Five Springbok players eager to impress on UK tour

The Springboks get down to business on Sunday evening in their opening game of their end-of-year-tour against Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh and they will be gunning to get off to the best possible start.

It has been a terrific year so far for the Springboks, with them winning eight out of 10 games, while both their losses were by a single point, and they secured the Rugby Championship title after a dominant campaign.

They will now be eager to back that up with a clean sweep on their tour to the UK, starting with Scotland, before taking on England at Twickenham and Wales in Cardiff over the coming weeks.

Here are five players that will be looking to take their chance to impress on tour.

Thomas du Toit

Prop Thomas du Toit has a huge opportunity to establish himself as a key player for the Boks over the coming years on this end-of-year-tour. The 29-year-old has been a regular squad player for the national team for many years now, but has never been one of their go-to players, and even missed out on selection to last year’s World Cup.

With Trevor Nyakane now out of the Bok mix, and first choice Frans Malherbe injured, Du Toit has a real chance to stamp his authority on the tighthead prop berth.

He is also able to play on both sides of the scrum, which is the role Nyakane previously held, which should secure his spot in the squad. But with Wilco Louw also being picked for the tour, Du Toit will need to make sure he proves his worth so not to slip behind him.

Johan Grobbelaar

The Bulls hooker was initially picked in the Bok squad back in 2021, after some solid form as a youngster, but a number of serious injuries and indifferent form over the years delayed his debut for the national team until this year.

Having enjoyed some top form over the past few seasons for the Bulls, he finally played his first game in the green and gold against Portugal in July, and also got a chance during the Rugby Championship.

He however didn’t make a massive impact. The Boks are desperately looking for hookers, with Bongi Mbonambi (33) and Malcolm Marx (30) getting on in their years.

Grobbelaar’s Bulls teammate Jan-Hendrik Wessels was preferred to him for the UK tour due to his versatility, but he was then injured and ruled out, opening the door for Grobbelaar to get another chance and he will now be looking to make a statement.

Jean Kleyn

Towering dual international Jean Kleyn, who has featured at the last two World Cups for different teams, Ireland and the Springboks, was a very late call-up to their end-of-year-tour squad after being brought into the mix earlier this week. He replaced the injured Ruan Nortje, who was looking to establish himself after an impressive run of games for the Boks in the Rugby Championship.

Kleyn, after choosing to represent Ireland where he has resided for many years now since joining Munster back in 2016, thought his Bok dream was over, but after not being selected by Ireland for a number of years, he was surprisingly picked by Rassie Erasmus, after a change to World Rugby’s eligibility laws.

He went on to win the World Cup last year, featuring in the final against the All Blacks.

Injury meant the 31-year-old wasn’t considered for the Boks initially this season, but even after returning to the field he missed out on selection for the UK tour. He now gets a chance, in place of Nortje, to show what he can do again.

Lukhanyo Am

Once thought by many to be one of, if not, the best players in the world, centre Lukhanyo Am has recently found himself outside of the main Bok starting group, with him being the second choice No 13 over the past few seasons. Am is able to cover both centre berths and wing, but if he doesn’t start, other more versatile players are usually picked ahead of him on the bench, especially when the Boks go 6-2 or 7-1.

Some big injuries in the year leading up to last year’s World Cup opened the door for Jesse Kriel to step in and take Am’s starting berth, which he has done brilliantly, and he is now without a doubt the Boks’ preferred starting 13.

Am is however unlikely to be satisfied with that arrangement and he will be aiming to take any opportunity he gets on the UK tour to impress and prove he still has what it takes to be their main man.

Canan Moodie

It has been a frustrating season for the youngster, who burst onto the international scene with a stunning debut try against Australia as a 19-year-old back in 2022. Having made his Bok debut at a similar time to his Bulls teammate Kurt-Lee Arendse, it has often been a competition between the two of them to see who gets the nod for the Boks.

However, at last year’s World Cup Arendse was preferred over Moodie.

This year an injury saw him miss their incoming series and first few games of the Rugby Championship.

The 22-year-old has since returned to the Bok fold and played a couple of games for the Boks towards the end of the Rugby Championship, but he is still down the pecking order.

His recent impressive performances for the Bulls at 13 has added an extra dimension to his game and made things interesting, and he will be looking for any chance to impress on tour.