OPINION: Is 2026 the year of the Springboks’ evolution?
· Citizen
The 2026 international season is shaping up to be an important one for the Springboks as the management will need to make some big decisions about what the larger squad will look like heading into a Rugby World Cup year in 2027.
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Currently the Boks have a large number of double World Cup winners in their squad, who are still playing at a high level, but they also have a number of exciting youngsters knocking loudly on the door, and coach Rassie Erasmus will need to know by the end of this season who he will be backing at the World Cup in Australia next year.
The question for Erasmus and his coaching staff will be whether to back his experienced core and see if they have the juice to claim an unprecedented third straight Webb Ellis Cup, or if they will give some of the younger players a bigger role in the team and mix things up.
If you look at the Springboks’ starting XV for their Nations Championship opener against England at Ellis Park on Saturday, it is an extremely experienced team, featuring just four players under the age of 30, namely Ruan Nortje (27), Damian Willemse (28), Manie Libbok (28) and Grant Williams (29).
Younger bench
The bench features a few younger players, with Zach Porthen (22), Canan Moodie (23), Cameron Hanekom (24) and Jan-Hendrik Wessels (25), all set for long Bok careers.
But should a few more youngsters be pushed into the starting mix, or is it better to back the older guys who are still performing at the top of their game?
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (24) will definitely be in the Boks’ starting mix when he is fit, but should players like Moodie, Ethan Hooker (23) when fit, Wessels, and the injured Ruan Venter (23), be given bigger roles going into the World Cup in Australia?
Some older players will certainly be on trial this year, but we will see what the coaches decide over the season.
And, having won an incredible 23 games and lost just four over the previous two seasons, Erasmus seems to have things under control.