Tougher challenges looming for rampant Boks

After swatting aside the challenges of England, Scotland and Wales in quick succession, tougher challenges are looming for the all-conquering Springboks.

Though the wins were not perfect, there was always a sense of inevitability that the Boks’ power game would subdue European opposition in the opening three games of the Nations Championship.

Making the victories even more significant was that they were achieved with experimental teams, which included a crop of exceptionally talented rising stars who are making their presence felt in the Test arena.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus will probably put his policy of blooding youngsters on hold for the upcoming Greatest Rivalry series against archrivals New Zealand.

Erasmus says testing young players under pressure is more important than personal goals and jealously guarding a winning streak.

He included four uncapped players in his starting lineup for Saturday’s clash against Wales at Kings Park, in Durban, which the Boks won 43-0.

The debutants given an opportunity to strut their stuff in a green and gold jersey were rising stars Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), Jaco Williams (wing), Ruben van Heerden (lock) and Carlu Sadie (prop).

With the 2027 World Cup on the horizon, Erasmus wants to assess his young players against top-tier nations to see how they react in pressure-cooker situations.

Erasmus fielded a youthful lineup comprising 12 players with fewer than 10 caps when the Boks pulled off a 42-28 win over Scotland in the second round of the Nations Championship at Loftus Versfeld two weeks ago.

The Springboks are spoilt for choice at flyhalf with several candidates vying for the No 10 jersey.

The frontrunners to get the nod at the World Cup are Handre Pollard, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok.

While the senior side was sweeping all before them on home soil, the Junior Boks successfully defended their World Cup title by beating France in Georgia on Saturday.

These are certainly heady days for Springboks fans who have watched their team win 11 consecutive matches.