Springbok gains: The Boks who advanced in 2026

Perth was a rare defeat for the Springboks but it was not a wasted Test match.

The Springboks lost 42-38 to the Wallabies after making 13 changes to the starting XV that completed the 3-1 series win against the All Blacks. The latest Keo & Zels Rugby Show looks beyond the result and asks the more important question: What did the Boks gain, individually and collectively?

11-player Wallabies triumph at the death

The collective gain is a clearer picture of the group that will take South Africa to the 2027 World Cup.

The Boks have won six of eight Tests this season. They went unbeaten through the opening Nations Championship block and won Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against the All Blacks 3-1. They have also expanded their attack and tested players in different positions, combinations and match situations.

The first-choice spine has become more defined.

Damian Willemse is the premier fullback. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has established himself as the first-choice flyhalf, with Manie Libbok providing another proven option. Jasper Wiese is the starting No 8, while Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel remain the standard-setting midfield combination.

Cheslin Kolbe can cover fullback, with Ethan Hooker and Kurt-Lee Arendse offering balance on the wings. Cameron Hanekom has shown he can play at No 7 and No 8, and Morné van den Berg has made a significant advance in the scrumhalf race.

Paul de Villiers has been the biggest individual mover. He has looked like a player for 2027 and, more significantly, for the next World Cup cycle in 2031.

Zachary Porthen’s stock has risen. Riley Norton made the most of limited opportunities, Hanekom returned from injury and immediately looked at home in Test rugby, while André Esterhuizen’s influence has grown throughout the past 18 months.

Then there is Hooker.

He started the season as a talented squad option. He ends this phase of the campaign in the conversation to start in the strongest Springbok team. His progress has been that emphatic.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels reinforced his set-piece quality in Perth, while 39-year-old Deon Fourie again showed that age has not dulled his appetite or his effectiveness.

The Boks did not get every answer. The backup hierarchy at hooker and fullback remains open, and there is still intense competition at scrumhalf and lock.

KEO: WALLABIES EXPOSE GULF BETWEEN BOKS BEST AND THE REST

But that is also a gain.

Perth reinforced that Springbok depth does not mean 46 players of equal Test quality. No country has that. The value of South Africa’s depth is that a Porthen, De Villiers, Hanekom, Van den Berg or Hooker can be introduced into an established combination without weakening the collective.

The Boks lost a Test in Perth but they did not lose the progress made in 2026.

Watch the full **Keo & Zels Rugby Show **for the complete discussion on the players who advanced, the positions still to be settled and what Perth means for the Boks’ 2027 World Cup planning.