The Ultimate South African rugby Depth Chart

A look at the top 12 players in each of the 15 rugby positions - 180 players in total.

South Africa boasts a wealth of talented rugby players, both within its borders and abroad. To highlight this, I've chosen to assemble a depth chart showcasing the strength in depth of each position. Consequently, specific constraints have been introduced to shape this challenge:

1. The player cannot be over the age of 30, unless they have recently been in the Springbok squad (within the last 6 months).

2. The player must be capped at the senior professional level. No U20’s or other junior levels.

3. A player can only be selected once - no player is allowed to be selected in multiple positions.

4. The player isn’t currently capped by another nation (Dylan Richardson, Duhan van der Merwe, Pierre Schoeman, Paul Willemse etc.)

A big part of this piece will be to understand what positions will require a rebuild after the Rugby World cup in France, building towards to 2027 RWC in Australia. Ages and Clubs are accurate as of the 24th of August 2023.

Loosehead Prop:

South Africa has a good age range at loosehead prop, with Kitshoff, Nche, Steenekamp and Mchunu likely to still be battling it out towards the 2027 RWC. I suspect Kitshoff will begin to play less minutes as he ages but his qualities will remain. We may see a new cap here too, with someone like Matanzima having featured for the South Africa “A” team in 2022.

Hooker:

Hookers is an area where we will likely see a few new caps over the coming years. Both Kotze and Venter played for the South Africa “A” team in 2022, with Wessels originally selected before picking up an injury. Grobbelaar had an injury that ruled out any possibly of him being selected, but has been involved in the Springbok squad once before. He is an accurate lineout thrower and has been a threat at the breakdown for the Bulls. Fez Mbatha has also grown a lot as a player, notably improving his lineout throwing.

Tighthead Prop:

This is a position we may see the most significant change in over the coming 4 years. Nyakane and Koch are unlikely to play until 2027, and Malherbe could still be around but wouldn’t likely be at his best. Enter, Thomas du Toit, who has been waiting for his opportunity for many years and has recently missed out on another RWC squad announcement (Albeit he got called up in 2019 after a Nyakane injury). With Wilco Louw returning to the Bulls, he could well be involved with the Boks again, but new blood will still be required. Carlu Sadie moving abroad to Bordeaux, will have put a dent in his chances. While players like Sazi Sandi and Mornay Smith featured for the South Africa “A” team. Meanwhile, young prospects like Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Khutha Mchunu made names for themselves in the 2022/23 rugby season.

4 & 5 Locks:

The current Springbok locks all fall into a similar age bracket, with most still being at an age where they could feature in the 2027 RWC. However, it is unlikely that all of them will be in the same shape, form, or even still be playing. The future is bright though, with Jenkins, Moerat and Nortje already capped and a player like Ruben van Heerden making a big statement in 2023. Meanwhile, youngsters like Connor Evans and Reinhardt Ludwig who are not Test ready, look to have very bright futures.

Openside Flankers:

The age profile here is far from ideal when looking towards the future. I also found it quite difficult finding genuine openside flanker options when doing my research. It is likely that the Boks will shift players around over the coming years and we may see players I have listed as blindside flankers or eighthmen featuring on the openside. An example of this was seen when the South Africa “A” team played Phepsi Buthelezi at 6 against Munster. However, Nama Xaba is my player to keep an eye on. Before a terrible knee injury, Xaba was one of the top breakdown performers in the URC, only being slightly below fellow teammate Deon Fourie. How he makes his injury comeback will be crucial, having not played since November 2022.

Blindside Flankers:

Unlike the openside flank, there is no shortage of genuine blindside flankers, with a player like Pokomela probably more suited to blindside but had to be included in the previous graphic. A replacement for PSDT will be required at some point, and the Boks aren’t short of options. Ben-Jason Dixon had an imperious season for the Stormers on their way to the URC final, while Emmanuel Tshituka came out from behind his brothers shadow to dominate for the Lions. There is also the likelihood that a player like Elrigh Louw is converted to blindside flank as he did in the South Africa “A” match. But for me, the youngest of the bunch stands out. Ruan Venter looks to be a frightening prospect at only 20 years old, and has played 4, 6, 7 and 8 for the Lions in the past season. The only problem seems to be the frequency of his minor injuries. Looking at experienced options, Hanro Liebenberg is a genuine leader and offers a lot on the pitch.

