World champions the Springboks will this year face a scenario very different from the one they did in 2020, the season following their Rugby World Cup success in Japan.
Unless the unthinkable happens again, they should have a full roster of matches in the year following their RWC success, and it will give them the opportunity to bask in the glory of that triumph on home soil.
However, it can’t only be a year of continued celebration. When they lost the entire 2020 roster to Covid-19, the Boks at least had the bulk of their squad for the next RWC well established.
Last year, 21 players who lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan returned for duty in France. That number will likely be significantly less in Australia in 2027.
That means SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, who oversees the team, will have to start building capacity this year.
While they want to retain the glow of world champions, the Boks have a tough home programme with a two-Test series against their new nemesis Ireland, while old foes New Zealand will play the same number of Tests here in the fully restored Rugby Championship.
Erasmus will want to go full throttle against Ireland, and will likely select a team closely resembling the one that narrowly won last year’s RWC final against the All Blacks.
Last year, 21 players who lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan, returned for duty in France. That number will likely be significantly less in Australia in 2027
Casting selection net wider
Should they win the first Test at Loftus, it will give Erasmus licence to cast the selection net wider in the second in Cape Town. It is worth noting, though, that on the occasions when the Boks have deviated from their best 23 at home in the Erasmus era, they’ve come up short — most notably against England in his maiden series in Cape Town in 2018, and against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022.
It is also worth noting that Ireland’s only win here over the Boks came in Cape Town in 2016.
Erasmus, though, is driven by process, and victory at Loftus may well be viewed as an opportunity for a glimpse into the future.
The Springboks’ first ever Test against Portugal on July 20 may well be an occasion for even wider examination of South Africa’s talent pool. While the venue for the match is yet to be announced, it is likely going to be a venue that will remain etched in the memory of those on debut.
As much as Ireland have recently bossed head-to-head clashes against the Springboks, it is the two Tests against the All Blacks that will have the blockbuster billing this season.
The Boks’ recent clashes with the All Blacks have been drama-filled affairs, and many Kiwis would have left Paris last October feeling their team has unfinished business with the Boks.
Many will view the Tests destined for Ellis Park and Cape Town stadiums as a test of the Boks’ RWC winners’ credentials. Erasmus will likely go full throttle for the Ellis Park clash as they go in search of a third consecutive win over the All Blacks for the first time since 2009.
Breaking All Blacks’ monopoly
Wins on home soil may help break the All Blacks’ monopoly on the Rugby Championship. They have won seven of the last eight, with the Boks’ win in 2019 the only blot on their book.
The world champions will be desperate to deliver performances befitting their title in the Rugby Championship.
The end of year tour, however, will present the Boks a real opportunity to test their depth.
The only confirmed Test thus far is against England on November 16. That will likely be the biggest date on the year-end tour calendar as the Boks are only due to meet France next year.
Having lost 2020 to Covid-19, the least experienced players on the Boks’ end of year tour in 2021 were Ox Nche (six caps) and Jasper Wiese (eight).
This year Erasmus will have greater scope to reach for rookies.
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