Bok Watch: Players in the Spotlight vs Australia

Quintin van Jaarsveld identifies five Springbok players who’ll be in the spotlight in Sunday’s one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth.

Franco Mostert

A great servant of South African rugby, Mostert has had a miserable last two years. Injuries and tragedy off the field have tested the veteran utility forward’s resolve, but he remains a warrior…one who’s not done yet.

Injury has limited his game time for the Boks this year to just a brief appearance against the Barbarians, meaning he last played Test rugby against Wales in Cardiff last November. 

If anyone deserves some good fortune, it’s “Sous”, a workhorse and a great team man. Set to start at lock in an overhauled team, let’s hope the 35-year-old gets through the game unscathed and looking like the player of old.

Herschel Jantjies

Of all of Rassie Erasmus’ selections this year, recalling Jantjies ahead of the season opener against England was the most curious. 

Yes, Morne van den Berg and Jaden Hendrikse were injured at the time, but Erasmus still had the likes of Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams, Faf de Klerk and Embrose Papier to choose from. 

Almost three years after his last appearance in the Green and Gold, Jantjies won Test cap number 25 off the bench against Wales and scored one of the Boks’ six tries in the 43-0 shutout. 

Now playing his club rugby for Bayonne, he’s set to make his first Test start since the 30-15 win over Scotland at Murrayfield in 2021.

Andre Esterhuizen

Esterhuizen has had a career unlike any other. 

For years, the herculean centre struggled to cement his place in the national set-up. Timing is vital in professional sport and Esterhuizen, for all his obvious gifts, simply seemed unlucky to find himself in the Damian de Allende era. 

Over seven seasons – from June 2018, when he made his debut in the 22-20 loss to Wales in Washington, DC, to the end of 2024 – he played in just 19 Tests. It was Erasmus who’d made him a Bok and always rated the skilful big man. 

The problem was the Bok coach couldn’t figure out how to get the best out of the beastly Esterhuizen. That was until last June when, in his out-the-box genius, Erasmus deployed him as a flank off the bench against the Barbarians. 

In a career full of them, it was one of Erasmus’ greatest masterstrokes. He had cracked the code and changed the game, with Esterhuizen thriving as rugby’s first hybrid player – a midfielder doubling as a loose forward. 

He’s become an integral and unique member of the Bok match 23 since then, playing in 16 Tests, including all four encounters against the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. 

A freak athlete making the most of his reinvention, he’ll celebrate the biggest highlight of his career when he becomes the 68th Bok captain at Optus Stadium on Sunday.  

Commenting on appointing Esterhuizen as skipper, Erasmus said: “Andre’s been the Sharks’ captain. He’s been one of the players that whenever you ask something from him, whether it’s being a hybrid player or playing behind Damian de Allende and Damian Willemse, and then accepting to play as a forward and a backline player, he always puts the team first.

“We would love to see Andre in this situation against a really strong Australian team. Obviously. We feel it’s not just the honour of him getting captaincy, but it will also help us as a team going forward into the World Cup, to have more guys that know what it feels like to lead the Springboks.

“The way Andre carried himself while being the Sharks’ captain when they went through a tough time was impressive. I really thought he sort of pulled them together with JP [Pietersen – coach] and the whole set-up there.

“What he has meant to us, serving the team a helluva lot and accepting his role as flanker or centre or playing off the bench, that’s the kind of players we enjoy in the team.”

Canan Moodie

Esterhuizen’s centre partner has had a contrasting international career. 

A prodigy destined to don the Green and Gold, a 19-year-old Moodie celebrated becoming the second-youngest Bok in the professional era by soaring over Wallabies counterpart Marika Koroibete to pluck Jaden Hendrikse’s pinpoint kick out of the air and canter in for a spectacular maiden Test try on debut in Sydney in 2022.

Four years later, he heads into another clash against Australia – in what will be his 26th Bok appearance – needing a big performance. Bouncing around from wing to centre has hindered rather than helped him at the highest level, and while he still has all the talent in the world, he’s lost confidence over the last few months.

He’s only featured twice for the Boks this season, off the bench in the Nations Championship clash against England and at No. 13 in the 17-10 win over Los Pumas. With no clear back-up for Jesse Kriel at outside centre, Moodie has a prime opportunity to remind everyone of his quality. Conversely, failing to seize the moment could see him losing further ground. 

Aphelele Fassi

Similar to Moodie, Fassi is enduring a lukewarm period in his career.

Fassi, who has joined Toshiba Brave Lupus on sabbatical from the Sharks, was far from his best in his three Bok outings against Scotland, Wales and Argentina this season, and will be feeling the pressure to perform, especially with Quan Horn being included on the bench. 

Oftentimes players in this situation, especially attack-minded players like Fassi, try to do too much to impress, but the best thing “The Weekend Special” can do on Sunday is make sure he does the basics well.