Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus will have to deal without the services of front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels for the November internationals.
The Bulls forward was included in the Springboks‘ touring squad and linked up with the team in London despite the fact that he was still awaiting a final verdict on his suspension, which he opted to appeal.
Wessels was issued with a nine-week ban after it was alleged that he ‘squeezed and twisted’ the testicles of Connacht flanker Josh Murphy during the round four United Rugby Championship clash in Galway.
The front-rower appealed the suspension, which resulted in a week reduction of his ban, not nearly enough to feature for the Boks next month.
Erasmus was hopeful that he would be able to rely on the services of Wessels with the appeal going their way; however, their attempts to lift the suspension have failed, meaning that the Boks must make alternative plans.
It’s a particularly heavy blow for South Africa as they may need to call upon the services of not just one but two players, as Wessels’ utility meant that he covered by hooker and loosehead prop for the side.
We take a look at the candidates in both positions.
Props
Erasmus included three loosehead props, other than Wessels, in his touring squad in the form of Boan Venter, Ox Nche and Gerhard Steenekamp.
The stocks on the tighthead side include uncapped Zachery Porthern, who will debut against Japan at Wembley, as well as Thomas du Toit and Wilco Louw.
The first question that will need to be answered is whether being three deep over five matches is sufficient cover, keeping in mind that one injury eliminates the possibility of hosting live scrum sessions in the week – Daan Human’s preferred method of training.
If not, then the loosehead prop stocks are quite bare, and the Springboks may need to rely on Du Toit’s versatility once again and call in another tighthead prop.
Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Neethling Fouche have both been included on the standby list for the Boks, with the former having the benefit of being more geographically placed as he is set to play for the Barbarians in Brentford this weekend against the All Blacks XV. Additionally, Fouche has lacked game time due to injury.
The third option lies in Sharks’ prop Vincent Koch, who has been omitted from the squad entirely. While his time in the Green and Gold jersey looks to be running out, he would be a great stopgap option for this tour. While he is a tighthead prop by trade, he has switched sides before, notably doing so against England.
If the Boks require a player to mostly train and perhaps fill a spot on the bench against Wales or even Italy, Koch is certainly more than capable.
Hookers
It may be touch-and-go whether the Springboks require prop cover; the situation at hooker is far more pressing, as Wessels was set to compete with Johan Grobbelaar for the role behind Malcolm Marx.
The trio would have been available for all five Tests, despite the first and last being outside of the official World Rugby window, but losing one hooker means that Erasmus will need to either ramp up his experimentation with Marco van Staden in the role or call in cover.
Further testing of Van Staden would still result in a lot of matchday minutes for Grobbelaar and Marx, which makes a call-up for a hooker all the more likely.
Like Ntlabakanye, Bongi Mbonambi and Andre-Hugo Venter could benefit from being near the squad as they too will turn out for the Baa-Baas, while Marnus van der Merwe wouldn’t have to endure a long-haul flight either.
The Scarlets hooker was involved throughout the year with the squad but was not selected for the November Tests, with Grobbelaar preferred. His omission could be down to the fact that he is based abroad and might not be available for selection against Japan and Wales.
Like Koch, Mbonambi also offers a solid, experienced option for the Boks to call upon. He is well-liked in the squad and knows all the structures.
As for Venter, the one-cap Bok could benefit from time with the squad. The 24-year-old is bound to play more for the Test team in the coming years as he continues to develop. He is far from the finished product, but Erasmus isn’t one to shy away from the ‘sink or swim’ approach.
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