Following the announcement of Rassie Erasmus’ 54-man Springboks squad for the upcoming July internationals, we select our winners and losers.
The Springboks kick-off their season with a historic clash against the Barbarians in Cape Town before the focus shifts to back-to-back Tests against Italy.
That is followed by a one-off clash with Georgia before their Rugby Championship title defence kicks off.
After 50 players represented the Springboks in 2024, Erasmus is still casting a wide net with nine uncapped players included in his squad to begin preparations for the new season and the head coach has thrown a few curveballs yet again.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Ntokozo Makhaza
The most glaringly obvious winner. Only the South African public will really know the name Ntokozo Makhaza for his exploits in the Varsity Cup where he steered Ikeys – University of Cape Town – to glory this year.
His exploits have not only caught the eye of Erasmus but also the Cheetahs who have snapped him up ahead of the Currie Cup. What makes the call-up so remarkable is that the talented outside back – who also kicks for goal – is yet to feature in a fully professional match.
An ultimate bolter. A player with raw talent whose biggest stage so far has been playing rugby in front of drunk students now gets the opportunity every young kid in South Africa dreams of.
Renzo du Plessis
From one bolter to another. Renzo du Plessis was a standout performer for the Lions as they charged into the Currie Cup final last year but it took some time for him to really burst onto the scene in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
He featured off the bench from rounds two to six and once in the Challenge Cup before his appearances became more sporadic.
However, he finished the season off with three blockbuster performances in the URC, all in the starting XV, and has catapulted himself into serious contention for a Test debut.
A livewire flanker around the park, he is a real threat at the breakdown but has pace and power to back it up on either side of the ball. He adds to the depth on the openside of the scrum for the Boks along with the likes of Siya Kolisi, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden and potentially Cameron Hanekom.
Jean-Luc du Preez
It’s been tough going for the Du Preez brothers who have regularly been there or thereabouts in terms of Test selection in recent years.
They have both been invited to multiple camps and been part of the wider squads without getting caps for the Springboks but this year Jean-Luc may well buck the trend.
He has enjoyed another stellar season with Sale Sharks – his last before joining Bordeaux – and offers Erasmus real utility being able to slot into any of three loose forward positions and lock.
With Elrigh Louw missing the entirety of the Springboks 2025 season through injury, Du Preez has the opportunity to plug the Bulls star’s void and perhaps even cement a more permanent position in the squad.
Juarno Augustus
Juarno Augustus is another Premiership loose forward who has performed consistently for his club but has been regularly overlooked by Erasmus and his staff until now.
He was a driving force in helping Northampton Saints to the Investec Champions Cup final and has seemingly usurped Evan Roos in the pecking order.
Now that the door is ajar for him to make his long-awaited Test debut, it’s up to him to take the opportunity.
The other six uncapped players
Despite blooding 12 new international players last year, Erasmus is still eager to cast a wide net in his second season after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Marnus van der Merwe, Neethling Fouche, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Cobus Wiese, Vincent Tshituka and Ethan Hooker join Du Plessis, Makhaza and Augustus to take the number of uncapped players to nine. And frankly, they are all deserving considering their form this season.
Van der Merwe has been a revelation at Scarlets after initially catching the Springboks selectors’ eyes last year. His performances with the Welsh outfit has seen him move ahead of Bulls’ Johan Grobbelaar and Stormers’ Joseph Dweba in the pecking order.
Meanwhile, Fouche has impressed in the absence of the injured Frans Malherbe at the Stormers and after previous involvement with the squad he will be eager to go one step further than 2024 by earning his debut.
He will have to fight for his debut as he competes for the nod with the Lions’ towering tighthead Ntlabakanye.
Additionally, Wiese could follow in his brother’s footsteps in representing the Springboks after his maiden call-up to an official squad. The 28-year-old has been excellent in the Bulls’ pack since returning to South Africa from the Sale Sharks and offers utility with his ability to play at lock and blindside.
