Springboks v All Blacks: Rassie Erasmus’ five selection headaches for Cape Town showdown

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed that he would be making changes for the second Test match against the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship.

The Bok boss has delayed his team naming to tackle New Zealand in the clash at DHL Stadium in Cape Town to Thursday and while he may have planned some tactical alternations, he will be forced into making some.

The heavyweight clash at Ellis Park certainly took its toll as the Springboks were forced to fight back to overturn a 10-point deficit and two starters from that clash will be absent in the Mother City.

We run through five of the selection headaches that Erasmus and his coaching staff could still be discussing for the second match.

Key injuries to Siya Kolisi and Kurt-Lee Arendse
Erasmus will have to change his skipper for the second Test match as Siya Kolisi copped a nasty blow to the face from All Blacks‘ flanker Sam Cane – a tackle that was deemed to be only worthy of a penalty- but more on the captaincy shortly.

The real concern is who replaces Kolisi in the starting XV and at the same time, who fills star winger Kurt-Lee Arendse’s void after he suffered a concussion.

Erasmus is not short on options when it comes to replacing Kolisi in his starting XV but much will rely on how the Bok boss plans to fill the skillsets that the flanker adds to the team. The likes of Kwagga Smith and Marco van Staden could fill the breakdown excellence void that Kolisi leaves with the pair even offering more of a threat to the All Blacks’ rucks. Smith would also fill the smart running lines and edge attack that Kolisi has provided to Tony Brown’s new attacking system.

Meanwhile, Elrigh Louw could be added to the starting XV on the side of the scrum with the Springboks effectively then opting for two blindside flankers adding more carrying and lineout options. Number eight Wiese or even Louw could fulfill the attacking duties but both are also excellent in regards to attacking rucks. Van Staden was the man Erasmus turned to when Kolisi was rested against Australia and could be the frontrunner for the role.

Arendse has been lethal for the Springboks since making his Test debut in 2022 scoring a mind-boggling 17 tries in 20 games. While his unavailability is a blow, Erasmus is not short on options. Canan Moodie is yet to feature for the Springboks this year due to injury but now that he is fit and firing again after impressing in the Currie Cup for the Bulls, he could be a straightforward selection. Moodie is seen as a possible option at outside centre, where he shone against the All Blacks at Twickenham.

While Moodie is a threatening young prospect, Erasmus also has the option of the tried, tested and proven quality of Makazole Mapimpi who was on fire for the Sharks this past weekend running in a hat-trick in just 27 minutes. Mapimpi might be losing a touch of pace but is still world-class in his own right.

The Springboks coaching team love versatile options and they could turn to them to fill Arendse’s void as centres Jesse Kriel and Lukhanyo Am could both slip into the winger role – the former doing so after Arendse left the pitch. Both players have impressed against the All Blacks on the wing previously and could be asked to do so again in Cape Town with their defensive brilliance being a main highlight of their games and a much-needed trait in the Bok system.

Lastly, and perhaps more unlikely would be Aphelele Fassi moving to the wing. The ‘Weekend Special’ started at fullback at Ellis Park but earned his first three Test caps on the wing. While he wouldn’t be a poor choice in the position, the aforementioned stars just seem more likely as it is fewer moving parts.

Who captains the side?

This year, Kolisi has shared the captaincy duties with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Salmaan Moerat while Eben Etzebeth has also taken the metaphorical armband in the latter stages of Test matches.

Du Toit has a serious engine on him and despite playing so much for the Boks already this year, he is bound to be in the starting lineup again and could take the responsibility having really come to the fore as a leader again after his inspirational half-time talk at the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Etzebeth showed no signs of his niggle impacting his game and is set to return to the starting XV putting him in the frame to lead the side and perhaps at the expense of Moerat, who may well find himself on the bench having recovered from his concussion in the second Test match against Australia.

There is also scope for Bongi Mbonambi to lead his country for the third time having captained the team against Argentina before the World Cup last year and leading the side in the pool stage match against Romania.

Lastly, if Handre Pollard returns to the starting lineup, he could skipper South Africa for the second time in his career having been a long-time vice-captain.

Changes in the playmaker roles?

In recent weeks, Erasmus has repeatedly mentioned Pollard and Manie Libbok as potential starters despite the brilliant form of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The Boks boss will be wary of what occurred in 2022 when he and then-head coach Jacques Nienaber made wholesale changes after defeating the All Blacks in Nelspruit and came undone at Ellis Park.

Still, keeping the team fresh and asking different questions of the All Blacks – even Erasmus himself admitted that the Springboks could have easily lost in Johannesburg – will be in Rassie’s head.

Pollard came on at inside centre in the latter stages of the first Test and while it seems unlikely that he would start there, Erasmus has made bolder selections, and with Libbok’s place kicking still being wayward if the pair both feature against the All Blacks it could well be as a 10-12 axis.

This could see Feinberg-Mngomezulu being moved to the bench or in fact rested having played every Test match for the team so far this year but there may well be further changes in the playmaking roles.

While Fassi was excellent, Willie le Roux could return to provide more of a game-management threat to the All Blacks compared to Fassi’s athletic one. It’s an interesting trade-off, to say the least, and would not be down to the former’s performance at Ellis Park either.

Time for returning Boks?

Ahead of the first Test against the All Blacks, Erasmus recalled Moodie, Steven Kitshoff and Jaden Hendrikse to his squad, while Wiese returned from a lengthy suspension.

Only Wiese cracked the matchday 23 for the Ellis Park epic with Moodie and Kitshoff released for Currie Cup duty while Hendrikse was a spectator.

The quartet are all high-quality players who won the World Cup last year and Erasmus will now decide if the time is right for their returns.

Hendrikse’s potential return ties into the possible playmaking changes that the Boks could make. The scrum-half is held in high regard by the coaching team and could come straight back into the starting XV having enjoyed a strong run of form in the Currie Cup for the Sharks. Grant Williams would be more than deserving of a starting opportunity but he has been so excellent off the bench that moving him from that Bomb Squad role may not be in the best interests of the team. Cobus Reinach had a solid outing for the Boks at Ellis Park but could still fall out of the team to make way for Hendrikse.

Meanwhile, Kitshoff is bound to get an opportunity to reclaim his role in the Bok squad after Ox Nche and Gerhard Steenekamp shone in his absence. The All Blacks showed that their pack is no pushover and the return of the red-headed prop could be too tempting to resist even if it is on the bench.