With so much focus on the bizarre nature of the Springboks’ loss in Perth to the Wallabies, and talk about depth, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus faces a real poser when he selects the team to head to Europe later this month for the conclusion of the Nations’ Championship.
The Boks are on top of the Southern Hemisphere league, having won all three of their July test matches against England, Scotland and Wales, but face a tougher tour in the north against Italy, France and Ireland in consecutive weeks.
At the end of that stage, all the sides will be ranked by hemisphere and will play in the Nations Championship final weekend at Twickenham in London at the end of November, with the top-ranked sides on each hemisphere table facing off in a final for the trophy.
The problem is, the Boks can win all three of their tour games and finish unbeaten, and still not play in the final. The All Blacks won all three of their games in July and have a relatively easier tour in November, and it is plausible that they win all three and could finish top on points difference.
FLAW IN THE SYSTEM
This is a flaw in the system that may come to pass, but it also brings up the question whether the Boks should target the Nations Championship and try and add another trophy to the cabinet, or whether they should rest a few players and play a younger team in these three tests to ensure their depth is at its strongest ahead of the Rugby World Cup next year.
There are a number of players who have played a lot of rugby this year, but ironically several of them are based in Japan, and while they have joined up with their clubs, they will now be pretty well managed ahead of the November tour.
The likes of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx have seen a lot of action. Du Toit and De Allende both returned to South Africa before the Perth test while Marx was involved off the bench.
And while all four are integral to the Boks’ plans and have established themselves as easy choices for the side, the question is there on whether the Boks can afford to leave them at home and answer some questions about their wider depth.
RASSIE HAS A PLAN
The Perth loss, while unwelcome for a lot of people, also mirrors a similar loss against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022, and taught the Boks a lot about players who would go to the World Cup a year later.
The South African-based players will also head to their URC franchises and play as soon as this weekend and, by all accounts, be available for the majority of the season, which is in stark contrast to previous seasons.
That may mean that some of the players stay home in November, getting some time off there while Erasmus looks at the wider squad.
And it won’t be too far-fetched to see the side that will open the tour against Italy mirror the Bok team in Perth in a lot of ways, while a more seasoned outfit will take on Ireland and France.
The Bok management will know where they are in terms of preparation for the World Cup and will have a very clear idea of which players will be in the final 33-man squad and where they need to find clarity on depth.
For one, the back-up hooker position still isn’t clear. Bongi Mbonambi is touted to make a comeback shortly, Johan Grobbelaar dips in and out of the position, and Rassie is on record as saying Jan-Hendrik Wessels will be valuable as a swinger. Deon Fourie covered in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series, and Marco van Staden was also a back-up some of the time.
CLARITY IS NEEDED IN CERTAIN POSITIONS
But clarity is needed, and the number of tests left before the World Cup is running out.
The same goes for the back-up fullback. Damian Willemse has made it his position, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cheslin Kolbe can both cover if needed, although they are first choices in other positions. Aphelele Fassi hasn’t set the world alight when he has played, and Quan Horn hasn’t had many opportunities. Clarity there will be a bonus.
In most positions, the Boks know what they have and where they need to build. Winning the test match is always the first priority, but ensuring the Boks retain their title in Australia next year is an even bigger goal for this team and any decisions will ultimately be towards that goal.
So if Rassie does decide to rest players, it will be because he feels he has enough in the squad to have a crack at winning the Nations Championship, and can strengthen the side’s depth at the same time.