Bulls prop Wilco Louw during his previous stint with the Springboks in 2021. Louw has earned his first recall since then for their end-of-year-tour to the UK. Picture: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
A few Springbok veterans may be enjoying their final hurrah in the green and gold on the end-of-year-tour to the UK next month, where the world champions will come up against Scotland, England and Wales.
Coach Rassie Erasmus named a very experienced squad of 34-players for the tour, which became 35 when utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels was ruled out through injury, which saw two players called up in his place.
Erasmus chose to not call up a number of exciting young up-and-coming talents for the tour, deciding to stick with most of his tried and tested veterans, which makes one wonder if this could be a final tour for a few of them.
Some of the players who can feel slightly aggrieved at missing out on the tour include Cameron Hanekom and David Kriel (both Bulls), Henco van Wyk, Edwill van der Merwe, Sanele Nohamba, Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Francke Horn (all Lions), Ethan Hooker (Sharks) and Suleiman Hartzenberg (Stormers).
Players in the outside back positions and prop departments could feel even more aggrieved, with some veterans chosen who will more than likely not make the next World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Fullback Willie le Roux, at 35-years-old, wing Makazole Mapimpi and prop Vincent Kock, both 34, and prop Frans Malherbe at 33, are players that the Boks will desperately need to start making succession plans for.
Le Roux and Mapimpi are not really a problem, as neither is considered a Bok starter anymore and this could be their final tour, despite both still playing some superb rugby.
However, their outside back department is extremely stacked, and with plenty of talent waiting in the wings, both will likely be forced out in due course, with Le Roux expected to reach 100 caps before he bows out of the Bok setup.
Prop is the big department in question, with the Boks’ best two tightheads, Malherbe and Kock, getting on in their years.
It would be a huge gamble for the Bok management to continue backing the two men as their main tighthead starters and try and get both to the next World Cup.
The best option, at least in the short term, should be to maybe keep one going, while the other is available in case of an injury crisis, while bringing in other options who will make it to the showpiece event in 2027.
The Boks’ other main tighthead option is Thomas du Toit, who has added value in him being able to also cover loosehead, but he has yet to shoot the lights out and prove he deserves to be a regular starter.
With Wessels being ruled out of the tour, the Boks called up Wilco Louw, 30, as a replacement and based on his impressive form for the Bulls over the past year, he could be a real option to step into one of the two main tighthead berths.
Lions monster Ntlabakanye is another serious contender at tighthead, and hopefully he will get a chance to show what he can do at Test level, if he continues his strong form for his franchise.
Another position the Boks need to keep an eye on is hooker, as Bongi Mbonambi is also 33, and will be cutting it fine by 2027.
The Boks have largely backed Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx as their main hookers over the past six years, with them playing the vast majority of the games, and they will need to strengthen their options in the position.
Wessels is the utility option, able to play both loosehead prop and hooker, while his Bulls teammate Johan Grobbelaar has been given another chance to impress at national level, after he initially missed out on the squad but was then called up along with Louw.
It will be interesting to see how many Bok veterans are still in the squad come the start of the 2025 international season in July next year, and how many up-and-coming players and youngsters will move up onto the international stage.
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