Following the announcement of the Springboks squad for the end-of-year tour to the northern hemisphere, we pick out our winners and losers from Rassie Erasmus’ selections.

The Bok head coach has chopped and changed his squad regularly in South Africa’s first 10 Test matches of the year but has gone a more conservative route for the final three internationals of the year.

He has welcomed the return of four Rugby World Cup winners and made some tough calls in whittling his squad down to 34 players.

This year, Erasmus has used 49 players in Test matches – 35 of which in their title-winning Rugby Championship campaign – and that number is set to rise to 50 by the conclusion of the year.

Without further ado, here are our winners and losers from the Springboks squad named.

Winners

World-class returnees

The Springboks squad has been bolstered by the returns of Damian Willemse, Andre Esterhuizen, RG Snyman and Franco Mostert, who all missed the entirety of the Rugby Championship campaign.

Willemse’s return is a major boost to the backline as he will compete for minutes at fly-half, full-back and possibly centre. The youngest-ever double Rugby World Cup winner has returned in fine form for the Stormers and will look to reclaim a starting role after cementing himself as the go-to number 15 last year at the World Cup.

With Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu missing the tour through injury, Willemse also reopens the possibility of selecting a more forwards-heavy bench this November. That’s without forgetting the class that he brings to any backline as a fierce defender and a fleet-footed and intelligent attacker.

Meanwhile, the Springboks have gone from a lock crisis right back into an extremely luxurious position where they can snub world-class operators – more on that later – as the ridiculously talented Snyman and the work-horse Mostert earn recalls.

Snyman has been nothing short of sensational for Leinster after making his return from a foot injury that saw him miss the Rugby Championship with a sublime offloading game that will excite Tony Brown. From the outrageous s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s of Snyman to the less heralded graft of Mostert, Erasmus is spoilt for choice when it comes to picking who will be calling his lineout and adding power to his pack.

Finally, the Bok boss has repeatedly raised the issue of managing Damian de Allende’s game time in an incredibly taxing position and while Lukhanyo Am has produced glimpses of excellence in the role, Esterhuizen’s return is another timely boost. The former Harlequins star was red-carded in his last appearance in Green and Gold but he has shown just how much of a threat he is with ball in hand after returning to action with the Sharks.

Esterhuizen was superb during their run to the Currie Cup title and despite the indifferent performances, he was a standout in the United Rugby Championship.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels

The fact that Erasmus has named just two out-and-out hookers in his squad is a testament to just how highly thought of Jan-Hendrik Wessels is by the coaching staff.

Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx have dominated the number 2 and 16 jersey for the Springboks since 2018 and continue to do so despite Erasmus stating earlier this year that the next generation needs to push through and Wessels looks to be the next cab off the rank.

The Springboks coaching staff seemingly love the versatile option and Wessels is a rare breed in that regard with his ability to also pack down at loosehead prop. It will be interesting to see where and if he fits into any of the matchday 23s this year but it is quite clear that the Bok coaches have big plans for him going forward.

Willie le Roux

Erasmus said previously that he does not expect veteran full-back Willie le Roux to make it to the next Rugby World Cup, but the Bulls star is clearly still a key player in the set-up as he edges towards becoming the eighth player to play 100 Test matches for the Springboks.

Le Roux has been in fine form for the Bulls in the URC and if selected in all three of the Boks’ matches abroad, he will celebrate the milestone in their final outing against Wales.

There is no doubt that the double World Cup winner deserves to hit 100 for the Boks not only because of his proven pedigree and service to the team but also down to his current form.

Ruan Nortje

It’s hard not to mention the Bulls forward who has taken his opportunities in the squad with both hands and some. Ruan Nortje is in the unfortunate situation where he plays a position where the Springboks have huge competition for places which led to him being overlooked for the July internationals.

But following the injuries to Mostert, Jean Kleyn and Lood de Jager, he was given his shot, earning a call-up ahead of the Rugby Championship.

He rose to the challenge and produced standout performances against Australia, New Zealand (twice), and Argentina (twice). Despite that form, there was still a good chance that he would have been overlooked for the tour north with Mostert and Snyman returning, but it was not to be as he looks to have done enough to retain his spot in the team.

It will be interesting to see whether he can remain in the starting XV too with the added competition but he is thoroughly deserving of the recall.

Northern Hemisphere fans

With the amount of chopping and changing Erasmus has done this year, there was a chance, however so slim, that the Bok head coach could have rested many of his stars for the tour north.

But that is not the case which is certainly a positive considering the ever-inflating ticket prices.

