Boks to revisit 30-cap requirement
● SA Rugby’s 30-test cap threshold for foreignbased players with aspirations of still playing for the Springboks is likely to come under the microscope in the new year.
The Springboks after another underwhelming season, frankly need all the help they can get and increasing the pool of players at the national coach’s disposal has to be a priority. Here are 10 players who could potentially affect their fortunes next season.
Duane Vermeulen (39 tests, last against Italy in 2017 win), Toulon since 2015
Vermeulen showed his value to the Bok cause when he was called up belatedly after the deflating defeat to Ireland last month. The Boks won the next two tests with him in the team and duly lost the following one after his exit. He comes off contract at Toulon at the end of the year and may be in the running to captain the side.
Bismarck du Plessis (79 tests, last against Argentina at RWC 2015), Montpellier since 2015 Du Plessis with 79 tests is one of the most experienced Springboks in exile. Though Malcolm Marx is set to become an international hooker of the highest order, the Boks can do with Du Plessis’s hard-nosed approach when the going gets tough.
Frans Steyn (56 tests, last against France at Ellis Park this year), Montpellier since 2016
Since departing for Racing Metro in 2009, Steyn’s relationship with the Bok jersey has blown hot and cold. The 2009 IRB player of the year nominee was part of the Bok landscape earlier this year before leaving seemingly hurriedly to work on his fitness with his club Montpellier, where he has occasionally struck up a useful midfield partnership with Jan Serfontein. It is worth noting the Boks win 73% of their tests with Steyn in the team.
Pat Lambie (56 tests, last test as a reserve against Wales in 2016 defeat), Racing 92 since 2017
The head knocks he suffered have set back the gifted Lambie. He is in the throes of rebuilding his career in the rough and tumble of France’s Top 14. He has a three-year deal with Racing 92 and the Bok brains trust should closely track his progress. JP Pietersen (70 tests, last against England in 2016 defeat), Toulon since 2017
He has had an itinerant existence since departing for the Panasonic Wild Knights of Japanese club rugby in 2013. Pietersen went on to don the jersey of Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership before making the switch across the English Channel to Toulon. The way in which he uses his hulking frame is a dimension sorely missed by the contemporary Boks.
Jan Serfontein (35 tests, last against New
Zealand at Newlands this year), Montpellier since 2017
Serfontein’s performances in the green and gold have largely been impactful. He had a healthy win percentage in the Bok jersey of about 78% before this year’s two draws and two defeats against Australia and New Zealand respectively. He may require some coaxing.
Willie le Roux (41 tests, last against Italy in defeat in Florence in 2016), Wasps since 2017
Le Roux is always within easy reach of the sublime and the ridiculous. He joined the Canon Eagles in 2015 before earlier this year finding a match for his attacking instincts at Wasps. The former IRB player of the year nominee has, however, retained his propensity for running up well demarcated blind alleys. Still, given the Boks’ shortcomings in their back three, Le Roux’s skills could come in handy.
Francois Hougaard (46 tests, last against New Zealand in this year’s defeat in Albany), Worcester Warriors since 2016
His experiences in the Bok jersey over the past few years have been bittersweet. It is perhaps symptomatic of the way he has been deployed. Bok coach Allister Coetzee cited Hougaard’s technical shortcomings in dropping him after the Springboks’ 57-0 humiliation against the All Blacks. Hougaard, however, has become a fans’ favourite at Worcester and one day the Bok fans may yet warm to him.
Cobus Reinach (10 tests, last against Argentina in win in Buenos Aires in 2015), Northampton Saints since 2017
The incisive scrumhalf has been in the international wilderness since 2015. Individualistic ability in that position has been less sought in the Bok team since, but Reinach, as he proved against England at Twickenham in 2014, is capable of performing under pressure.
Marcell Coetzee (28 tests, last against Argentina in defeat in Durban in 2015), Ulster since 2016
You have to feel for Coetzee. His last game for the Springboks was in their first ever defeat by Argentina in 2015. Injury has almost constantly had him in its grip since and he has played just five matches for Ulster since joining them last year. He is currently sidelined with a long-term knee injury. Coetzee, however, is a willing and capable workhorse and few roll up their sleeves with the glee he does for the Springbok cause.