Finally, Hooker has been sensational for the Sharks on the wing this season despite being primarily at centre and joins the squad along with clubmate Tshituka who has finally been given the green light to represent the Springboks.
Lood de Jager
A long-awaited return for powerhouse lock Lood de Jager who could finally add to his 66 Test caps having last pulled on the Green and Gold jersey ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The second-rower was a regular starter for the Boks post 2016 following the retirement of Victor Matfield and his return is a major boost to the side’s lineout. A true general of the set-piece, he looks set to rekindle his partnership with Eben Etzebeth whom he has packed down in the starting XV on 39 occasions in the Bok jersey.
De Jager has endured a torrid run of injuries and an infection that saw him miss the 2023 Rugby World Cup and will be eager to finally make his return to the highest stage.
Willie le Roux
It’s worth singling out the veteran full-back who is one of several experienced campaigners vying to reach the 100 Test cap milestone.
Willie le Roux has been a real servant of South African Rugby over the years and while Erasmus has admitted the desire to get him to the milestone, his recent form is more than deserving of inclusion in the squad.
Aphelele Fassi was fantastic at full-back last year as was Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu while the return of Damian Willemse makes Le Roux’s chances of making the starting XV all the more difficult but he thoroughly deserves the opportunity to raise the bat in 2025 in what could well be his final year of international rugby.
Losers
Evan Roos
Roos was a notable exclusion from the last alignment camp and Erasmus has snubbed the Stormers’ back-rower yet again as he opted to retain the same 54 players.
There have been conflicting reports as to why the loose forward was and has been omitted from the squad and perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But on evidence of the Stormers’ quarter-final defeat to Glasgow Warriors, it seems as if he has simply dropped down the pecking order.
Maybe Erasmus is sending a message to the talented number eight that he has to take his game up a few notches in order to earn a recall. Still, he can’t be too far away from cracking the team.
Overlooked hookers
Since 2018, the Springboks have primarily relied on two hookers: Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi. Schalk Brits came in to provide a supporting role at the end of his career while Dweba was the back-up option from 2021 to 2023 but didn’t make the cut for the World Cup squad.
2024 looked set to be the year that Grobbelaar nailed down a spot in the squad with Erasmus declaring him as the clear third-choice hooker but that all changed when he was dropped, and later recalled, from the squad as the year progressed.
Heading into the 2025 season, the Bok coaching team has revisited the idea of Van der Merwe as an option with Grobbelaar and Dweba failing to crack the squad with Jan-Hendrik Wessels offering versatility at prop and hooker.
Stormers hooker Andre-Hugo Venter has also been overlooked as the Bok coaching team look to persist with the double Rugby World Cup winners.
Snubbed loosies
The depth of the Springboks’ back-rower looks rather ridiculous considering those that have been selected but even more so when one considers the talent that has been left out.
Ruan Venter and Marcell Coetzee are notable exclusions, the pair have been excellent this season with the latter continually overlooked and has perhaps played his final game in Green and Gold.
Then there is Sharks loosie Phepsi Buthelezi who debuted last year and will surely get another look in somewhere down the line. While Du Plessis has had his form with the Lions recognised, the same is not true for clubmates JC Pretorius or Francke Horn – though the latter is currently sidelined.
While JL du Preez has earned a recall, his brother Dan remains on the fringe of the squad while Hanro Liebenberg continues to tear up trees for Leicester Tigers but not at a rate that has persuaded the Bok coaches.
Injured stars
A catch-22 for Malherbe, Louw, Ben-Jason Dixon, Deon Fourie and Trevor Nyakane who were all namechecked by SA Rugby as players who were not considered for selection due to injury.
On one hand, they will all be disappointed to not be in the squad because of their setbacks and that’s part of the game but on the other hand, they have been recognised as players who are very much in the mix for selection.
READ MORE: ‘We stand with Jaden’ – Siya Kolisi breaks Sharks’ silence on Hendrikse’s ‘wink gate’
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/springboks-squad-winners-and-losers-as-rassie-erasmus-selects-ultimate-bolters-while-evan-roos-remains-out-in-the-cold
