Springboks Selection – The Biggest Talking Points

Quintin van Jaarsveld highlights the biggest talking points of the Springbok squad announced at the weekend.

Excitement is in the air following Saturday’s Springbok squad announcement. Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus and coach Jacques Nienaber revealed their collective hand in naming a 46-man squad for the two Tests against Georgia and the British & Irish Lions series in July.

The South Africa ‘A’ team to face the Lions will also come out of the squad. As always, it sparked plenty of discussion among South African rugby lovers. We identify and unpack the biggest talking points, from curious omissions to surprise selections:

Coetzee’s Curse Continues

Marcell Coetzee emerged as the unluckiest player to miss out on a place in the squad. The former Ulsterman, who missed out on back-to-back World Cups due to injury, made a dream debut for the Bulls on Friday night, powering the Pretoria side to a 31-27 win over the Stormers in a barnstorming performance that included a try and the flanker taking over the captaincy when Duane Vermeulen limped off with an ankle injury in the 32nd minute.

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Evidently, it wasn’t enough for the 30-Test Springbok to earn a recall, at least not for the time being, with teammate Marco van Staden preferred to fill the vacancy left by the retired Francois Louw. It will be a particularly bitter pill to swallow for Coetzee considering his form for Ulster prior to joining the Bulls and his statement-making maiden outing for his new team, however, all hope is not lost for the 30-year-old.

Erasmus explained they wanted to see more and will keep a keen eye on Coetzee over the next few weeks and stressed the door is still open for him and a handful of other players to work their way into the squad before the Lions land in South Africa. That glimmer of hope is akin to pouring gasoline on a fire and will no doubt see Coetzee activate beast mode in the coming weeks.

The Curious Case of Cornal Hendricks

Following his charges’ Rainbow Cup SA win over the Stormers on Friday night, Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White remarked that “legal issues” would likely cost his star centre Cornal Hendricks a place in the Springbok set-up and this was confirmed by Erasmus at Saturday’s squad announcement.

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Hendricks, who has been sensational in his second act at inside centre, is understood to be in a legal dispute with SA Rugby that relates to the life-threatening heart condition that led to his three-year absence from the game. Erasmus noted they wanted the comeback king in the squad and would rope him in should the curious red tape around Hendricks, who last played for the Springboks in 2015, be removed.

“There’s another issue around Cornal,” Erasmus explained. “We had a good meeting with him about 10 days ago. We’re trying to clear up some medical issues around him and the moment that’s cleared up we want him . He obviously should make the squad of 46, but as I said, there’s some medical issues around him which we have to clear up,” he added.

Janse van Rensburg, Nohamba the Big Bolters

Few surprises were expected yet some were sprung, the biggest being the selections of Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg and Sanele Nohamba, two of eight uncapped players in the squad. Considering the uncertainty of whether Lood de Jager and RG Snyman will be fit in time for the series, the Springbok brains trust have opted for Janse van Rensburg to shore up the second-row stocks.

Janse van Rensburg, who came through the junior ranks at the Bulls, has been on Montpellier’s books since 2016. At 27 years of age and closing in on a century of caps for the French club, the athletic and powerful lock is in his prime and has been rewarded with a maiden call-up to the Springbok squad. Standing 2m tall and weighing 115kg, Janse van Rensburg had been on the Bok coaches’ radar in recent months, however, it still comes as a surprise that he was preferred ahead of Jason Jenkins in particular.

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JD Schickerling was seen as a strong contender as well, having been part of the wider squad in the past, but has been ruled out with injury. In the end, Janse van Rensburg’s form and familiarity with the Springbok assistant coaches stemming from his South African Under-20 days in 2014 has him on the cusp of making his Bok bow.

Nohamba’s selection is surprising in that the little livewire has been usurped by former Junior Springbok prodigy Jaden Hendrikse at No.9 at the Sharks. There’s no denying the diminutive dynamo has the fundamental skills and game-breaking abilities to make it at Test level, but the timing of his call-up seems rushed.

Evergreen Ruan Pienaar has been in commanding form for the Cheetahs and many felt he’d done enough to return to the fold and lend his expertise and experience to the current crop as one of the last remaining active members of the 2009 series-winning side.

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While not mentioning the 37-year-old Pienaar by name, backline coach Mzwandile Stick said it would’ve been “a missed opportunity” to select a scrumhalf over the age of 30. While it’s understandable to look to the future, especially with the fourth-choice scrumhalf likely to be limited to representing the South Africa ‘A’ side, Hendrikse has a greater upside and momentum.

Elsewhere, it’s interesting that Akker van der Merwe was overlooked. Bordeaux-based Joseph Dweba’s inclusion isn’t a surprise, but that Stormers stalwart Scarra Ntubeni was selected ahead of Van der Merwe is a really worrying sign for the Sale Sharks hooker’s aspirations of adding to his three Test caps.

Fresh Faces

An influx of newcomers adds an exciting extra layer to the squad with Jasper Wiese, Wandisile Simelane, Yaw Penxe, Rosko Specman and Aphelele Fassi joining Dweba, Janse van Rensburg and Nohamba as the fresh faces in the Springbok fold.

Wiese’s inclusion was anticipated. The dynamic back rower’s been a one-man wrecking crew for the Leicester Tigers, so much so that he’d be the frontrunner to start at No.8 should Vermeulen be ruled out. That Wiese is adept in the second row as well helped punch his ticket back to South Africa to link up with the Boks.

Simelane, Penxe, Specman and Fassi, meanwhile, have been in the Springbok conversation for quite some time and possess flair in spades. They’re likely to serve as back-up and feature for the South Africa ‘A’ side, although, none of them would look out of place in the Test team.

Steyn-ing power

The inclusions of veterans Morné and Frans Steyn are a testament to pedigree and dedication. Consummate professionals, the pair worked as hard on their games over the last few years as they did when they were bright-eyed Springbok hopefuls at the start of their careers, if not harder.

At 36 years of age, Morné’s return to the fold, five years after he last donned the Green and Gold, is truly special and richly deserved. Axed after scoring all of South Africa’s points in the heaviest-ever home defeat against the All Blacks, a 57-15 drubbing in Durban, it was all but a given that his Test career was over.

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However, he’s been irresistible since returning to the Bulls last year, masterfully guiding the Pretoria franchise to a domestic double with vintage generalship. His tactical acumen is second to none and his commanding consistency, Nienaber revealed, was ultimately what saw the stalwart selected ahead of 23-year-old Curwin Bosch.

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Frans, too, has been imperious since returning to South Africa and is in the best goal-kicking form of his career, boasting an unbelievable 94% success rate in the Currie Cup over the summer, with his power plays in midfield and unmatched versatility also seeing him retain his place in the national squad.

The decorated duo’s work ethic, vast experience and stature as two of the best to ever play for the Springboks will be immensely beneficial to the squad, especially as members of the 2009 class of Lion tamers.

Experienced Core

Speaking of experience, World Cup winners form the core of the camp as expected. The entire squad who reached the summit in Japan two years ago bar the retired trio of Louw, Tendai Mtawarira and Schalk Brits and the injured Warrick Gelant have been named to lead the charge against the Lions. While it doesn’t necessarily grab headlines, the continuity and cohesion of the settled core will be the Springboks’ greatest strength.