The Springboks arrived in Cardiff looking for the perfect end to a perfect tour, but will have a very different looking team to the one that bullied Ireland in Dublin on Saturday night when they take on Wales at the Principality stadium on Saturday.
Because the match takes place outside the test window, both Wales and South Africa will lose a number of players ahead of the game, with reports talking about 13 Welshmen missing the game while coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed that up to 15 Springboks will be missing.
The Boks will, however, have many of their locally based franchise players available, but will be without the European-based contingent and many of their Japanese players for the game.
DOMESTIC LEAGUES RESTART
The Vodacom United Rugby Championship is just one of several domestic leagues that get going again this week while the Japanese league is in their pre-season and a number of the clubs are obviously keen to get back their players after four weeks of international duty.
The Japanese clubs also allowed their players to play in the test against Japan that kicked off the tour, and which was also outside the test window.
Already the Boks will be without Boan Venter (Edinburgh), RG Snyman (Leinster) and Thomas du Toit (Bath) who will have to return to their clubs. They are also without Kurt-Lee Arendse (concussion) and Edwill van der Merwe (returned home for the birth of his child), who both are back in South Africa.
Then there are the host of Japanese-based players, most of whom won’t be available. While the Boks have not made that list public, the likes of World Rugby Player of the year Malcolm Marx, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe are unlikely to be available for the game.
In fact, at this stage it would probably be more helpful to ask who is available rather than the other way around.
ONLY 25 PLAYERS AVAILABLE
“We are going to lose quite a few players,” Erasmus said after winning in Dublin and looking ahead to Wales.
“Grant (Williams) is going back to the Sharks; he must play there. We have spoken to our URC friends back in South Africa, and some players need to go back to their provinces, so we will train next week with only 25 players in the group.
“We will assess the injuries and then make some calls. There are quite a few guys who must also go back to Japan. Jesse (Kriel) can’t play, and some of the Japanese clubs asked us nicely for their players.
“They helped us out with the Japan match that was outside the window, and this match is also outside the window. It is the same with Wales; they have also got a couple of players playing in the Premiership, and there is no getting away from Premiership rules — you can’t play in matches outside the window.
“I guess there are about 14 or 15 guys currently here who won’t be available next week. And obviously, a guy like Edwill (van der Merwe) won’t return to the squad.
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MANIE HEADING EAST
“Manie (Libbok) is another one going back to Japan,” Erasmus added.
“He is only just fresh in Japan, and the club asked if he could join them as their season starts next week, so we will regroup and see. But yeah, probably only 24 or 25 guys are touring with us to Wales.”
The Boks did get Nthuthuko Mchunu and Bongi Mbonambi to join them last week and both are likely to get game time in the Wales match. Without Marx and Jan-Hendrik Wessels suspended, the Boks only have Johan Grobbelaar there as their only recognised hooker, so Mbonambi will feature.
If the Japanese players are excluded, at loosehead the Boks have Gerhard Steenekamp and Mchunu, while Grobbelaar and Mbonambi are likely to be the hookers. Zach Porthay and Wilco Louw will vie for tighthead/
ENOUGH DEPTH LEFT
Ruan Nortje and Eben Etzebeth are available at lock, while it isn’t clear if Jean Kleyn is returning to Munster. Marco van Staden, Siya Kolisi and Ben-Jason Dixon are there to cover loose forward, while Morne van den Berg and Cobus Reinach will cover 9 and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handre Pollard can cover 10.
Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie are there to cover wing or centre, while Damian Willemse can play 12 or 15.
The chances are that a handful of Japanese-based players may well stay and it doesn’t look like the Boks will call up reinforcements but more clarity is expected later on Monday.