OPINION: Swiss-Army Knife Boks Have the Ingredients to Win the Rugby World Cup

It’s out there now: the Springbok squad for the Rugby World Cup has been announced, delivering some surprises and not-so-surprising inclusions and omissions for Jacques Ninenaber’s 33-man set-up.

First and foremost, there’s clearly a thematic element of the selections: versatility. With South Africa a lot of talented players over the past few years, and slotting them in where possible, the Springboks may not have developed too many specialises in key positions, but there is some serious versatility with the forwards and backs. Whether that can go the distance over 6-7 games and provide another trophy, versus having a handful of specialists, is yet to be seen.

Of course, one of the biggest talking points is the absence of Handre Pollard, who played a critical role in the Springboks’ victory in Japan in 2019. He is on ‘standby’, and Pollard is a fantastic 10 (arguably the best in SA by a long margin). However, playing him ‘cold’ after not having a lot of rugby is always a concern, so it’s likely that the Springbok management will only pull the Polly card if things really go south. It is surprising that space wasn’t made for Elton Jantjies. He was a part of the 2019 squad, he’s been there and knows what it takes, and had some good performances when he got his shot in the green jersey in 2022.

I’m a fan of the way Elton plays — he always takes the ball to the line and makes good decisions. He’s a solid defender too and should have a lot more games under his belt at this stage. Additionally, SA should’ve been blooding in one or two other 10s, with Sale Sharks’ Rob du Preez an obvious inclusion opportunity in the past few seasons.

However, lamenting who should be there is futile at this point, and the selection is what it is, and, to be fair, it is a good one.

Lukhanyo Am being sidelined is noteworthy too. He became a star during the 2019 tournament and has acted as a reliable attacking and defensive cog in the Springbok backline since. However, with Andre Esterhuizen, the SA squad has gained a very handy centre that can make the lives of those around him a lot easier.

Because of his sheer size, many think Esterhuizen is a big, boshing No. 12. And, well, he is — but he’s also a lot more, becoming a very proficient ball-player with some fantastic skills (just look at the build-up to Canan Moodie’s try from the Manie Libbok cross-kick against Argentina). Esterhuizen’s time at Harlequins, playing outside of the likes of Marcus Smith, Danny Care, and Joe Merchant, has transformed him into a very dynamic and clever attacking centre. A greater ability to link up with the outside backs has been added to his quiver in recent seasons, and there’s no doubt that he’ll be utilised to full effect this World Cup, hopefully creating some fantastic opportunities for the likes of Kolbe, Le Roux, Moodie, and Arendse.

The forward pack of the Springboks squad is hard to critique. Looking at the front-rowers, the best in the business (globally) make up most of the names, and while the Boks may be sleight in some areas, there always seems to be someone who can cover that position.

This brings us back to the original point — versatility is great for a competition bound to produce some injuries, cards, form drops, and other unforeseen issues; and SA has a lot of Swiss army knives that can slot in where need be. Of course, when they come up against specialists in opposite respective positions, sometimes it becomes hard to win those one-on-one battles. So, a solid defensive team plan is needed to overcome and compensate against those specialist teams, like the All Blacks, Ireland, and France.

A serious defensive attitude and mentality are required, and thankfully, it’s not something the Springboks need to adopt, as it’s already there and has been engrained in their rugby identity for the past four years (just look at how they held out Argentina on their tryline in the Rugby Championship encounter in Buenos Aires).

The Springboks may have a few curveballs to deal with, as will the other teams once the tournament kicks off in September. But, on paper, South Africa looks to have a squad made up of experience with a dash of youth, eager to make history with a fourth World Cup win; irrespective of what number is on the back of their jersey on any given day.

Photo cred: Facebook / Springboks