This is a near-full-strength Springboks outfit, only missing the fully-stocked mark due to the number of injuries and those filling Murrayfield, Twickenham and the Principality will be getting their money’s worth.

Rassie Erasmus

“There’s no doubt that there are several unlucky players who could easily have made the touring squad, but unfortunately we could only select 34 players,” Erasmus after naming his squad and he is spot on.

Few countries have the luxury that Erasmus and his coaching staff have in leaving out so many quality players down solely to preference but the Boks can.

Even when it comes to the injuries to star players, the Springboks have a capable replacement ready to go and there is no better illustration of that than with Steven Kitshoff missing the entire Test season but the Boks haven’t missed a beat with Ox Nche and Gerhard Steenekamp starring in his absence.

In many cases, like the back-row, it seemed as if Erasmus was spoilt for choice in who he could pick with so many talented players pressing for call-ups and he ultimately decided to stick with the status quo and rightly so. The Springboks have gone eight from ten in 2024 with the only two defeats coming by just one point, so there is no reason for him to throw the 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 out with the bathwater.

Losers

Johan Grobbelaar

After having his red card against the Scarlets rescinded, many would have expected Johan Grobbelaar to feature in Erasmus’ squad but the hooker falls victim to his clubmate’s versatility.

The Bok boss said early this year that the Bulls star was ‘clearly the third choice hooker’ and one has to wonder whether that has now changed. With the URC on pause, it’s not like Grobbelaar would be getting game time with the Bulls so his non-selection is quite puzzling.

Ben-Jason Dixon

Perhaps a victim of Mostert’s return and Nortje’s form as Ben-Jason Dixon falls out of the squad after a few standout performances in the Green and Gold jumper. Frankly, it’s a tough business competing for minutes with the ever-present and brilliant Pieter-Steph du Toit and he probably misses out as Erasmus doesn’t want any passengers.

If fit, it’s highly likely that Du Toit plays all 240 minutes in the north making it unnecessary to have a back-up and if he is unable to do that, then the likes of Kwagga Smith, Elrigh Louw and Mostert will make up the minutes.

Dixon is seen as a back-up at lock for the Stormers but not as much for the Boks so his omission certainly makes sense even if it is a bit harsh.

Cameron Hanekom

It’s a matter of when not if Cameron Hanekom plays for the Springboks with Erasmus repeatedly mentioning the Bulls star when discussing his squad.

The Bulls number eight was injured at the beginning of South Africa’s international season resulting in his omission and many expected him to be called into the squad in November but Erasmus has delayed his call-up a little bit longer.

There weren’t many surprises in the Bok squad named on Tuesday and perhaps the biggest shock was the absence of Hanekom’s name in the 34.

The all-action loose forward could well be Erasmus’ first phone call if he loses one of his back-rowers to injury, otherwise he will have to wait until July next year for a first cap.

Wilco Louw

Another Bulls star who has been playing out of his skin but has been unable to nails down a Springboks spot. Wilco Louw left Harlequins two seasons ago to put himself squarely in the selection frame but that decision is yet to bear fruit for him with Frans Malherbe, Vincent Koch and Thomas du Toit preferred as the tighthead props.

Louw’s exclusion is just another example of the Springboks’ incredible depth.

Edwill van der Merwe

After a starring debut against Wales at Twickenham, Edwill van der Merwe has not added to his cap tally and will have to wait a little longer to do so.

The Lions star sustained an injury after that match in London but has returned in good form with the Lions. However, he has not done enough to convince the Bok coaches that he deserves a spot in the highly competitive outside backs.

Injured quartet

SA Rugby have confirmed that Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Salmaan Moerat, Kitshoff and De Jager all miss the tour north through injury. For De Jager and Kitshoff, it means that they will finish the year having not played a single game for the Springboks.

Meanwhile, it brings Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s sensational breakthrough year to a close and possibly his chances of winning World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

As for Moerat, the Bok lock skippered his country this year and would have been eager to silence some of his doubters with a string of strong performances in the north but it was not to be.

Jean Kleyn

Finally, Erasmus recalled four World Cup winners to his squad but also overlooked one in the form of lock Jean Kleyn.

The 31-year-old only recently returned from a lengthy injury lay-off from the Rugby World Cup final and perhaps that factored in Erasmus’ thinking with the Bok boss also mentioning his name several times when listing off his injured stars.

Kleyn played a key role off the bench against the All Blacks last year and will most certainly earn a recall at some point and perhaps the tour was just too soon for the former Ireland lock.