Rassie's ticked and unticked boxes in 2025
OPINION: With the Rugby Championship defended successfully for the first time by South Africa, it’s time to reflect on the Boks’ season ahead of their upcoming end-of-year tour.
Heading into the 2025 season, there would’ve been a few boxes Erasmus and his coaching staff would’ve wanted to tick.
Some have been achieved, some unwanted records were broken, but more importantly, the Boks are exactly where they want and need to be ahead of the final stretch of their season.
@rugby365 takes a look back at the season and the objectives that were missed and achieved.
Achieved objectives:
Continuing to build squad depth
In 2024, 12 players made their Test debuts.
Players like Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and the new star of the rugby world, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, became Test regulars in 2025.
Then there’s Cameron Hanekom (one Test) and Edwill van der Merwe (three Tests), who possibly would’ve played more matches in the green and gold had it not been for their time on the sidelines with injury.
In 2025, there were seven debutants.
Players such as Ethan Hooker, Marnus van der Merwe and Boan Venter quickly became regulars and important cogs in the team, which would be pleasing for the Boks management.
Retaining ALL the silverware
New Zealand remains the benchmark in the Rugby Championship, winning 20 titles out of the 30 tournaments played.
The Boks claimed their sixth title, claiming back-to-back trophies for the first time in the tournament, which proved their continued dominance as the top team in the world.
The Boks also retained the Freedom Cup and Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate against New Zealand and Australia, respectively.
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Building consistency
Historically, the Boks have been inconsistent in between World Cups, but that is slowly starting to change.
The Boks, since winning the 2023 World Cup Final, have lost merely four Tests out of the 22 played so far.
Two of those losses were by one point (Ireland and Argentina), one by seven (New Zealand) and the only blowout was the shock 22-38 loss to the Wallabies at Ellis Park.
They have five more Tests coming up in Japan, France, Italy, Ireland, and Wales.
Entering the end-of-year tour as No.1-ranked team
Following their Rugby Championship triumph, the Boks would be pleased heading into a jam-packed end-of-year tour to the Northern Hemisphere.
They should dispatch Japan, Italy and Wales with relative ease, but the big hurdles that can dethrone them from their top-ranked position in the world are Ireland and France.
In many ways, these can be seen as grudge matches.
South Africa eliminated hosts France in the 2023 World Cup en route to their fourth title, whilst Ireland and South Africa shared the spoils in a two-match series in 2024.
France will, in all likelihood, want to prove a point, and so will Ireland, who have had the Boks’ number since 2016 – winning five out of their last eight against them.
The No.1 world ranking will be crucial when the pool draw for World Cup 2027 takes place on December 3, 2025.
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The unticked boxes
Keeping Ellis Park record intact v Wallabies
Erasmus and his team found themselves on the wrong side of history when the Boks let a 22-0 lead slip at Ellis Park to go down to a spirited Wallabies outfit by 22-38 in Round One of the Rugby Championship.
The result saw the Wallabies win at the iconic venue for the first time since 1963, breaking a 62-year drought at the spiritual home of South African Rugby.
Failing to break Eden Park stronghold
Speaking of records, the Boks would’ve targeted New Zealand’s 31-year unbeaten record at Eden Park.
The Boks went down 17-24 after New Zealand got off to a fast start, but created their own piece of history a week later by handing the All Blacks their biggest defeat in history at Sky Stadium by defeating their arch rivals by 43-10.
Going unbeaten in 2025
It was always going to be a long shot, and the Boks arguably had their best opportunity in 2024 to achieve this feat, but lost by one point to Ireland and Argentina, respectively.
The Boks are yet to emulate the All Blacks of 2013 to go unbeaten during a calendar season.
They lost two Tests this season against Australia and New Zealand and will have to try to go unbeaten in 2026, which will be even more of a challenge if New Zealand tour the Republic.
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