OPINION: Rassie keeps widening Bok net, but is he looking too far ahead?

Eighty-two. That’s the number of players Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus wants to meet with and chat to ahead of this year’s Test season.

It’s a lot of players and it’s no surprise if fans have asked themselves why the need for such a big group.

For those who missed the squad announcements in recent weeks, Erasmus has chosen to meet in-person at a camp with 56 players and then with a further 26 players in a virtual online camp next month.

These camps will be to ensure that all the players on Erasmus’ radar to play Test rugby this season, and possibly over the coming years, are all on the same page when it comes to his goals and expectations.

Next generation Boks

With so much rugby being played nowadays and the list of injured players getting longer each week, it’s almost certain the Springbok team to play against Italy and Georgia in July, before the Rugby Championship, will consist mainly of up-and-coming players.

This will give Erasmus a chance to see the next generation of Boks properly tested and at the same time allow his frontline men more time off ahead of bigger challenges this year, and with so many two-time World Cup winners targeting a third triumph in 2027.

For the Boks to be at their best in a little over two years from now, at the World Cup in Australia, the older players will have to be fresh, well rested and injury free for Erasmus and Co to be seriously in the mix for a “three-peat”.

Rassie’s future?

One’s got to wonder though where Erasmus thinks he is thin in the Bok squad – maybe in the centres, maybe in the second row and possibly, still, at hooker.

The good news for Erasmus and South Africa though is there is so much young talent coming through that the Boks should be competitive for many years to come.

The big question though is, with 82 players in the Bok mix this year, with many of them no doubt only coming into serious regular selection post the 2027 World Cup when many stars of the 2019 and 2023 campaigns have hung up their boots, will Erasmus still be part of the national team set-up, to oversee the growth and development of the next generation?