State of the Nation: Springboks in ‘rude health’ despite ‘missed opportunity’ as success story Sacha shines

Now that the dust has settled on South Africa’s mid-year internationals, we update you on the state of the Springboks ahead of the Rugby Championship.

It was a buy June/July for Rassie Erasmus and his charges as they welcomed new coaches and players on board for four Test matches against Wales, Ireland (twice) and Portugal.

July also marked the back-to-back Rugby World Cup winners’ return home as the South African public saw their champions in action on SA soil for the first time since clinching the William Webb Ellis Cup in Paris last year.

Project Rugby World Cup 2027, with the aim of completing the three-peat is now well underway, with Erasmus blooding in new faces to the Springboks jersey with rather positive results.

Mid-year Tests summary

In a move to secure a financial boost and get some minutes under the belt of key players who ply their trade in Japan or were injured, SA Rugby organised another neutral Test at Twickenham Stadium – where they hammered the All Blacks 35-7 before the World Cup last year – but this time against Wales.

The Springboks had similar success at the home of English rugby once again racking up five tries and 41 points restricting Wales to 13 points in another romp at Twickenham. The clash also saw Erasmus introduce four bright new talents to the international game with Ben-Jason Dixon, Jordan Hendrikse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Edwill van der Merwe pulling on the Green and Gold jumper for the first time – the latter scoring a stunner to cap off a memorable debut.

The Twickenham clash proved to be a masterstroke in preparation for the fierce series against Ireland back in South Africa as the two best teams in the world collide in two epic matches. Speedsters Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse both crossed for tries against Andy Farrell’s charges with a mighty scrum getting Erasmus’ side over the line figuratively and literally as they notched up a 27-20 victory in Pretoria to go 1-0 up.

The series was marketed as ‘Unfinished Business’ in the republic and after 160 minutes of enthralling Test rugby, it remains unfinished as two glorious Ciaran Frawley drop goals sealed a 24-25 Irish victory and saw the series end in a stalemate.

2024 was always going to be a year of change for the Boks and that was clearly evident in their ball in hand style of play. With Tony Brown now running the attacking show which it was on display against Wales and Ireland but also against Portugal in Bloemfontein.

Aganist Os Lobos, Erasmus blooded seven new stars – plus a new captain – to the international scene, four of which crossed the whitewash in a thumping 64-21 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two sides.

Standout players

Many of the stars of the Rugby World Cup simply picked up from where they left off and that was certainly the case for the sensational Pieter-Steph du Toit who skippered his country for just the second time in the first game of the year. The brilliant blindside flanker shone with the new attacking lease afforded to him by Brown but that did not take away from his ferocity on defence. He made a mighty 46 tackles in his three Test appearances, each one as hard as the next as the 31-year-old shows no sign of declining with age.

The new faces also impressed with Ben-Jason Dixon making a good fist of his first two Tests, shining off the bench against Wales before producing a superb performance in his first start against Portugal. He has been hailed as a like-for-like replacement for Du Toit, certainly high praise indeed particularly coming from the mouth of the head coach. A relentless work-rate is always appreciated up front but he has the size, smarts and physicality to go with it too.

Staying with the forwards and Ox Nche reinforced his status as one of the best loosehead props in the world with three sterling performances – including an outright blockbuster effort in Test Two against Ireland – during this international window. He has also been a superb athlete and we saw that once again as he also shone around the park. He is also getting pressure from Gerhard Steenekamp who earned his second and third cap this window after debuting last year. One thing is for sure, the Springboks’ loosehead depth is in rude health.

It was a profitable window for the Springboks’ wingers with Makazole Mapimpi scoring four times in his two appearances while Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse (3) and Edwill van der Merwe all grabbed tries of their own. Much of that has to do with Brown’s new attacking shape but also the performances of the backs overall, particularly outside centres Jesse Kriel and Lukhanyo Am. Kriel is another who has simply continued his sensational form after the World Cup as he dominates on defence and has thrived with more attacking opportunities, while Am took his chance against Portugal with both hands especially considering that he effectively played both centre roles in the win.

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Success story

Winning three from four was certainly a successful window for the Springboks as is the 18 tries that they scored across the four internationals as Brown’s influence is clear to see.

However, the real success story HAS to be Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s introduction to the international scene. It is hard to remember when a youngster burst onto the Test stage with the Springboks in the manner that Feinberg-Mngomezulu has, perhaps only comparable to the likes of Frans Steyn and Handre Pollard – he is in illustrious company.

Who is Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu? Get to know the Springboks’ latest prodigy

The hype around Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s rise had not failed to die down yet as he calmly slotted a long-range penalty when coming off the bench for his Test debut against Wales – adding two conversions with extreme ease. For such a young player, he has oozed class and seemingly has the temperament of a seasoned international. Springboks fans will struggle not to get excited by the rookie and frankly, why should they? He looks born to play at this level and has taken it in his stride and some.

After starring against Wales, he featured twice off the bench against Ireland seeing the Boks over the line in the first Test before stepping in early in the second after Willie Le Roux’s injury. He produced an outstanding performance against Ireland in the second Test at fullback barely looking fussed by the pressure of playing the world’s number two ranked side and kicked it up another notch against Portugal.

Featuring off the bench again, he produced a masterful 36-minute performance that included 10 points off the tee, two try assists and gained over 40 metres, beating three defenders.

He went eight from eight off the tee in his first four games and hardly put a foot wrong from his first minute to his last. One thing is for sure, the Springboks have a potential all-time great on their hands and Feinberg-Mngomezulu looks like the kind of player bound to play 100 Tests for his country.

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Main regret

Simply, Durban. Much was made of the modern-day rivalry between the Springboks and Ireland ahead of the two Test matches in South Africa and Erasmus’ charges were well-placed to seal a series nilling of Farrell’s men.

After a mediocre start of the game, the Springboks trialled 6-16 at half-time and stunningly fought back through the boot of Pollard and brilliantly led 24-19 with just 15 minutes left on the clock. The Boks had shown real fight and determination to get back into the fixture but ultimately they fell short with Frawley nailing two sensational drop goals to deny the Boks the bragging rights.

A real missed opportunity for the new-era Springboks and something they will look to rectify in the upcoming Rugby Championship while they also build on the progress made.

Results

South Africa v Wales (won 17-38)

South Africa v Ireland v Italy (won 36-0)

South Africa v Ireland (Won 31-7)

South Africa v Portugal (23-22)

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