Tighthead prop Wilco Louw will hope to be more involved with the Springboks in 2025 after some excellent performances in the URC. Picture: Marco Longari / AFP
Image: Marco Longari / AFP
While a few overseas players will undoubtedly be involved in the Test series against Italy and Georgia in July, the Springboks could look to select some standout players in the United Rugby Championship (URC), allowing head coach Rassie Erasmus to build more squad depth.
Erasmus is currently in camp with 56 local-based players in Cape Town as they lay the foundation for the 2025 Test season. The world champions will look to play 15 Tests, two of which must still be confirmed, and a festival match against the Barbarians.
They open their season with the Baabaas clash before two home games against Italy. The third mid-year Test, against Georgia, will likely be used as a full-on experimental one like Erasmus did when the Boks faced Portugal in 2024 after sharing the inbound tour with Ireland 1-1.
The URC and the performances of certain players could indicate which ones Erasmus will most likely let loose when they take on the Italians and Georgians.
The Bulls’ front-row of tighthead Wilco Louw, hooker Johan Grobbelaar and loosehead Gerhard Steenekamp have been excellent. Even when Jan-Hendrik Wessels deputised for Steenekamp, they walked with their opponents at scrum time.
There’s already a potential combination that could do duty as the scrummagers. Stormers hooker Joseph Dweba has also been outstanding for his franchise and Erasmus probably has the biggest selection headache when it comes to the hookers.
Wessels, Grobbelaar, Dweba, Akker van der Merwe, Bongi Mbonambi and Andre-Hugo Venter will all be in the mix, while youngster Ethan Bester is at his first camp.
The lock and loose-forward positions are also sufficiently covered with youngsters and players who’ve had their Bok baptism of fire but need more Test caps to pick up more experience. Eighth man Cameron Hanekom is one who comes to mind, as well as the Stormers' Evan Roos.
Bok captain Salmaan Moerat and five-lock Ruan Nortje come to mind. Nortje is recovering from an injury but should be available for the international season, and it will be crucial to build out their Bok partnership.
In the backline, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, and Jurenzo Julius (all Sharks), Edwill van der Merwe, Quan Horn, Henco van Wyk (Lions), the Bulls’ Canan Moodie and Suleiman Hartzenberg (Stormers) have all had excellent seasons so far.
It’s probably at the back where Erasmus will mix and match to find the right combinations.
South African supporters will want to see more from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at flyhalf and Horn at fullback. But Hendrikse has also stepped up with some crucial URC performances for the Sharks. Like Feinberg-Mngomezulu, he is versatile enough to play at 10 and 15.
Van der Merwe will look to get another crack as a Springbok winger. He has been terrorising the defences of teams in the tournament, especially the local sides, and will be eager to pull the Bok jersey over his head again.
There is massive competition among the backs in South Africa, but there are enough Tests for Erasmus to try them out.
Our URC Springbok XV team based on the players attending the Springbok alignment camp: 15 Quan Horn (Lions), 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg (Stormers), 13 Henco van Wyk (Lions), 12 Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), 11 Edwill van der Merwe (Lions), 10 Jordan Hendrikse (Sharks), 9 Grant Williams (Sharks), 8 Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), 7 Ben-Jason Dixon (Stormers), 6 Marco van Staden (Bulls), 5 Ruan Nortje (Bulls), 4 Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), 3 Wilco Louw (Bulls), 2 Joseph Dweba (Stormers), 1 Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls).