A number of big, and difficult, selection decisions await coach Rassie Erasmus.
Flanker Paul de Villiers is one young player in the Springbok set-up who will force coach Rassie Erasmus to think long and hard about picking him regularly in future. Picture: Steve Haag/Nations Championship via Getty Images
What more can one say about the strength and depth in South African rugby right now?
The senior Springboks are on an 11-match winning run, having just beaten England, Scotland and Wales in the new Nations Championship, while the Junior Boks won the world U20 title for the second year running in Georgia on Saturday night.
Rassie Erasmus picked three different teams for this month’s Nations Championship matches and they all played well and won comfortably. And consider for a moment the absence through injury of men like Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and you realise just how much talent is available to the Boks.
On top of that Erasmus was able to pick several Test newcomers over the last month, who all delivered in spades … Paul de Villiers, Vusi Moyo, Jaco Williams, Carlu Sadie, Ruben van Heerden and Test rookies Cobus Wiese, Zachary Porthen and Ben-Jason Dixon to name just a few.
The Junior Boks, too, had to play in this year’s tournament without two key men from last year’s winning campaign, namely captain Riley Norton and Moyo, both of whom were picked by Erasmus for the senior Boks. Still, coach Kevin Foote was able to play on without them, and still win.
Bright future
The depth of talent at U20 level is as mind-boggling as it is at senior level.
Both the Junior Bok and senior Bok sides are thus in good shape for the foreseeable future.
Erasmus though, at Bok level, could be in for a few tricky selection decisions later this season and for the World Cup in Australia next year, where the Boks will be gunning for a third straight World Cup triumph.
A number of players on the fringes of the Bok squad have stuck up their hands over the last month, while the young rookies have also performed well.
Will experience play the biggest role in who Erasmus picks over the next year or so, or will it come down to form, no matter a player’s history and age?
The good news is, SA rugby is in a very strong position.
