De Villiers, Horn nailed Loftus audition

OPINION: Flank Paul de Villiers and utility back Quan Horn have impressed across the mid-year fixtures and will add value to the Springbok match 23 in bigger Tests to come.

Rassie Erasmus’ recent selections – and the Boks’ recent performances – have prompted a mixed reaction from the South African public and media.

Some have suggested that he has cheapened the Bok jersey by rotating the squad on a weekly basis.

Others have described his selections as an unnecessary gamble.

Meanwhile, those who have followed Erasmus and his unique approach to squad management since 2018 will have a fair idea of what the Bok boss is trying to achieve.

Over the past eight years, Erasmus has cast the net wide in an attempt to bolster the Boks’ depth in every position.

During this period, he has developed the split-squad strategy as well as the Bomb Squad concept. He has paired younger players alongside veterans, and has rotated combinations and entire lineups with a specific opponent or long-term goal in mind.

Crucially, these strategies have led to results, in the shape of wins, trophies and a golden era that may continue for some time yet.

The proof of concept exists, and it’s for this reason why so many South African fans have backed the Bok coach over the course of the latest set of experiments.

Last week, I wrote in this column that fans should be encouraged by what’s happening on and off the field.

The Boks scored seven tries in a 45-21 hammering of England – and they did so without a host of experienced players who are currently recovering from injuries.

My assessment of the Boks’ six-try, 42-28 win against Scotland this past Saturday is much the same.

There were some nervy moments at Loftus Versfeld, and it would be fair to say that Scotland had several opportunities to punish the Boks and claim a historic win on South African soil.

But again, any assessment of that performance has to account for the number of changes (10), the number of younger players that were backed (17 had fewer than 20 Test caps) and the inexperience of the respective combinations.

Some of the players who featured at Loftus are essentially fourth- or fifth-choice in the pecking order, while many of the combinations had not been used at this level before Saturday.

And yet, in spite of the lack of synergy, the Boks scored six tries and 42 points, and managed to beat one of the best teams in the northern hemisphere by a margin of 14.

Scotland pushed the Boks closer than the final scoreline might suggest, and a younger group of players were guilty of basic errors.

That said, the group showed its problem-solving mettle in the second half, and this should be one of the biggest takeaways for Erasmus and company.

There will be time to address a few persistent flaws in the Bok performance once all of their stars are back and the focus has shifted to the Greatest Rivalry Series against the All Blacks.

The defence needs sharpening, as flyhalf Handré Pollard admitted in the wake of the match against Scotland.

The Boks missed 46 tackles and conceded 11 linebreaks and 11 22m entries.

On the flip side, the Boks scrambled well to kill most of those surges – and Scotland finished the game with a poor conversion rate of four from 11.

Erasmus said afterwards that the recent matches have provided the Bok coaches with answers.

More than 60 players have been used across the fixtures against the Barbarians, Zimbabwe, England and Scotland, as Erasmus has looked to bolster the team’s depth with the series against the All Blacks and the 2027 World Cup in mind.

Some players have made the most of those opportunities, while others remain a work in progress.

With regard to the former group, Paul de Villiers has been the biggest success story across these matches.

From the outset, De Villiers was earmarked as a potential replacement for Kwagga Smith in the Bomb Squad, as the veteran has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious injury.

De Villiers lived up to the hype when he was unleashed from the bench against the Barbarians in Gqeberha last month.

A couple of weeks later, the 23-year-old flank was fast-tracked to the Test lineup after Siya Kolisi withdrew with injury, and proceeded to make a statement against England.

Much has been made about De Villiers’ prowess as a fetcher, but the Stormers player has refused to be pigeon-holed during the early days of his Test career.

This much was evident on Saturday, when De Villiers emerged as one of the Boks’ top ball-carriers.

Defensive spacing was an issue for the Boks at Loftus, but De Villiers and company did well to hassle Scotland at the defensive breakdowns.

Erasmus has unleashed a number of exciting backs in recent weeks – and is expected to give the likes of Vusi Moyo and Jaco Williams a run against Wales next Saturday.

The management of Quan Horn, however, has attracted attention since Erasmus brought the Lions player into the squad ahead of the 2026 Test season.

Horn was categorised as a utility player, and Erasmus picked the 25-year-old to start at No.10 against the Barbarians.

Horn’s speed and big kicking game was evident across that fixture, and he settled into the role of distributor and game driver.

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On Saturday, Erasmus deployed Horn from the bench, and opted to use the versatile player alongside Pollard in a new 10-12 combination.

The Bok attack fired in the latter stages of the game, and the speed, decision-making and execution of Horn in that period will have impressed Erasmus as well as attack coach Tony Brown.

What do these cameos mean for the middle- and long-term?

The Boks will need more than 40 players to survive the gruelling four-Test series against the All Blacks.

At the very least, De Villiers and Horn should feature in a revamped Bomb Squad in some of those matches – and Horn’s versatility will enable Erasmus to pick a six-two split.

Perhaps the pair would benefit from a further examination against Argentina in Buenos Aires on August 8.

It will be interesting to see how Erasmus balances the scales of youth and experience ahead of that fixture, which will double as a dress rehearsal for the first Test against the All Blacks on August 22.

The Boks are well placed at present, having won their first two Nations Championship Tests, with a clash against Wales to come. The Dragons are currently 11th in the World Rugby rankings.

More importantly, Erasmus has got some answers with the bigger clashes against the All Blacks in mind, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see a few youngsters playing alongside the veterans in the do-or-die matches next month.