Bok youngsters have everything to gain in Bloemfontein

Given the injuries to key frontline players and the transition to a new attacking game plan, the young Springbok team selected to face Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday has everything to gain and little to lose.

It was always likely after a World Cup cycle that some players would start to look to the twilight of their careers and young upstarts would start pushing them for places. That can start as soon as Saturday given the seven debutants included in the 23-man match-day squad.

Several players are not only playing for national pride and to fulfil their destiny as Springboks, but also to lay down a marker that they see themselves as part of Rassie Erasmus’ plans for the 2027 season.

That may not be simply down to individual form. The Boks have long prided themselves on the roles that players play in a team rather than on-field flashes of brilliance, and it has been made clear that this team is pretty much being handled in the same way as others.

Erasmus has done a good job of ensuring that seniority in the squad, especially one that contains several double World Cup winners, is seen as an asset and not a crutch. The culture already ensures that young players are mentored, but have enough of their own voice to raise concerns when they see them.

And while Portugal was always going to be the test that the Boks used to blood some new talent, Erasmus rejected the characterisation of it as a “B-team”.

“No, it’s not a B-team,” Erasmus said.“It’s a team that I thought if they played last week against Ireland it would’ve been a tight test match. And that’s what we want.

“In each position there are two experienced guys and a young player knocking on the door to come through.

“We know we are going to have speedbumps, like last Saturday against Ireland, which is not lekker to face. I’m hoping for these guys to be proud.”

Erasmus already can pick a virtual second side as he did from the World Cup base, but this test is about going beyond that, about ensuring that in less than four years there is enough talent to choose from that the Boks can make a spirited title defence in Australia.

And that is why there are several experienced players, including the likes of Cobus Reinach, Manie Libbok, Andre Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am, as well as props Thomas du Toit and Trevor Nyakane in the squad – all of whom are playing their first matches of the international season.

“If you compare Aphelele Fassi with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and you compare Lukhanyo and Jessie Kriel, and Andre Esterhuizen and Damian de Allende, and Manie and Sacha or Damian Willemse,” Erasmus detailed.

“Manie and Cobus played in the World Cup semifinal, they were the pairing there. Ben-Jason Dixon is not far off from a guy like Pieter-Steph du Toit in the way he plays. RG Snyman and Salmaan Moerat were in the team that played last week.

“Thomas du Toit didn’t go to the World Cup and everyone knows how well he did for Bath. Eben Etzebeth has 120 caps and there probably is a Namibia somewhere in there, and there’s a Romania somewhere. So a test cap is a test cap.”

Erasmus also had some special words for two former Grey College prodigies who will line up on Saturday for their first test. Andre-Hugo Venter, son of former Springbok flanker Andre and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who packed down together in the front row for Grey in their school days, both make their debuts this weekend.

“It is great, I think André and I played almost 30 tests together as flankers, also six and seven,” said Erasmus.

“It does happen from time to time where a father and son will both play for the Springboks. It’s also great for Jan-Hendrik Wessels, I think they played next to each other for a long time, and he is someone we’re very excited about as well.

“I think every single player should be proud – it’s a proper test match in Bloemfontein, in front of a sold-out crowd.

“With it being a sold-out crowd, I think that’s what will make it special for Jan-Hendrik and André-Hugo, and the other guys that were at Grey. For me, it’s special every single time.

“I always used to go and sit in the stadium and dream about playing for the Free State on this field. Then they rebuilt the pavilion and I remember the first match played there.

“So, for me it’s special, and I guess even more for those guys.”

Portugal will name their side for the clash on Thursday.

Brendan Nel

Supersport