The Springboks’ first alignment camp of the year has concluded and the 43 players who were invited would have been eager to impress ahead of a busy international season that kicks off in June.
A combination of youthful and seasoned players were invited by coach Rassie Erasmus, but it’s crucial to remember that players who were stationed in Europe were unavailable.
IOL Sport has already examined the centers and outside backs who had the opportunity to present their cases at the camp this week; now, we turn our attention to the halfbacks.
There’s a current craze for stylish scrumhalves in South Africa. When Sanele Nohamba and Morne van den Berg are added to the outstanding Springbok preparations, the well is getting deeper. A few months ago, the Boks famously fielded four scrumhalves in their match against Romania.
At 34 years old, Cobus Reinach appears to be nearing the end of his career, but it’s possible that he is still actively playing club rugby in France, which is why he wasn’t present at the camp. Regardless of how you slice it, Erasmus is embarrassingly wealthy in this role.
The increased confidence of young players like Sacha Feinberg-mngomezulu and Jordan Hendrikse has improved the flyhalf position compared to this time last year, while the World Cup duo of Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok are doing well.
Scrumhalf
Faf de Klerk
The 32-year-old was under pressure from Reinach at the World Cup. He was on the bench for the quarter-final and semi-final before winning his starting place back for the final. At 32, there is still plenty of life in the legs and he is the top scrumhalf dog.
Jaden Hendrikse
The 24-year-old had a bad injury run last year and then did not play much at the World Cup. Afterwards, he bizarrely went on mandatory Springbok leave when the Sharks desperately needed him. He has a wonderful knack for reading the game and hopefully he gets a good run of game time now.
Grant Williams
Williams was in the same boat as his Sharks teammate when he returned from France. He needed game time but has had little. The resting protocols are now over and just like Hendrikse, he will be delighted to get back on the field. When he and Hendrikse work in unison at the Sharks, they are a different team.
Herschel Jantjies
He was hugely disappointed to lose out on World Cup selection after having played a role in the 2019 triumph. At the Stormers, he is playing with hunger and he knows that he has his work cut out if he is to climb up the scrumhalf ladder.
Morne van den Berg
The Lions man was probably the biggest surprise when the 43 names were released but his selection was richly deserved. He has been consistently good in an up-and-down Lions team and can make things happen. At 26 he is approaching his peak and can make a strong case for full Bok selection.
Sanele Nohamba
The little general has been in the form of his life and key to the much better form of the Lions this season. His ability to switch between 9 and 10 without breaking a sweat, plus his goal-kicking skills, makes him very attractive to Erasmus.
Flyhalves
Jordan Hendrikse
The younger brother of Jaden barely played last year because of injury and then struggled to get selected at the Lions. He came back into the team for the Lions’ heavy defeat of his new team, the Sharks, and he showed much of the promise that made him such a good flyhalf for the SA Under-20 team.
Sacha Feinberg-mngomezulu
He is arguably the most talented youngster playing in South Africa. It is going to be fascinating to see how Erasmus handles the Stormers utility back. Hopefully, he gets blooded as a flyhalf and not as a jack-of-all-trades bench player.
Manie Libbok
We shouldn’t forget that Libbok was the first-choice flyhalf at the World Cup up until the final when Pollard got the nod to start. Libbok can be a magician with the ball and new backline coach Tony Brown will enjoy getting the best out of this talent.
IOL Sport
