Bokrometer: Breaking down Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks squad, Thomas ‘The Tank’ du Toit’s ‘masterclass’ and URC standouts

The international season is almost upon us and as the Springboks’ first Test match against Wales draws ever nearer, we take stock of the players pressing for high honours and attempting to impress Rassie Erasmus.

Ahead of his second stint as the head coach of the Boks, Erasmus showed his hand in announcing his official training squad ahead of the Test against Warren Gatland’s charges at Twickenham Stadium.

In this week’s Bokrometer, we do a quick dive into the squad and also take a closer look at the performances of Springbok hopefuls in the URC quarter-finals, the final round of the Top 14 and the Premiership final.

The first 35: Inclusions, injuries and availability

Although it should go without saying, we will state it nonetheless: a player does not automatically forfeit their chance to play for the Springboks this season just because they have not been named into the squad.

With the disclaimer that “among a handful of players,” SA Rugby mentioned Steven Kitshoff, Lood de Jager, and Jaden Hendrikse among the several injuries.

Except for Jasper Wiese, Handre Pollard, and Andre Esterhuizen, no books published in France or England have been included. Pollard will be available against Ireland and other opponents even though he is only currently permitted to train with the team. While Esterhuizen is qualified to play against Wales, Wiese is suspended, according to information obtained by Planet Rugby.

Even yet, there are some intriguing additions: the squad was originally announced with 11 uncapped players, but after Cheslin Kolbe’s injury, Mpilo Gumede was added, bringing the total to 12.

Phepsi Buthelezi, Gumede, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, and Andre-Hugo Venter are the uncapped forwards that Erasmus has called up. It is evident that he is aiming to add some young faces and assess the depth of the Bok.

Thank you for a great season, backs Jordan Hendrikse, Quan Horn, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Siya Masuku, Ethan Hooker, and Sacha Feinberg-Mgomezulu.s.

Surprise call-ups, snubs

Although there were so many uncapped players called into the squad, there were very few surprises, with all but two of the players being invited to the alignment camps.

Sharks centre Hooker and Lions flyer Van der Merwe are those two players, with the former shining alongside and in the absence of Lukhanyo Am. His performances in the latter stages of the season, as well as the Challenge Cup final, have seemingly twisted Erasmus’ arm.

Meanwhile, Van der Merwe is a like-for-like replacement for injured stars Kurt-Lee Arendse and Kolbe, who are both in doubt for the upcoming internationals. A pocket-rocket speedster with a lethal side-step, he fits the bill and will be eager to take his opportunity with both hands.

Perhaps the two most glaring omissions came from the Stormers, with in-form lock Ruben van Heerden overlooked, along with young back Suleiman Hartzenberg. Meanwhile, the Lions had no Springbok inclusions last year, and while several stars received deserved call-ups, playmaker Sanele Nohamba was a stark absentee on the list; there is doubt around his fitness following a head knock but he will be gutted he didn’t get his shot, after shining at scrum-half and fly-half throughout the season.

Thomas du Toit

Ahead of the Premiership final, Planet Rugby sat down with Bath’s star signing Thomas du Toit, who made his Springbok aspirations clear and while he spoke well before the showpiece event, he let his actions do the talking on the pitch.

Frankly, it would be an absurd decision from the Bok staff not to select the ex-Sharks prop, who did 50-odd minutes at tighthead prop before seamlessly switching to the opposite side for the final 30, producing a scrummaging masterclass in both positions. He is a marvellous swing prop, and one cannot help but think this is his World Cup cycle, where he can really rack up the cap tally.

Despite falling agonisingly short in the final, Bath were superb even though they played an hour of it with 14-men and Du Toit well and truly led the charge. Some will argue Sam Underhill, but in this writer’s humble opinion, the South African prop was far and away the best player on the pitch on Saturday afternoon, starring at the stadium where he was shown a red card against England in 2021.

He grabbed a try, made two turnovers, dominated the scrums and racked up 14 tackles – the highest tally in the match. Simply sensational.

Juarno Augustus

Staying with the Premiership final and on the opposite side of the pitch, Juarno Augustus put in a dynamite shift that will certainly not go unnoticed by the Bok coaches.

Despite getting clobbered in the chin by Beno Obano, who was promptly sent-off, Augustus hammered into the Bath defence and was equally effective on defence, with his performance capped off with a winner’s medal.

Johan Grobbelaar

It is not the first time that Bokrometer has addressed the form of the Bulls’ front-row, but they have certainly justified the chatter, and despite an underwhelming performance in victory over Benetton, hooker Johan Grobbelaar did not let his standards drop.

He continues to produce solid set-piece performances and did so again on Saturday while hitting his jumper with every lineout dart.

Cameron Hanekom

The Springbok number eight jersey is up for grabs in the first few rounds of the international season, and Cameron Hanekom put in a noteworthy shift against Benetton.

He hammered into a game-high of 20 tackles despite playing just an hour, won two turnovers and got his hands on the ball plenty with two offloads, five passes and four carries.

He is a real all-action loose forward, and despite his youthfulness, he is looking more and more like a long-term Springbok squad member.

Elrigh Louw

Again, a player we have touched on several times throughout the season. Elrigh Louw has been incredibly consistent for the Bulls and that did not change in the play-offs.

He racked up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball and thrives at blindside for Jake White’s charges.

Ben-Jason Dixon

Staying with the flankers, Dixon showed why he was getting a look-in to the Bok squad with another bruising shift for the Stormers against Glasgow Warriors.

Despite a poor performance from the Stormers, Dixon shone, taking the fight to Glasgow and was excellent in every facet of the game.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

With Damian Willemse injured, the Stormers needed a spark in their backline and they certainly got it from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who brilliantly set up a try that looked to have put the Stormers on track to victory.

While it was not to be, the youngster starred for the Stormers as he done so whenever fit this season. A debut is just a matter of time at this point.

Boks in the Top 14

Teams fought for finishing positions in the Top 14’s last round, and since Montpellier was already scheduled to play in a promotion-relegation game, players like Jan Serfontein and Cobus Reinach were rested.

Siya Kolisi and Trevor Nyakane were picked in the starting XV for Racing 92 against La Rochelle, as the team looked to secure a spot in the play-offs. Even though Racing 92 lost 24–19, it was still enough to qualify for the playoffs. Dillyn Leyds crossed to attempt a La Rochelle try in the interim.