmus is yet to load up by the bench with seven forwards worth of ammo but could the Ellis Park Test be the first?
In the bigger Test matches this year – the two against Ireland and the first against Australia – Erasmus has opted for a 6-2 split which will likely be the case again at Ellis Park but the temptation will be there to take it a step further.
The make-up of the bench will almost certainly have an impact on who the starting half-back are too and the recall for Janse van Rensburg may also be an indication that Erasmus is plotting a forward-heavy assault on the All Blacks.
Does Jasper Wiese start at eight?
At the start of the year, many would have predicted that Jasper Wiese would be the Springboks’ straightforward choice at number eight. However, a sending-off in his final game for Leicester Tigers denied him the opportunity to cement his role in the jersey for the Springboks.
But now the powerhouse back-rower has served out his ban and is available for selection and the question remains whether he slots right back into the starting XV.
Kwagga Smith filled the role with mixed results against Ireland where he was his usual busy self around the park but had a few blunders under the high ball. Evan Roos also got his shot against Wales and Portugal before Elrigh Louw packed down at the back of the scrum in both Tests against Australia where he shone with the responsibility.
