Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and scrum-half Faf de Klerk (inset).
Rassie Erasmus’ culling of some experienced Springboks has already begun, according to a report, with the head coach ousting three Rugby World Cup winners.
South Africa have won back-to-back World Cups but, to achieve an unprecedented three-peat, they understand that there needs to be an evolution of the squad.
The core of the team that claimed the 2019 title remained four years later, but the majority were the wrong side of 30 when they edged out the All Blacks 12-11 in the 2023 final.
Erasmus therefore knows that he must have an overhaul looking towards Australia in 2027, although since that triumph in France he has generally opted for continuity.
Most, if not all, of the experienced players have remained and it has helped in the Springboks’ 2024 results as they drew with Ireland in the July series and won their first Rugby Championship since 2019.
However, rather instructively, the head coach has started to bring through some younger individuals, with the likes of Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Elrigh Louw and Ruan Nortje getting more prominent roles in the 23.
Scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse is another that came to the fore at the end of the competition and he is a player that Erasmus could invest a lot more time in, especially with Faf de Klerk out in the cold.
According to Rapport, De Klerk is one of three World Cup winners who the head coach has decided are not part of the Boks’ plans, with Trevor Nyakane and Jean Kleyn joining him on that list.
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Although the trio have not been ousted completely, they are now only seen as options should an injury crisis arise. Nyakane’s and Kleyn’s names are perhaps not surprising, particularly considering the strength of the front five, but De Klerk is a high profile omission.
The half-back has been a key cog for the Springboks under Erasmus and he started the World Cup final in both 2019 and 2023.
De Klerk also featured against Ireland in the July series but he missed the Rugby Championship due to a thigh issue.
There were fears that it was an injury which could rule him out of the rest of 2024, but Rapport claims that he has recovered quicker than expected.
His absence is therefore purely selection-based with Erasmus opting for Hendrikse, Cobus Reinach and Grant Williams as his three scrum-halves.
They will duly compete for places in the 23 on South Africa’s end-of-year where they take on Scotland, England and Wales.
The Boks begin at Murrayfield before they have a tough six-day turnaround for the clash against the Red Rose at Twickenham.
Erasmus’ men then finish with what appears to be an easier game against the Welsh, a country they have beaten 41-13 and 52-16 in their past two encounters.
READ MORE: Springboks squad: Rassie Erasmus recalls four World Cup winners as ‘several unlucky players’ miss out
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