South Africa goes into hosting duties for the British and Irish Lions Tour, and by extension the current Rugby World Cup cycle, at a distinct disadvantage. You can’t often say that of a team mounting a defense of their global crown in a couple of years.
Since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan during the fall of 2019, the Springboks haven’t played a Test. While sharp observers may point out that the Lions haven’t turned out for four years, that rather misses the point. The best of British and Irish rugby union stars come together at such intervals and tour one of the Southern Hemisphere’s heavyweights in this sport.
It is not a level playing field as we often report in our sports news, however. The Lions select players from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, who have all played two Six Nations campaigns and an Autumn Nations Cup with their respective countries since the Springboks last took to the field.
Warren Gatland will again coach the tourists after a win Down Under in Australia in 2013 and the memorable drawn series against the All Blacks of New Zealand four years later. The Kiwi coach is looking for an unbeaten set with the Lions, then. You can easily argue that Gatland’s resources and options look somewhat deeper.
Ones that got away
The irony that he may pick a few players who would not look at all out of place in South Africa’s squad should not be lost on fans or his coaching counterparts of the Rainbow Nation. If selected for Lions duty, it could be a fairy tale send-off for Ireland back-row CJ Stander, who announced his retirement from rugby following the mid-year Test window earlier this year.
Capped by the Springboks at Under-20 level, he has that and more in common with Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe. Both men were born in George in the Western Cape, yet have since taken up representing nations that they adopted in adulthood.
Van Der Merwe, the leading try-scorer in the 2021 Six Nations Championship, saw older brother Akker play three times for South Africa at hooker in 2018. That was the last time British nations were in South Africa on tour, albeit independently. Despite involvement in consecutive victories over England then, the elder sibling has never had a look-in with the Springboks since.
Seeing how his brother was treated perhaps explains why Van Der Merwe chose to represent Scotland, where he has played his club rugby with Edinburgh from 2017 onwards. The man who made the call about axing Akker, who has also since moved abroad and now represents Sale Sharks in the English Premiership, was Rassie Erasmus.
Rainbow Nation must shuffle forward pack
It’s hard to criticize a coach who stepped in midway through a cycle and steered South Africa to Rugby World Cup glory just 18 months after being asked to combine that with a Director role. There must be continuity and change with the Springboks now, however.
Erasmus has since reverted to his Director of Rugby job and promoted defense coach Jacques Nienaber, a man who has worked alongside him for many years in various roles. The pair are at odds of 6.0 in the rugby betting with Betway to win another World Cup as of April 19, meaning South Africa are the fourth-favorites to retain their crown. If the Springboks are to make a successful defense of their crown, then it all starts with what may prove a stern examination in the three-Test series against the Lions. Retirements force Erasmus, who is now working more on rugby strategy and less on day-to-day coaching, and Nienaber into forward changes.
Schalk Brits, already a veteran when recalled by South Africa in place of Akker van der Merwe, has long since called time on his career. Long-serving Springboks prop Tendai Mtawarira, born in the Zimbabwean capital Harare and known with some affection by his nickname “the Beast”, is another front row who has hung up his boots.
The same applies to flanker Francois Louw, although fellow back row Duane Vermeulen remains available for South Africa. Whether he at 35 has any long-term future beyond the Lions Tour remains to be seen. It’s a similar case with the name Francois Steyn, but there aren’t so many selection issues among the backs.
All eyes will be on the world champs later in the summer as the Springboks look to make up for the lost time.