URC play-offs can influence race for Bok No.10 jersey

OPINION: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok, Jordan Hendrikse, and Siya Masuku’s management in the United Rugby Championship play-offs could impact Test selections in the coming months.

Let’s reflect on the Champions Cup Final this past weekend as a reference point.

How good was the Final, both as a standalone event and a reminder of what the top European players will offer across the 2025 Test season?

Maxime Lucu, Matthieu Jalibert, Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey dazzled for Bordeaux-Bégles in their 28-20 win over Northampton Saints in Cardiff this past Saturday.

How are Test teams going to stop these French players when they wear a different shade of blue later this year?

Opposition coaches will be asking themselves this very question in the wake of the Final – and it’s worth noting that the Springboks are set to face France in Paris on November 8.

All coaches will tell you that the physical and mental demands of a play-off fixture far exceed those of a regular season game.

Players who excel in that environment boost their chances of Test squad selection.

On the other hand, players who perform across the league phase but go missing in the play-offs usually fail to make the cut.

With the above in mind, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has much to ponder over the next few weeks.

The Champions Cup Final is done and dusted, but the post-season is in full swing.

The URC play-offs start this weekend, the Japan Rugby League One final is on Sunday, and the Premiership and Top 14 finals are scheduled for mid-to-late June.

Malcolm Marx will represent the Kubota Spears in the Japanese final, while other Boks such as Thomas du Toit (Bath), Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers), and Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks) should be in the mix for the Premiership play-offs.

Closer to home, a host of Bok contenders will feature for the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers across the URC quarterfinals.

The recent results have been significant in the context of qualifying for the URC knockouts, but these teams would do well to remember how poorly they fared in the European play-offs and why the coming matches will require a lift in intensity and accuracy.

While there’s plenty of competition across the positions, the contest for the Bok No 10 jersey is heating up – and Erasmus should base his selections on how the candidates perform in the do-or-die matches.

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MANIE V SACHA

Two of the four flyhalves who started for the Boks in 2024 are currently with the Stormers, and coach John Dobson has a tough call to make ahead of the quarterfinal against Glasgow this Friday.

Libbok has been Dobson’s go-to man for the past four seasons, and made a successful return from injury in the final league clash against Cardiff.

However, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been one of the top performers across the South African franchises in recent weeks, and has to feature in the matchday squad this Friday, one way or another.

Dobson may be asking himself the same questions Erasmus wrestled with at the 2023 World Cup.

Back then, Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber started the attack-minded Libbok ahead of the more pragmatic Pollard, with the latter playing a key role from the bench in each play-off, particularly when kicking for goal.

The key difference here is what Feinberg-Mngomezulu offers on attack and from the kicking tee.

Some may feel that Libbok is the more experienced player and – at this stage – is a greater facilitator of that Stormers team’s attack.

But in recent matches, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has asked a lot questions of the opposition defence, whether he has carried the ball to the gainline or put others into space.

It’s also worth noting that Feinberg-Mngomezulu is one of the most accurate goal-kickers in South African rugby, whereas Libbok has had his issues in recent seasons.

Libbok managed the game well in his comeback match against Cardiff, but didn’t kick for goal. That responsibility fell to Damian Willemse – who won’t be available for the coming game due to suspension.

One can’t see Dobson replicating the Bok policy by starting Libbok and introducing another player – in this case Feinberg-Mngomezulu – from the bench in the latter stages.

But if Feinberg-Mngomezulu starts, he is likely to play 80 minutes. The Stormers will need their best goal-kicker on the park if the game goes to the wire.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s career is on an upward trajectory, and a consistent run in the play-offs – providing the Stormers clear the first hurdle this Friday – is essential to his growth, both in a Stormers and Bok context.

Libbok is too good to be discarded, but one wonders how a dearth of game time in the URC play-offs may hurt his national prospects.

Perhaps he will prove everyone wrong – as he has done in the past – by producing a moment of magic in the coming weeks, but it seems likely that his opportunities to do so will be limited.

SIYA V JORDAN

The Sharks are faced with a similar dilemma.

Jordan Hendrikse has already played two Tests at No 10, and has featured at flyhalf and fullback since joining the Sharks at the start of the club season.

Hendrikse is a brave ball-carrier and defender, and possesses a cannon of a boot.

His ability to slot in at No 10, 12 or 15 is yet another asset – and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him occupying a utility role for the Boks later this season.

But is he the Sharks’ best game manager at this stage?

It’s a question that’s been asked at length over the course of the season, after the 23-year-old has delivered some mixed showings when wearing the No 10 jersey.

Reflecting on those performances, John Plumtree may be tempted to back Siya Masuku at No 10 for the coming play-offs.

Hendrikse may provide impact from the bench later in the game, and in that scenario, the Sharks would lose nothing in the goal-kicking department.

Perhaps Erasmus would prefer to see Hendrikse in a starting role, as it would provide the youngster with an opportunity to grow in a high-stakes contest.

If Plumtree decided to pick Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse at No 9 and 10, it might hurt Masuku’s chances of selection altogether.

Masuku doesn’t offer the same impact or utility value from the bench, and the Sharks may want to include explosive backline stars such as Jurenzo Julius on the wood.

JOHANNES A DARK HORSE FOR BOK ROLE

Bull coach Jake White would kill for such selection headaches at No 10.

Keagan Johannes has done a solid job in Johan Goosen’s injury-enforced absence, but it remains to be seen how the versatile halfback will fare in the URC play-offs.

Experience is essential at this stage of the tournament, as is goal-kicking, and Johannes will have everything to prove in the coming weeks.

Of course, this has the potential to be one of the biggest success stories of the URC campaign.

While the Boks aren’t short on specialist options at No 9 and 10, they lack a player with the experience of playing both positions regularly.

Faf de Klerk has switched from scrumhalf to flyhalf on occasion, and Jaden Hendrikse has been listed as flyhalf and goal-kicking cover, but it would be a stretch to describe these players as ‘utility halfbacks’.

Johannes has been one of the Bulls’ most consistent performers this season, and if he steers the side to glory in the coming weeks, he will catch the eye of the national selectors.

A player who covers scrumhalf and flyhalf, while providing a goal-kicking alternative could be an asset to the Bok bench – especially if Erasmus opts for a seven-one split at some point this season.

@rugby365com