Passez à l'illimité avec Magzter GOLD

Passez à l'illimité avec Magzter GOLD

Obtenez un accès illimité à plus de 9 000 magazines, journaux et articles Premium pour seulement

$149.99
 
$74.99/Année

Essayer OR - Gratuit

Erasmus’ biggest Springbok selection dilemmas

The Mercury

|

November 06, 2025

WITH head coach Rassie Erasmus set to name his Springbok lineup today, all eyes are on the selection dilemmas that will have tested the Bok brains trust ahead of Saturday’s crunch November Test against France at the Stade de France in Paris (kickoff 10.10pm).

- LEIGHTON KOOPMAN

Erasmus’ biggest Springbok selection dilemmas

Injuries, form, and tactical balance have made this one of Erasmus’s trickiest team sheets since returning to the hot seat.

The loss of Ox Nché has forced a rethink in the front row, while flyhalf, lock, and midfield combinations all carry intriguing questions of experience versus evolution.

Whichever way Erasmus leans, the selection will reveal plenty about how the Springboks plan to approach this Test — whether to grind it out the traditional way, or unleash a fresher, faster brand of rugby that signals a new chapter in Springbok dominance.

Here are five positions that likely kept the Bok selectors up at night:

Flyhalf

This is arguably the biggest decision of the week.Does Erasmus stick with the reliability and game management of Handré Pollard, or lean into the attacking energy brought by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok?

PLUS D'HISTOIRES DE The Mercury

The Mercury

The Mercury

Pretoria Capitals hold the winning hand ahead of SA20 final

THE Pretoria Capitals (PC) have all the cards stacked in their favour after booking an early ticket to the SA20 final. Whichever team they face on Sunday, will have to deal with not only a confident PC outfit but also the looming threat of physical fatigue.

time to read

1 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

The Mercury

JP Pietersen confident Sharks can confound critics and upset Stormers on their home turf

ON paper, there is more chance of pigs flying over the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday than the 14th-placed Sharks beating the log-leading Stormers, but rugby is played on grass, and JP Pietersen says his team is going to the Cape to win.

time to read

2 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

Liverpool set sights on Bournemouth after taking big Champions League step

LIVERPOOL took a big step towards automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday as Mohamed Salah returned in a 3-0 victory at Marseille.

time to read

2 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

Critics of Trump are enemies of freedom and democracy

READING Colin Bosman’ letter titled “Trump, Lies and the Invasion of Venezuela’, it suddenly dawned on me that those who hate on Trump do not understand the value of freedom, democracy, meritocracy and good old Churchillian values.

time to read

1 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

The Mercury

Cats Pajamas can stamp his class

CATS PAJAMAS has always been up there with the country's top sprinters and he gets a chance to show his mettle when he lines up in the African Holly Stakes over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday.

time to read

4 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

Conrad hoping to 'unlock' T20 World Cup-bound Tristan Stubbs

RAMPANT speculation that Tony de Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira would be ruled out of next month's T20 World Cup due to injury was confirmed yesterday.

time to read

3 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

The Mercury

Djokovic finds his zen with Melbourne's famous fig tree

NOVAK Djokovic sent 141st-ranked qualifier Francesco Maestrelli packing in straight sets to ease into the Australian Open third round yesterday with a little help from his favourite tree.

time to read

1 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

Fundamentals for effective relationships

TRYING to reason with unreasonable people is a waste of time. Don't waste yours. Unreasonable people will exhaust you long before you have convinced them. Let them win.

time to read

1 min

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

Bulls reinforce pack with Springboks for URC battle against Edinburgh in chilly conditions

THE Bulls have made several strategic shifts to their starting lineup for the United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against Edinburgh in Scotland tonight (9.45 pm kickoff).

time to read

2 mins

January 23, 2026

The Mercury

Why everyone is talking about the R4.5 million AMG G63

UNDOUBTEDLY one of the most recognised shapes on the road and certainly one of the more aspirational cars on the market, the Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 never fails to draw attention.

time to read

4 mins

January 23, 2026

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size