Team Talk: Rassie's power selections have put England on notice

OPINION: The Springboks will target England’s pack – although the selection of Cameron Hanekom suggests that there may be some second-half fireworks.

The match 23 selected for the Boks’ Test season opener at Ellis Park this Saturday seems familiar, yet different.

*Also read: Manie runs the show as Rassie reveals team for England clash 

Collectively, the starting XV boasts 935 caps, and there’s a wealth of experience within the respective departments.

There’s also a lot of raw power – and the Boks are well equipped to target England’s pack from the outset.

At the same time, there are a few eye-catching selections.

There is no specialist lock on what appears to be a five-three bench.

It remains to be seen how Erasmus will deploy Marco van Staden and Cameron Hanekom, and whether the hybrid André Esterhuizen will join the back row or enter the fray alongside another back in Canan Moodie.

The age profile of the group is worth noting.

Erasmus has spoken about casting the net wide in 2026 in an attempt to bolster South Africa’s depth ahead of the four-Test series against the All Blacks and the 2027 World Cup.

In a sense, he has already done that.

As many as 60 players have been used (or will have been used by the end of the game on Saturday) across the fixtures against the Barbarians, Zimbabwe and England.

Further experimentation was expected against England, with younger and less experienced players gaining exposure against leading Test opposition.

Knowing that, it was fair to assume that Riley Norton and Paul de Villiers would make their Test debuts at Ellis Park.

On Monday, Norton was released from the squad due to a serious hamstring injury. Erasmus later confirmed that the former Junior Bok captain would have played against England if not for the untimely ailment.

Meanwhile, Van Staden and Hanekom have been preferred ahead of De Villiers on the bench. We may see De Villiers and other promising youngsters in action against Scotland and Wales over the coming weeks.

For now, Erasmus has picked his strongest available side with the aim of making a statement against one of South Africa’s traditional rivals.

The Bok coach hasn’t tried to be too cute with his front-row selections.

Erasmus may have saved his strongest and most experienced front-row combination for the second half – in an attempt to target a less established England trio, which may include international rookies like Asher Opoku-Fordjour, George Kloska and Vilikesa Sela.

But instead of trying to guess whether the seasoned combination of Ellis Genge, Jamie George and Joe Heyes will start or finish, Erasmus has taken the initiative and has made an early call on his own selections.

The front-row combination of Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit is arguably the Boks’ strongest, and it won’t surprise anyone to see the trio starting this Saturday.

The front-row bench selections are intriguing, though.

Tighthead Wilco Louw has played a lot of rugby over the past 12 months, and one wonders if that workload has contributed to a dip in form at the backend of the URC.

One can understand why Louw might be managed at this stage – and Erasmus may want to see what the younger and more mobile Zach Porthen can do on a fast track at Ellis Park.

Loosehead Ntuthuko Mchunu is another Stormers prop who’s had a great domestic season, but Erasmus has opted for Gerhard Steenekamp – who was a Bomb Squad regular in 2024 before succumbing to injury.

The Boks have their injury concerns, with a large number of players – including RG Snyman and Kwagga Smith – unavailable for the first phase of the Nations Championship.

Locks Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert are currently with the squad but are not yet fit to play.

Knowing that Erasmus’ Boks target the second half of big games, it would have been fair to expect a few more experienced players in the Bomb Squad.

And yet, the pack selected to start this weekend boasts seven World Cup-winners.

While Ruan Nortje is a relative newcomer with 18 caps, he has made the No.5 jersey his own in recent seasons.

Again, it seems likely that the Boks will target England’s scrum from the outset on Saturday.

And with line-out specialists such as Eben Etzebeth, Nortje and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the back five, they may look to use their maul as a weapon.

Having seen the Bok team, Steve Borthwick may have to adjust.

It will be interesting to see how the England coach balances his pack selections, given so many experienced players like Maro Itoje are missing.

In recent seasons, Borthwick has favoured a host of loose-forwards across the match 23, with the especially versatile Ben Earl and Henry Pollock taking on different roles as needed.

Will the experience of Siya Kolisi, Du Toit and Jasper Wiese trump the exuberance of an England back row that features Earl and Pollock?

Erasmus himself will be desperate for an answer, with a view to bigger matches against the All Blacks this year and the 2027 World Cup.

The Bomb Squad will be without Smith this season, and it remains to be seen whether anyone will fill that particular role.

That said, Van Staden has made an impact for the Bulls as well as the Boks as a utility player in recent seasons, while Hanekom is one of the most explosive forwards in South Africa.

The latter – playing in just his second Test – could come into his own in the second half, if the Boks lift the tempo and run at a tiring England defence.

The backline selections appear conservative, until you consider that Grant Williams and Manie Libbok were essentially the preferred “finishing combination” in 2025, rather than the preferred starting No.9 and 10.

In the injury-enforced absence of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and with Cobus Reinach named on the bench, Williams and Libbok will have the chance to show Erasmus that they can manage a big Test from the outset.

Winger Kurt-Lee Arendse and hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels both had interrupted Test campaigns last year and should also be treating the coming game as a chance to make an impression.

Overall, it’s a strong and well-balanced line-up.

While much will be made about the team’s set-piece potential, this side could lift the tempo in the latter stages of the contest.

It will be interesting to see how Borthwick responds to these selections ahead of the England team announcement on Thursday, and whether he sticks or twists.