Springboks gunning to end mixed year on a high against England

The Springboks will be gunning to end another mixed year on a high when they take on England in their final end-of-year-tour match at Twickenham on Saturday night (kick-off 7:30pm).

This year hasn’t gone entirely to plan for the Springboks, after their Covid enforced absence from international rugby in 2020 they returned in 2021 with a mixed bag, and were supposed to get back to business in 2022 with a much more consistent year.

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However it has been anything but and going into their clash with England, the Boks currently hold a seven to five win/loss record over the year, which has seen them drop from first on the world rugby rankings to fourth.

It is thus vitally important that they follow up their impressive statement win over Italy last weekend, with another strong performance against England, so that they can take some good momentum into 2023.

With it being a world cup year, this match will also provide a number of players an opportunity to prove that they deserve to be in the running for selection for the showpiece event in France.

Eighthman Evan Roos has been handed his best opportunity to impress with his second Bok start this season, and with how competitive and stacked the teams loose forward stocks are, a big performance against England will go a long way in keeping him in the conversation.

Flyhalf battle

Flyhalf Manie Libbok will also get another chance to show his prodigious talent off the bench, and it will do him well to put in another big performance to keep him on the Bok radar.

With Handre Pollard still expected to be the Boks first choice flyhalf when fit, Damian Willemse has become the preferred back-up, Johan Goosen is very favoured by the Bok management and it remains to be seen if Elton Jantjies will be considered again.

So it will be tough for Libbok to stay in the picture next year, and he will be keen to end off a superb year for himself on a high with a big effort against England.

Wing Makazole Mapimpi should have no trouble getting to next year’s world cup, but the question is if he will go as a squad player or regular starter, after he was seemingly unseated by the electric Kurt-Lee Arendse on this end-of-year-tour.

When Cheslin Kolbe plays on the wing, Arendse has been backed alongside him, but with Kolbe out of the England match, Mapimpi has a great opportunity to make a big statement.

In all it is an important game for the Boks, one that they need to win to remind teams that they will be a threat at next year’s world cup when they try to defend their 2019 title.