Gudday Cobbers! I’ve got another debutant to roll out and this time it’s Starkey with his views about all things Bokke.

For those interested, the hero pic is of the very first Springbok touring team of 1906 with thanks to the guys at Rugbyrelics.com

Springbok snapshot: what to expect from Rassie in 2026

With the South African rugby franchises having swapped Super Rugby for the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup – while many Springbok stars are cotton-balled in the Japanese League – the World Cup champions now effectively disappear off the radar for most rugby-loving Aussie punters over the first half of the year.

Expect that to change in the coming months as the Boks host England, Scotland and Wales in July, New Zealand tour South Africa as part of the Greatest Rivalry Series in August and September before the traditional end of year tour to the Northern Hemisphere.

So, what should you expect from the other green and golds this season and how are they placed ahead of next year’s World Cup?

Springboks going incognito when on tour… Pic credit – City of Cape Town

Guru or Rugby IQ?

Whatever else is written about coach Rassie Erasmus, his impact on South African rugby since 2018 has been extraordinary. For too long Springbok teams lacked innovation and, if they succeeded, it often felt like it was despite the coaching structures and not because of them.

Erasmus is easily memed as a rugby guru in South Africa and as a threat to the spirit of game elsewhere. But he has done little more than embrace innovation and align it with traditional Springbok strengths. If this sounds more Moneyball than mythical then it’s because the addition of tactical intelligence and advanced analysis has gone hand-in-hand with selection skills and player management.

With an almost 80%-win rate over his tenure, it’s worked better than even the most one-eyed Bok fan could have hoped. But there are a set of numbers the coach has little control over as he eyes his aging first team as they approach the English this weekend.

Really…? Pic Credit to Ellisrugby.com

The Teams for this weekend:

South Africa: Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Nortje, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Damian Willemse

Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Zach Porthen, Marco van Staden, Cameron Hanekom, Cobus Reinach, Andre Esterhuizen, Canan Moodie

England Starting: George Furbank, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Seb Atkinson, Cadan Murley, Fin Smith, Jack van Poortvliet, Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Ollie Chessum, George Martin, Alex Coles, Joe Heyes, Jamie George (captain), Ellis Genge.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Charlie Ewels, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith.

Jamie George asking himself what the hell just happened… Pic credit to springboks.rugby

By the numbers

After fielding experimental teams for last weekend’s hit outs (Boks v Barbarians, SA A v Zimbabwe), Erasmus has picked an experienced backline and Jurassic pack for England on Saturday, in what is arguably the strongest team he could currently select. The run-on 15 has north of 900 caps, with 5 having started the 2019 World Cup Final and 8 the 2023 final.

But while individual 50 and 100-cap milestones will be sprinkled across every second test this season, the reality is that 11 of the 15 to face England are aged over 30. Stalwarts like Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian de Allende will have passed 35 by the time the Springboks play their first 2027 World Cup game against Italy in Adelaide.

To freshen up his squad, Erasmus has cast the net wide with around 50 players representing the Boks over each of the past two seasons and even more being invited to periodic ‘alignment camps’. He has already indicated that players not selected in the initial 46-man Nations Championship squad will be called up as this season progresses.

Some in the Republic have argued that this cheapens the jersey, but most accept the need to test new combinations and manage the minutes of established players ahead of next year’s tilt at a third straight World Cup title.

Rassie doing the numbers…sort of…

Succession planning

Gun players like Pieter-Steph du Toit, Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe are impossible to replace directly. Nor can the leadership and experience of Kolisi (103 caps) and Etzebeth (141 caps) be easily replicated. But at the same time there is a sense that the old guard are being challenged and, in some positions, are no longer first choice.

This is more noticeable in the backline where Faf de Klerk and Willie le Roux are unlikely to return to the squad, while Handre Pollard will continue to share gametime at flyhalf with breakout star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Tony Brown-favourite Manie Libbok. Excellent performances from Ethan Hooker, Cannan Moodie and Aphelele Fassi in the Boks record win over the All Blacks in Wellington last year has ensured they are always in the conversation when squads are selected.

Amongst the forwards, the picture is less clear. Prop is an area of both strength and great depth at all age profiles despite Steven Kitsoff retiring, Frans Malherbe battling long-term injury and Vincent Koch seemingly surpassed by younger tightheads like Zachary Porthen. With Bongi Mbonambi out of favour, hooker is an area of concern and Bok fans will be hoping one of the Bull’s duo of Jan-Hendrick Wessels or Johan Grobbelaar can make the team less reliant on 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx.

Lock is another area where options look thin, although this is mainly due to injury. RG Snyman, Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager and junior Bok captain Riley Norton will all miss the start of the international season while Erasmus has so far resisted the urge to select Northampton Saints bruiser JJ van der Mescht. It leaves Pieter-Steph du Toit as the only lock cover for the returning Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje on Saturday and he may spend more time in the second row over the coming weeks. This along with captain Kolisi’s carefully managed minutes and Kwagga Smith reportedly a long-term injury absentee should create opportunity on both flanks as the season progresses.

South Africa Rugby is worried about age and grocery bills…

One to watch

At 24, Cameron Hanekom should have more than one test cap (versus Wales in 2024) but lost much of 2025 to injury. While closer to Duane Vermeulen in size and playing style, he is likely to start the season alternating between taking Kwagga Smith’s place in the Bomb Squad (covering 6,7 & 8) and rotating with Jasper Wiese at 8. His selection along with other relative youngsters Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zachary Porthen on the bench this Saturday suggests the Boks have learned at least one lesson from their capitulation to the Wallabies at the same venue last year: if you want to play more attacking rugby, it helps to have youth and speed in reserve.

So that’s my first offering for the greater glory of Green and Gold Rugby. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for having me aboard and give me your thoughts below.

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