This season, the Springboks are set to move into their next phase of planning for the 2027 World Cup, and all players will know that competition for places is going to be at an all-time high.
Some seniors have already been ‘dropped’ from frontline roles as Rassie Erasmus seeks to find a balance between experience and youth, and there have been some significant adjustments to the so-called pecking order.
For Bongi Mbonambi, who has been a cornerstone of the South African pack for nearly a decade, he has has to face a real changing of the guard at hooker.
Mbonambi has just celebrated his 35th birthday, and already last season it was clear that Erasmus and the coaching staff began to prioritise ‘future-proofing’ the position with an injection of youth.
The double World Cup winner has effectively been moved to the Springboks’ ‘standby’ group as the likes of Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Marnus van der Merwe have been afforded an opportunity to show their worth.
Springboks have built real depth
During the last World Cup, the Springboks faced something of a crisis at hooker when, ironically, Mbonambi picked up a serious injury.
It left the coaching staff with a unique decision to make as they rather opted to utilise regular flanks Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden as back up to Malcom Marx.
Speaking of Marx, his unique skillset as a ‘fourth loose forward’ at the breakdown makes him such a weapon for the Springboks.
Last year he reached some of the best form of his career, as evidenced by his World Rugby Player of the Year award, and the 31-year-old has now taken an iron grip on the No 2 jersey.
Youth integration
Offering back up to Marx, there have been a number of newcomers who have also impressed, and effectively contributed to the Mbonambi ‘axing’.
Wessels is a versatile ‘swing’ player who can play both prop and hooker, and his massive frame and age (24) make him a primary candidate to head to the 2027 World Cup.
Grobbelaar and Van der Merwe could also compete fiercely for a ticket to the global showpiece, as both have displayed aggressive ball-carrying, solid scrumming and a high work rate.
