Springboks: Who should be dropped and who should start – OPINION
These Springboks deserve to start because they have performed well. These players have underperformed and may be dropped in the meantime. in the Springboks This season, the Springboks have demonstrated exceptional depth by rotating players in important positions. By switching up his Saturday lineups to give his team a break, Coach Rassie Erasmus has kept the opponents guessing.
He has also made sure that rising stars have adequate time to establish themselves.
SPRINGBOKS WHO SHOULD BE DROPPED
This season, Willie le Roux has not been very good for the Springboks. He was definitely not at his best in the 2025 Rugby Championship. South Africa was left pursuing an already attainable goal of defeating the All Blacks at their stronghold after a subpar performance against them at Eden Park, which included a costly slip that gave New Zealand a soft try.
He was then benched for both Test matches against Argentina, even though Aphelele Fassi was sidelined due to an ankle injury. This was a clear indication that the eighth Springbok Test cap centurion is nearing the end of his career, and in the meantime, veterans like Handre Pollard and Jessie Kriel will need to improve.
Both individuals were available but were not chosen for the Springboks’ home Test against Argentina in Durban and their second Test match in New Zealand, where they won 43-10 in Wellington.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Canan Moodie filled in for them. Specifically, the latter has swept the rugby world. When Mngomezulu scored 37 points against Argentina in Durban, he surpassed Percy Montgomery’s record for the most points scored by a Springboks player in a Test match. This featured two penalties, eight conversions, and a hat-trick of tries.
At outside center, Moodie has shown a lot of promise and has improved with every game. Kriel should still receive some playing time, though, when the Springboks travel to the UK and Europe in November.
THESE PLAYERS DESERVE TO START
Every time RG Snyman has on the field, he has performed admirably. The Springboks’ offense under All Blacks great Tony Brown is even more potent because of his ability to offload in the tackle. Along with being a machine on and off the ball, he has a strong ball career. He most definitely merits a chance right away.
Wilco Louw, meantime, is eager to be added to the starting lineup. The only front row pack I’ve ever witnessed force Ox Nche backwards included the 140 kg prop powerhouse. Louw, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, and Gerhard Steenekamp controlled every scrum when the Bulls played the Sharks in the URC, and their front row outnumbered the Sharks’ front row of Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, and Vincent Koch.
Last but not least, Andre Esterhuizen has always been outstanding when called upon. He dominates when he starts and is just as good when he comes off the bench.
While Damian de Allende is world class, Esterhuizen could be too if he is given more playing time.
