Johan Grobbelaar is aiming to impress in his biggest match for the Springboks yet, when they take on France in Paris over the coming weekend.
Springbok hooker Johan Grobbelaar is set to get the biggest chance of his fledgling international career with him expected to be named in the match 23 for their blockbuster end-of-year-tour match against France in Paris on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Grobbelaar has been in and around the Springbok setup since 2021, but only made his debut last year, with him eventually playing three games, against Portugal, Australia and Wales.
This year however he was overlooked for the Bok squads for the Incoming Series and Rugby Championship, indicating that he had fallen out of favour.
But a strong start to the current United Rugby Championship (URC) season for the Bulls was enough to get him a recall for the end-of-year-tour to the UK and Europe, and he came off the bench over the past weekend in their big win over Japan, to earn his fourth cap.
Grobbelaar now looks set for his fifth cap, as players that are made available to the media in a match week are usually in the match 23, and he acknowledged the enormity of facing France in front of their home fans.
“It would be a massive opportunity (if I am selected). This is my first time in Paris, and to be here with players of this quality is awesome. I think it’s going to be a huge battle (against France),” said Grobbelaar at the Boks press conference on Monday.
Squad rotation
Asked about the constant rotation in the Bok squad that sees a changes match 23 selected almost every week, Grobbelaar admitted that it was a good thing to keep things fresh and give young players an opportunity to gain valuable experience.
“You need to keep building the squad and give young guys opportunities. Otherwise you would get to a point where you just have experienced players and there would be a gap, with too many inexperienced players,” explained Grobbelaar.
“So the rotation is good, especially for me as a younger guy coming in and getting more caps. So I am looking forward to the next few weeks.”
With Bongi Mbonambi and Marnus van der Merwe not picked for the tour, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels serving a controversial ban, this is the ultimate opportunity for Grobbelaar to establish himself in the Bok setup, and secure his place as Malcolm Marx’s backup heading towards the 2027 World Cup.
If he plays against France as expected he will hope to impress and possibly secure himself a starting berth with games against Italy and Wales the perfect opportunity for more inexperienced players to get a go from the start.