Eighthmen:

The 2023 RWC will be Duane Vermuelen’s final stint in green and gold, but the Boks have an abundance of options for the coming 4 years. With 5 capped alternatives, I do not believe we will be seeing one of the above uncapped options getting a run for the Boks any time soon. However, I would like to see Dayimani and Horn in the Bok setup as they offer something different, and have both been performing excellently for two consecutive URC seasons.

Scrumhalves:

Reinach and de Klerk are probably unlikely to make it to the 2027 RWC, but I wouldn’t be surprised if de Klerk was still involved in the coming years. Embrose Papier, who was last capped 5 years ago, has returned to great form in recently and is still younger than Williams and Jantjies. Meanwhile, Sanele Nohamba has taken on a greater leadership role since moving from the Sharks to the Lions and followed it up with some superb performances and solid goal kicking. Another 9 who is known for his goal kicking is James Hall, who has been playing in France since 2016 and is still only 27 years old.

Flyhalves:

We are unlikely to ever see Elton Jantjies in a Springbok squad again, but the current two flyhalves will undoubtably continue to play for the Boks over the next 4 years. With players like Sacha Mngomezulu, Jordan Hendrikse and Curwin Bosch the probable options to be fighting it out for the third flyhalf spot. This would be a great opportunity for Pollard and Libbok to pass down their experience to the younger generation.

Inside Centre:

Plenty of options at inside centre, but the majority are 28 years old or over. Andre Esterhuizen will likely get more gametime after the 2023 RWC, and hopefully this will also mean new caps will be given. Dan du Plessis and Benhard Janse van Rensburg are the stand out options for me, with both being versatile in the ability to play inside and outside centre.

Outside Centre:

The future at outside centre is looking very promising for Springboks. Kriel and Am are both still at an age where the 2027 RWC is still well within reach, but there will be many promising youngsters trying to find a place in the Bok setup. Suleiman Hartzenberg is a player who plays well beyond his years, and featured at wing for the South Africa “A” team in 2022. He is physically strong, having played 12 at U20 level and is very quick. He has also been out for several months with injury that has currently put a halt on his progress. Henco van Wyk too is an exciting prospect, having started at outside centre for the South Africa “A” team. He has also suffered with a number of injuries in the past year. Finally, a player who isn’t on this list but must be mentioned is Canan Moodie, who will start at outside centre for the Springboks this weekend. He is definitely still a winger, but his future may well be at outside centre, only time will tell.

Left & Right Wingers:

There hasn’t been a time where the Springboks have had many better options at wing. Yet, the future only looks to be an even bigger headache for the Springbok coaching staff. Makazole Mapimpi will not make the 2027 RWC, of this I have no doubt, and their could even be a question mark around Kolbe. While the future of Sbu Nkosi is also unknown. For replacements, I believe you have to be looking at players 28 years old or younger. Of this group, Madosh Tambwe and Edwil van der Merwe would be you “ready replacements”, while players like Angelo Davids, Thaakir Abrahams and Stravino Jacobs players with high potentials.

Fullback:

Willie Le Roux has been an under-appreciated presence in the Bok squad for many years, with some Bok fans only recently coming around to him and his importance to the team. Nevertheless, he will certainly not make the 2027 RWC, and the Boks will be required to replace him. Damian Willemse is likely to be the player who steps up, but who will added to the squad? Aphelele Fassi and Gianni Lombaard both featured for the South Africa “A” team at fullback, which could be a hint towards the future. Tyrone Green was injured at the time, and has been outstanding ever since signing for the Harlequins. Quan Horn played more URC minutes than any other player, featuring at both wing and fullback for the Lions and having only recently turned 22 years old. Joe Jonas has been making a name for himself in France with Biarritz, and I for one would love to see him back on South African shores in the future. While Boeta Chamberlain and Nevaldo Fleurs offer genuine playmaker options as they have regularly featured at flyhalf before.