Injuries and clashing schedules will deny the Springboks the chance to put all their Rugby World Cup winners on show when they meet Wales at Twickenham in their opening Test on June 22.
The United Rugby Championship (URC) final is scheduled for the same day, while the Top 14’s climax will be contested in Marseille five days later. The Premiership final is scheduled for June 8, while Japan Rugby League One concludes on May 25.
That means players who featured in the match 23 in the RWC final — Franco Mostert, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Faf de Klerk, Damian de Allende, Kwagga Smith, Jesse Kriel and Cheslin Kolbe — should be available for the matchup against Wales.
The Sharks have no chance but should the Bulls and the Stormers also have no say at the business end of the URC, fellow RWC winners Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian Willemse, Ox Nche and Willie le Roux may strap up for Wales.
However, Steven Kitshoff, Deon Fourie and Jean Kleyn are injured, while Duane Vermeulen has retired. Bok captain Siya Kolisi’s Racing Metro are third in the Top 14, which just about shuts the door on his involvement.
Trevor Nyakane’s Stade Francais are well clear in the Top 14 standings and will almost certainly play in the final, while RG Snyman’s Munster may well be in the mix at the URC’s grandest match.
Handré Pollard and Jasper Wiese’s commitments for Leicester Tigers should have wrapped up two weeks before the game against Wales but it isn’t clear whether they will be released for the fixture, which is outside the international window.
In fact, Pollard and Wiese are unlikely to feature in the Premiership’s play-off matches as Leicester are in lowly eighth on the log.
Before this weekend’s matches, Pollard has been racking up the minutes going the distance, including a 100-minute effort, in his last six matches. Wiese has played 12 minutes less in the corresponding period.
Injury woes
The injuries will present Bok coach Rassie Erasmus with irritations he can do without. Compared to the team that played in the RWC final, most of the changes will likely have to come in the tight-five.
Kitshoff has played his last game for Ulster and has been ruled out of the remainder of the European season with a knee injury. He is undergoing treatment in South Africa. Fourie, who of course is equally effective in the front and back rows, was injured earlier this month. Stormers coach John Dobson noted at the time Fourie, who performed so heroically for the Springboks in the RWC final, might have played his last game of the URC season.
Kleyn, who injured his eye while on duty for Munster last November, is also out of contention. Munster tight-fives coach Graham Rowntree this week provided an update, saying the player has been to America and that they were happy with the recovery plans for the lock. He believes Kleyn will only be available for Munster next season.
Another long-term casualty is RWC squad member Malcolm Marx. His club, the Kubota Spears, only expect him to return to Japan next season but the hooker was an invitee to the last Bok alignment camp.
Given the amount of selection uncertainty, Manie Libbok, Evan Roos, Lood de Jager, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp and Elrigh Louw could again come into sharp focus.
Uncapped forwards Cameron Hanekom, Johan Grobbelaar and Andre-Hugo Venter may also get a shot. With Erasmus so partial to versatility, Sanele Nohamba may come into the reckoning at halfback.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Henco van Wyk have suffered untimely injuries.
With a two-week gap between the Wales match and the commencement of the two-Test series against Ireland, Erasmus would have been keen to give something resembling his best 23 a go at Twickenham.
He may not be able to do that, but that’s where the value of the Springbok alignment camps should come into play.
