Herschel Jantjies has surged ahead of 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Faf de Klerk in the Springbok scrum-half hierarchy as head coach Rassie Erasmus trimmed his squad for a gruelling run of Tests against Argentina and the All Blacks.
The latest 43-man group, announced after the July international window, underlines both South Africa’s depth at No 9 and Erasmus’s willingness to make hard calls on established stars.
Jantjies back from the cold
Jantjies, who came off the bench in the recent win over Wales and had not featured for the Springboks for three years before this season, is among four scrum-halves retained for the next phase of preparation.
He is joined by Grant Williams, Cobus Reinach and Paul de Wet’s Lions team-mate, Sanele Nohamba’s URC rival – but crucially, not by De Klerk or in-form Bulls half-back Embrose Papier.
De Klerk, 34, remains on the outside looking in and, barring injuries, faces a difficult task forcing his way back into contention before the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against New Zealand.
Jantjies’s inclusion ahead of both De Klerk and Papier marks a significant shift from the pecking order many expected at the start of the season.
Papier released despite stellar URC form
Perhaps the most eye-catching decision is the release of Papier, widely viewed as the standout South African scrum-half in this season’s United Rugby Championship.
Papier featured in the Test against Scotland on 11 July but has now been sent back to the Bulls, even as Erasmus continues to whittle down his options at No 9.
“Van den Berg remains with the squad after recovering from injury, while Jantjies – who featured off the bench against Wales this past weekend – cracks the nod among the four scrumhalves retain in the latest 43-man group,” the Springbok management confirmed.
That means Williams and Reinach, already seen as the top two in the position, are now backed up primarily by Jantjies and utility half-back options, with De Klerk and Papier effectively on standby.
Erasmus banking on ‘win-win’ squad split
Explaining his strategy, Erasmus stressed that players released back to their franchises are not out of the running for the RGR series.
“The players released to their franchises will also have an opportunity to face the All Blacks in their respective midweek games if they are selected,” Rassie Erasmus commented. “Which will be invaluable for them once we decide on the final squad for RGR (Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series), so we see this as a win-win situation for the team and players.”
The Springboks have been given this week off to spend time with their families before the full 43-man squad regroups at their Johannesburg base on Sunday. They will train together for a week before a reduced travelling party departs in two groups for Buenos Aires, ahead of a one-off Test against Argentina on 8 August.
All Blacks rivalry looms large
That clash in Argentina serves as the final tune-up before South Africa take on New Zealand in a four-match RGR series that will test Erasmus’s selection calls to the limit.
The Springboks face the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 22 August, the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 29 August, FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 5 September, and then at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA, on 12 September.
Erasmus says the Argentina trip and split-squad approach are crucial for injury management and final selection.
“We are limited in the number of players we can take to Argentina, so it makes sense to give everyone a fair chance to compete for spots in the RGR squad, and some of the players who will train in Johannesburg will be in the final stages of their recovery from injuries, which will allow them to do so under the supervision of our medical team.
“Then there are other players who have played a lot of rugby this year and for us during the Nations Championship, and need a match off to allow their bodies to recover.”
With scrum-half now one of the most hotly contested positions in the Bok set-up, the coming weeks in Johannesburg, Buenos Aires and beyond are likely to determine whether Jantjies’s resurgence and De Klerk’s omission become short-term experiments or long-term realities.
