The Springboks’ 2025 Test season is fast approaching, and in fact there are less than three months to go before the first ‘warm-up’ match of sorts that is expected to be played against the Barbarians in June.
Rassie Erasmus has made it clear that he has requested an extensive fixture schedule in order to really rotate the squad and take a look at some of the ‘next gen’ talent available to him.
One player who is certainly not unfamiliar to the Springbok coaches is Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who already featured in three Tests last year.
The powerhouse forward has gone from strength to strength since then, and his latest performance for the Bulls certainly caught the eye once again as the Bulls claimed a comfortable win over Bayonne on Saturday in the southwest of France to progress to the Challenge Cup last eight.
Weighing in at around 120kg, while standing over 1.90m tall, Wessels continues to make a massive impression with his mobility and work rate.
His sharp upward trajectory as a player does come at a time when there are those who question whether he should specialist at loosehead prop or hooker, but ultimately there is simply no doubting what a weapon he could be for the Springboks.
Following the retirement of Steven Kitshoff, there may be some sense in Wessels beginning to focus more on the loosehead position, but then the Springbok coaches may also see great value in his potential to serve as a successor to Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx.
Either way, there is every indication that the Springboks will be able to deploy a weapon of mass destruction in Wessels, who is a breakthrough star on the rise.
Coach Rassie Erasmus has already made it clear that up-and-coming youngsters are set to receive ample opportunities this season.
“The message we drove through (at our alignment camps) was that it will take a squad effort to perform this season because it won’t be a group of 23 or 25 players that will be doing it for us this year.
“The so-called older players understand that in order to prolong their careers they’ll have to transfer knowledge to the younger guys, and at the same time the younger guys know the door is open to work their way into the matchday 23.
“We won’t always play the same matchday squad, so it’s beneficial for a younger guy and the coaches to get new ideas.”
SPRINGBOKS’ 2025 TEST SCHEDULE:
TBC: vs Barbarians, TBC, TBC
5 July: vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
12 July: vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland
13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington
27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban
4 October: vs Argentina, London
1 November: vs Wales, Cardiff
8 November: vs France, Paris
15 November: vs Italy, Turin
22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin
*SA Rugby are working on adding two more Tests for the Springboks, likely to be against Japan and Portugal
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THESE PLANS?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/springboks-a-breakthrough-star-is-born/
