Springbok up-and-comers are going to continue getting chances to face the best, when the world champions take on the All Blacks later this year.
The Springboks will continue to rotate their squad regularly this year as they build their depth heading towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, including in their massive Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.
Big squads and constant rotation has become a hallmark of Rassie Erasmus’ Boks over the past two years, which has turned them into the strongest squad with the biggest depth in world rugby, and they can field two completely different teams of equal strength at any time.
This year will likely be Erasmus’ last chance to give the fringe players decent game time, as next year Erasmus will need to cut down to a settled squad that will be backed regularly in the build-up to the World Cup in October and November.
Full All Blacks tour
However, this year’s Greatest Rivalry Tour, that will see the All Blacks on a full tour of South Africa for the first time since 1996, is undeniably the Boks’ most important series, but Erasmus says that if they aren’t brave enough to back their up-and-coming players they will come up short.
“If we went into the series thinking we can play the same team in every game then we will lose, I have no doubt about that,” said Erasmus.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead (who will play) but we will have a squad of about 35 players and we will have to use the players intelligently. We’ve done it last year (made big changes between games).
“We played the one Test match in Auckland and in the next Test match (in Wellington) we played a totally different team. I don’t think we will be as radical (this year), but certainly if we are not ballsy enough to do that in the Greatest Rivalry, I don’t think we will win it.
“If we just go with security, pick the best team on paper, and not take a chance on guys that can do it for us in the World Cup next year, and throw them in there … if we don’t have that kind of mindset, I don’t think we will win.”
Taxing tour
Erasmus admitted that the four straight Tests in four weeks against the All Blacks was going to be very taxing for the players, but said that the visitors had it worse, as they would be playing eight games.
They will be facing the SA URC franchises, namely the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions, but will be touring with a bigger squad, and most of the players featuring against the franchises will likely not play in the Tests.
“It is going to be a huge challenge and very tough playing four games in four weeks. But we did that on the last end of year tour (five games in five weeks), where each time we played teams that were desperate to beat us,” said Erasmus.
“The two teams (Boks and All Blacks) will be doing something that hasn’t been done before, or hasn’t been done often, but a challenge like that has to be helpful towards the preparation for the World Cup.”
