On the eve of an important Springbok season, here’s a look at a few standout players expected to force their way into the Test set-up.

As it stands, the Springboks have 14 confirmed matches scheduled for the 2025 international season. One match against the Barbarians to kick off their campaign, followed by two Tests against Italy and one against Georgia, all at home in the mid-year international window.

South Africa’s focus will then shift to the Rugby Championship, where they’ll play two games each against Argentina (home and away), Australia (home), and New Zealand (away).

And the final stretch of the international campaign will the Springboks travel to Europe for once-off showdowns against Wales (Cardiff), France (Paris), Italy (Turin), and Ireland (Dublin).

But in a welcoming twist, SA Rugby have revealed they are trying to lock in two more Tests during their European excursion, which – if these plans come to fruition – would bring the Springboks’ Test tally to 15 and overall match count to 16.

This is at the behest of Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, who requested a busy Test schedule for 2025 as he has made it clear that he wants to continue mixing and matching with his selections, while exposing some more newcomers to Test rugby.

Now just who are some of these newcomers, you might wonder? Well, with the Springboks’ loose forward stocks taking a double injury hit in recent months – with Elrigh Louw and Jasper Wiese ruled out for the rest of the calendar year – there are bound to be several new faces and combinations in that back row, at least in the mid-year Test window before the Rugby Championship.

A the launch of the new partnership between the Springboks and leading detergent brand Omo in Johannesburg, we chatted to Louw and asked him who he thinks the frontrunners are to plug the gap in the Bok back row.

“There are plenty of loose forwards [coming through the ranks],” Louw admitted.

“I’m excited to see what Cameron Hanekom is going do. Franco Horn is in the [Springbok] mix, so I’m excited to see [what he doe] if he gets an opportunity and then there’s also Ruan Venter. But there are a lot of guys.”