As South Africa builds towards their Rugby World Cup title defence, Rassie Erasmus has pinpointed a position where the Springboks are thin on depth.
The head coach made use of around 50 players in 2024 and 2025, with pundits and fans praising the vast quality that the Boks have at their disposal, but Erasmus still has his concerns.
He has identified lock as a potential issue going forward, taking into account the age of the settled squad members, but also the lack of international experience in the tier below.
Fly-half and lock stocks
Double Rugby World Cup-winning locks Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager are all vastly experienced but are also into their 30s. RG Snyman is 31 years old but is based in the northern hemisphere, meaning that he isn’t always available for selection or for all the alignment camps.
Meanwhile, the likes of Ruan Nortje and Salmaan Moerat are relatively inexperienced in terms of caps, with the same true for Jean Kleyn, who is also over 30.
Erasmus expressed his concerns over the depth in the second-row after being asked about the fly-half stocks in South Africa, which the Bok coaching team is relatively comfortable with at the moment.
“We saw it with New Zealand [in 2015]; they lost Cruden, Carter, Slade, and they phoned Donald, and they still won,” he said.
“My honest opinion is that we are thin at lock, if you look at our lock depth, age bracket, and the number of caps that we have there. Ruan and Salmaan are the settled, average-aged guys.
“Having six fly-halves might not be enough sometimes, but currently we have those three [Handre Pollard, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok] plus Jordan Hendrikse and Damian Willemse, who can play there, and you feel safe, but in two weeks, three guys go down, and Damian is your starting guy, and Jordan has to play a big match.”
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Getting players into the squad
The Springboks boss further explained just how important it is to get players into the mix, even when it seems as though caps are just being handed out.
“I think spreading the load like Jaden and Jordan played against Wales two years ago, and then they have that experience. Jaden has played big matches for us against the All Blacks. So getting the guys in sometimes looks like you are just giving caps away, but it gives them confidence in being comfortable in the situation,” he continued.
“So if you really have to push on their button, he isn’t coming into it feeling that it is new and feeling his way. Five fly-halves is probably enough; that’s how we feel currently.
“A guy like Ntuthuko Mchunu hasn’t played a lot, but he has trained with us, he came back from an injury, he is settled, and he scrummed well against Wilco Louw. Sometimes it’s just to know that when you need this guy, he can play at this level. There are guys ahead of him, but if we need him, he can do it.
“Sometimes it’s not just a comfort zone; it’s knowing that the guy has been part of your team.”
David Ribbans following Jean Kleyn?
Ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, SA Rugby made use of World Rugby’s birthright transfer regulation in order to select Kleyn, who had represented Ireland at the tournament four years prior.
There is an opportunity to do so again ahead of Australia 2027 with RC Toulon lock David Ribbans, who represented England in France.
The 30-year-old last featured for England at the tournament and would become eligible to switch international allegiance this year if he wishes to do so, as he is not currently eligible to be selected by Steve Borthwick.
Ribbans has played down the prospect of doing so in an interview with the Telegraph.
“Would I consider it? You never say never with these things, and South Africa was my home originally, but England has become my second home, and I was super proud to play for them. I find it a bit strange when players play for two countries,” Ribbans told the publication last April.
“This is no slight on the Springboks, who are an amazing team. It’s just my view, and I’m a bit stubborn in it. I’d put aside the potential glory for that because it wouldn’t be right towards England.”
When asked about the potential of swooping in for Ribbans, Erasmus said that the thought ‘definitely’ crossed the coaches’ minds, but explained that the ‘practicality’ doesn’t always make it worthwhile.
He added that the Springboks also don’t want to limit players’ future opportunities, referencing Bristol Bears centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, who has been given special compensation to switch his international allegiance to England.
“A guy like Benhard Janse van Rensburg, I think he is awesome. If he were currently in South Africa? Would you just cap him to stop him from not playing for England? Do we really need him? Or are we just blocking a guy’s future, or just being weird by picking him?” he said.
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Adding that if the Springboks were ‘really in trouble’, they might make a plan for a player like Ribbans, but pointed to another player that they could turn to.
“Also, JJ van der Mescht will he have enough time [before the World Cup], and will we have enough hands-on time with him to get him into the Springbok culture and shape,” he continued.
“With every player we bring in, we let him understand how we do things and see how he handles the training sessions. I think JJ is a monster of a guy, 150kgs, 27 years old. Will we have enough time with him? Will he understand our culture? Do we really need him? At this stage, we look at our locks; it’s RG on that side, Eben is suspended, and all of them are past 30.”
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Pandemic’s impact
Diving further into the Springboks’ lock depth, Erasmus believes that it is a position that has been impacted by the 2020 pandemic, which hampered the development of the junior structures.
“Salmaan has done a lot for us. I know there are a lot of people who criticise him, but he does things for us sometimes in the team that help us in the way we want to play,” he added.
“We have tried the other Ruan [Venter] to see if he could maybe do a job at lock. I think that the COVID era, where we lost three years of guys getting through Craven Week and the junior structures, it’s costing us in a way. But we’re looking at Ribbans and all the options. Not to say that those guys are getting their hopes up and think that they are in the Springboks mix.
“But if you look at the succession planning, some of it we will have to make some big calls in certain positions where guys haven’t come through.”