SPRINGBOK coach Rassie Erasmus went tor the tried and trusted troops for the End of Year Tour. BackpagePix
The Springboks will have little space for experimenting on their Year-End Tour, which is why head coach Rassie Erasmus almost entirely went for the tried-and-trusted when he selected his 35-man squad.
If the world champions truly want to say that they currently boast the best player depth of any rugby-playing nation and should be regarded as arguably the most successful side in the game’s history, ending the November tour without any losses must be their main priority.
Scotland (Sunday, November 10) will be up first in Edinburgh before the South Africans take on their 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final opponents England on November 16 at Twickenham. They will end the Test season as they started it in June this year against Wales (November 23) in Cardiff. Wales will be out for some revenge after losing heavily to an understrength and experimental Bok side in London.
🇿🇦 OTD: Manie Libbok’s perfect no-look crossfield kick against Scotland.
— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) September 10, 2024
Crazy to think how much has changed since then… #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/ucVYAwn2Nz
The double World Cup winners will fly out to Jersey tomorrow and there could be a nervous wait for fitness reports with the final round of United Rugby Championship (URC) matches played before the November Test window. More than half of Erasmus’s squad will be in action for their South African and Irish clubs this weekend.
Should everyone come through the matches unscathed and without injuries, they will all link up in Jersey ahead of a full week of acclimatisation and preparation on the Channel Island before travelling to Scotland for the Murrayfield duel. This week, Erasmus already had to withdraw utility front rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels with an injury, calling up fellow Bulls teammates Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) and tighthead Wilco Louw.
After losing only two Tests this year - which includes winning back-to-back clashes against Australia and the All Blacks - the Springboks will be out to complete a clean sweep on their Northern Hemisphere tour and the only hiccups the Boks are bound to come across will likely be with team selection and who to play when.
Handré Pollard brought his kicking prowess to help @Springboks beat England in their #RWC2023 semi-final clash 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/y9THDaFe8d
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 24, 2024
The flyhalf conundrum has partially been solved with the injury to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the specific gameplan for each of the three games, will largely dictate if the Boks opt for the magic of Manie Libbok or go with the tried and trusted calmness of Handré Pollard.
Pollard knows how to tame the English, and Libbok loves a cheeky no-look crossfield kick against the Scottish.
The scrumhalf on the day, between Jaden Hendrikse, Cobus Reinach and Grant Williams, will likely also depend on who is selected at flyhalf.
Five-lock is the other position Bok supporters will look at with keen eyes. RG Snyman and Franco Mostert are both fit and will be raring to get a run in the second row after missing a big chunk of the 2024 season. With Bulls lock Ruan Nortje making a massive impression in their absence, Erasmus will have some big calls to make concerning his lineout callers in the next three Tests.
Erasmus said this week they expect a very different challenge compared to that of the Rugby Championship teams.
“They play a different brand of rugby to that which we faced in the Rugby Championship, which we enjoy because it tests us differently...”
“The November internationals always present a good challenge for us because the teams we will line up against are among the top sides in the world and they play a different brand of rugby to that which we faced in the Rugby Championship, which we enjoy because it tests us differently and allows us to grow as a team.”
While the Springboks have been throwing caution to the wind with their gameplan in the last 10 Tests, the expected wet conditions up north will certainly give the Boks food for thought as to how they want to approach the matches. Luckily, all four URC teams have recently played matches in the UK and their players will be familiar with the conditions.
The training camp in Jersey should also give them enough time to figure out some more clever plans via assistant coaches Tony Brown and Mzwandile Stick to use against Scotland, England and the Welsh.
After winning the Championship for the first time since 2019 and a full Southern Hemisphere title since 2009, going unbeaten on their Year-end tour will be another milestone the Boks will look to achieve to add to a successful season under the returning Erasmus.
Springbok squad for the November tour:
Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls)
Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks)
Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster)
Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (captain, Sharks), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks)
Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Grant Williams (Sharks)
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (Stormers), Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers)
Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)
Outside backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Damian Willemse (Stormers)