As the Springboks’ 2025 season draws ever closer, Rassie Erasmus has made it clear that this will be another year in which he expands the depth available to the national team by balancing game-time between seniors and newcomers.

There are a number of youngsters knocking on the door, but someone who is undoubtedly kicking that door down is none other than Sharks star Ethan Hooker.

The 22-year-old is just at the start of a promising career, but the Junior Springbok has already enjoyed a meteoric rise for the Sharks, establishing himself as a key member of a star-studded starting line-up in Durban.

On his route to the senior set up, Hooker won the SA Rugby U20 Cup and also formed part of the SA U20 squad that claimed a bronze medal at the World Rugby U20 Championship.

Boasting raw pace and power, the 1.94m and 100kg newcomer has since enjoyed a breakthrough season for the Sharks in the URC, boasting the ability to play on the wing or in the midfield.

It’s unlikely that the Springbok coaches will consider him at centre just yet, but there is every reason to believe his integration into Test rugby could come via the wing, where he has been in top form this past season.

The Springboks are blessed with depth on the left wing, but it’s on the right wing where the national coaches will be keen to explore some back up options to Cheslin Kolbe in order to manage his game time effectively.

This is where Hooker could certainly come into the picture, with his work rate, physicality, size and speed ticking all the boxes that would surely appeal to Rassie Erasmus and his team.

Take this to the bank, a breakthrough year beckons on the horizon for Ethan Hooker.

Remember the name!

SPRINGBOKS’ 2025 TEST SCHEDULE AND KICK-OFF TIMES (SA TIME):

28 June: vs Barbarians, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:05.
5 July: vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. Kick off: 17:10.
12 July: vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha. Kick off: 17:10.
19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Kick off: 17:10.
16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Kick off: 17:10.
23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:10.
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland. Kick off: 09:05.
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington. Kick off: 09:05.
27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban. Kick off: 17:10.
4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00.
8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: TBD.
15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: TBD.
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40.
29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10.

*SA Rugby are working on adding one more Test for the Springboks, likely to be against Japan.

WHICH SA FIXTURES ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR?

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Meanwhile, here is an important reminder on ticket sales for the Springbok men’s game against Argentina in the Rugby Championship at Twickenham in October.

Ticket sales

Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.co.uk and England Rugby, starting from just £55* for adults and £28* for Under-16s.

(*booking fees apply)

Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/one-young-star-set-for-breakthrough-year-with-springboks/