The one problem area the Springboks must fix

The Springboks clinically swept the All Blacks aside in the recently-concluded Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, which was competitive and highly entertaining throughout all four matches.

Although an official ‘Man of the Series’ was not named, it’s highly likely that Malcolm Marx would have claimed this accolade after producing a series of standout performances.

The Springboks are blessed to have a player of Marx’s quality, but the 32-year-old did bank plenty of game-time during the series against New Zealand, and carryied quite a heavy workload.

It’s a far cry from the scenario in 2019 when Marx and Bongi Mbonambi almost equally shared the same amount of minutes, often each playing a half of rugby.

Yet, with Mbonambi having battled with fitness and form in recent seasons, he has begun to fall by the wayside.

Springboks must find solution to provide Marx with reliable back up

As Rassie Erasmus has begun to look towards the future, there have been opportunities given to the likes of Johan Grobbelaar and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

However, neither have been in the best form this season, and so there was quite a dramatic decision made midway through the RGR series when 39-year-old Deon Fourie was recalled to the squad.

Although Fourie offers plenty of experience and leadership, his best position is at openside flank, and the Springboks once again struggled at lineout time this past weekend when he came on at hooker.

Fourie really isn’t a long-term option for the Springboks, and Erasmus desperately does need to find a viable back-up option for Marx to ensure he doesn’t burn out before the 2027 World Cup.

Could Mbonambi come back into the mix?

Mbonambi last played for the Springboks in the 2025 Rugby Championship, and the 35-year-old missed the majority of the 2025-26 season for the Sharks due to injury.

However, Erasmus recently stated that the veteran hooker could soon come back into the selection equation.

“Bongi had a knee injury and then it’s a lower-back thing,” the Bok coach told the media at the end of August. “He keeps us up to date and we WhatsApp every now and then to ask how he’s doing. But obviously the Sharks medical team must clear him first.

“I’m not 100% sure which of the two injuries is keeping him out right now. But, as I say, we can’t pull him in here and let him play a first match again in a Test match.

“We’ll have to get him in and see him playing maybe a few Currie Cup games, and then maybe we can consider him again,” Erasmus added.

The Springbok coach also said there was a plan in place.

“Jan-Hendrik Wessels is going to develop into a specialist reserve hooker,” he said. “We’re building him up slowly. He’s getting game time and he’s getting practice time. He’s getting good scrumming sessions against good guys in training sessions.

“André-Hugo Venter is still there,” Erasmus added. “At this stage, we just feel that for these specific games we need a guy like Deon there.

“In the long run, Bongi, I know is really close to returning again. But Bongi has to play some proper matches now and get it under his belt before we can again look at him.”