Bok squad — all ambition and passion

Players invited to the Springboks’ 54-man training group will take into camp a wide spectrum of ambition and emotion as they seek to make an impression ahead of the international season.

Take Ntokozo Makhaza — so far unheralded, in fact completely untested in the professional environment. The inclusion of the University of Cape Town student is similar to the selection of Joe van Niekerk for the Springboks in 2001 when the No 8 was yet to play in Super Rugby or the Currie Cup.

At the start of the year, Makhaza would only have dreamed of taking a step closer to completing his degree in psychology and social development. He, however, took the Varsity Cup by storm, earning the gongs for Player of the Year and Backline Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

The Harrismith-born winger returns to the province of his birth when he joins the Cheetahs next month. He has already been issued with a road map by the Bok coaches, which — should he follow studiously — will clear his path to international rugby.

History with injury

While Makhaza may have reason to pinch himself, veteran lock Lood de Jager may also have cause to apply pressure through index finger and thumb — though only gently, given his history with injury.

For De Jager, another crack in the Bok jersey won’t just mean a shot at redemption but potentially a new lease on life. He last played for the Boks in July 2023 when the team suffered a 35-20 defeat at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland. Injury appeared to stall his career after 66 Tests but he has regained fitness and form in Japan.

As is the case now, De Jager was in the wider Bok group last year but did not see game time because of a rotator cuff injury.

Wilco Louw, who returned to the Test arena last November after a three-year absence, is now in a position to move from Bok outlier to the man who could potentially anchor the Bok scrum in Australia in 2027.

With stalwart Frans Malherbe injured, Louw, who has been in sensational form in the United Rugby Championship (URC), can seize the moment.

The Bulls, before yesterday’s URC semifinal against the Sharks, had earned a competition high 60 scrum penalties. Much of that is down to Louw’s grunt.

Relationship with Springboks

Loose forward Jean-Luc du Preez’s relationship with the Springbok team is perhaps summed up by that he has played in just 14 Tests since making his debut in November 2016.

The surfeit of quality loose forwards in this country partly explains his limited game time in the Green and Gold but a shot at an extended run, instead of being a back-up player, has to be in his cross-hairs.

Vincent Tshituka’s long-harboured ambition to play for the Springboks is a step closer. He came tantalisingly close in the Springbok Showdown Green and Gold in 2021. However, having been born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, his eligibility put him out of Bok orbit until passport requirements were met.

He has certainly met all on-field requirement with some barnstorming performances in the back and second row for the Sharks. Apart from spreading himself thin across defence and attack,  Tshituka’s lineout prowess has reached new heights. He has been one of the most consistent performers in an inconsistent team.

Barrel-chested No 8 Juarno Augustus appeared out of sight and as a consequence out of mind, since he opted to play abroad in 2021. The Northampton Saint, who is Ulster-bound next season, enjoyed a stellar season with the club he is departing.

Augustus was instrumental in the Saints’ march to the Champions Cup final. Though the Boks have several options at No 8, he may be eased into the Green and Gold against the Barbarians at the end of the month.

The impact he makes in the collisions is hard to contain and, for those watching and selecting, hard to ignore.

Springbok squad (in alphabetical order):

Forwards: Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Renzo du Plessis (Lions), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Neethling Fouche (Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (both Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu (both Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Vincent Tshituka (Sharks), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi (both Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker (all Sharks), Quan Horn (Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwilll van der Merwe (both Lions), Damian Willemse (Stormers), Grant Williams (Sharks).