John Plumtree has warned that some of the older Springboks won’t make the next Rugby World Cup, here our ten players who are in danger of falling to the year-round playing schedule.
Sharks head coach John Plumtree issued a warning that many older Springboks could be in “danger” of not making the next Rugby World Cup.
Plumtree was of course referring to the taxing year-round playing schedule of top-flight South African players who effectively don’t have an off-season as they play their club rugby in the northern hemisphere tournaments and the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship.
Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus had already raised similar concerns with many of the star men of the last two Rugby World Cup successes also naturally ageing out of the squad.
Still, the Sharks coach’s concerns are merited as there is certainly a risk that some of the players’ bodies will effectively break down before the World Cup and due to the demanding playing schedule.
“Unless these guys are managed properly, you might not see it straight away, but there will be an accumulation over time, and with the World Cup coming up in three years, there’s a danger of some of our older athletes not being able to make it,” Plumtree said in late December.
“I think South Africa’s in a good position to handle [the rugby schedule]. No other country could because we’ve got some really good depth and a lot of good players.
“The Japan [club] season isn’t as hectic as ours and that’s a bit of a saving grace for the Springboks. But the Springboks who play in South Africa need to be managed well. And it’s not just about rest and playing rugby, it’s about rest and getting their bodies right by having a proper pre-season window when they can get fitter and stronger.”
With this in mind, we run through the players that are most at risk at falling victim to the schedule in the next two years as the race to make the World Cup quickly approaches the finishing line.
Bongi Mbonambi
Ahead of the November internationals, we highlighted the need for Erasmus to look beyond the experienced hooker duo that is Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi, with the former entering his 30s and the latter now three years into his.
While Marx has had his fair share of injuries throughout his career, including the one that ruled him out for much of last year, he is currently employed by Japanese club Kubota Spears. Playing in the Japanese Rugby League One is most ideal for a player of his calibre as he will almost certainly be picked by the Boks on pedigree but he still remains in great shape from the tournament and isn’t playing all year round, with an ideal pre-season block and a break before the mid-year internationals.
However, the picture for Mbonambi is entirely different as he is effectively playing all year with the Sharks. Understandably, the world-class hooker is selected in the crunch clashes for his club and often goes deep into the second half in those games, unlike what is the case when he is donning the Green and Gold jumper. He has also fallen victim to niggling injuries of late which is not the best of signs for a front-rower in nearing their mid-30s.
The Springboks coaching staff’s exploration of Jan-Hendrik Wessels as an option at hooker and prop points to the want to keep Mbonambi in the squad for as long as possible, but if the Sharks and Boks aren’t careful the choice may be taken out of their hands.
Frans Malherbe
Many of the Boks forwards of 2023 are unfortunately, for Erasmus, in this bracket and the brilliant Frans Malherbe is no exception.
The tighthead prop has anchored the South African scrum to a wonderful standard for years now but his recent run of setbacks should be sounding alarms at SA Rugby HQ.
The 33-year-old had a lengthy lay-off after the 2023 World Cup and while he returned in time to represent the Springboks last year, he did suffer another setback which saw him miss the end-of-year internationals only returning in the late knockings of 2024 for the Stormers.
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