Depth charge — Boks square up to huge year with a European litmus Test

Depth charge — Boks square up to huge year with a European litmus Test

The Stormers claimed a bonus-point win against the Sale Sharks recently to boost their Investec Champions Cup playoff ambitions and extend their fantastic run on home soil. John Dobson’s charges have lost only twice at Cape Town Stadium since moving from Newlands in 2021.

This season, they have maintained a perfect record in the Mother City, beating two-time European champions La Rochelle in the process.

Manie Libbok and Hacjivah Dayimani have been particularly impressive, and the Stormers have played with flair and resolve in front of their home crowd.

Finding form away from home

Soccer fans will be familiar with the phrase: “But can they do it on a cold, rainy night at Stoke?”

Back in 2010, commentator Andy Gray wondered whether Argentina striker Lionel Messi – then at Barcelona – could maintain his incredible goal-scoring form if he was asked to play in the inclement conditions of the English Premier League. Since then, the question has been repurposed in other sports to debate the consistency and quality of athletes and teams.

This season, the Stormers have produced a series of breathtaking displays in balmy summer conditions. But as Libbok himself stated in the lead-up to the away fixture against Stade Français, it remains to be seen whether they can fire on an icy night in Paris. The team – and indeed the players looking to impress the Springbok selectors – have a point to prove.

The big question, of course, is how many of the elder statesmen will be used in 2024, and how many will be encouraged to push through to the 2027 World Cup?

South African director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and his national coaching team are planning for the two-Test series against Ireland in July, the subsequent Rugby Championship and the long-term build-up to the next global tournament in 2027. Recalibrating South Africa’s depth chart, and settling on a new-look squad, will be one of the more immediate priorities.

Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber – who took up a post with Irish side Leinster in the wake of the 2023 World Cup – favoured a similar group of players for the most recent global tournaments staged in Japan and France. The coaching duo retained 23 players for the 2023 World Cup and included relatively few new players, including Libbok, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Jasper Wiese.

Siya Kolisi suggested in his autobiography that the 2023 tournament would be his international swansong, but has since backtracked. With the exception of the recently retired Duane Vermeulen, all those World Cup winners may be available for Test selection in the coming months.

The big question, of course, is how many of the elder statesmen will be used in 2024, and how many will be encouraged to push through to the 2027 World Cup?

A shift in dynamic

Erasmus is no fool, and he will be reluctant to make sweeping changes, especially in a 2024 season that includes two home Tests against Ireland (who were ranked No 1 in the world for most of 2022 and 2023), a double-header against the All Blacks, and a challenging end-of-year tour.

At the same time, he should look to make greater use of the younger squad members who played secondary roles at the World Cup, as well as the fringe players who have been in the wider training group for some time.

Libbok, Jaden Hendrikse, Grant Williams, Canan Moodie, André Esterhuizen and Marco van Staden are among those who watched the World Cup final from the stands. Props Thomas du Toit and Wilco Louw have enjoyed success at club level – Du Toit is thriving at Bath and Louw has been a revelation since joining the Bulls – but are yet to receive extended runs in Bok colours.

In terms of the call for new blood, there is one name on everyone’s lips: Hacjivah Dayimani.

There is no shortage of good loose forward options at home and abroad, and the battle for places in the Bok squad has been especially brutal in recent seasons.

Kwagga Smith won the 2019 World Cup with the side, but only started to receive regular playing opportunities in the 2021 series against the British & Irish Lions. Marcell Coetzee failed to make his chance count in 2022, and Evan Roos was also considered surplus to requirements when the World Cup squad was announced in 2023.

With Vermeulen hanging up his boots, however, there may well be room for a newcomer or two. Dayimani has produced a series of sparkling displays in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup, and may well be ready for the responsibility – if not against Ireland, then certainly against Portugal.

Attacking evolution

There’s a perception – particularly in the northern hemisphere – that the Boks rely on power rather than speed and skill to win rugby matches.

It’s a simplistic view and doesn’t take into account how the Boks have used Smith – a former sevens star – in partnership with heavy hitters such as Wiese, Vermeulen and Pieter-Steph du Toit to break down opposition defences.

Though Smith is quick and skilled enough to play in the backs, it’s his appetite for the breakdown battle that sets him apart. Erasmus often says that a warrior spirit is a prerequisite for Bok selection, and Smith has proved that his gladiatorial attitude is second to none.

Just as Smith has boosted the Bok bench in recent seasons, Dayimani could add something new to the Bomb Squad, and ultimately the team’s attack, in 2024.

It’s been a delight to watch Dayimani at Cape Town Stadium in recent months. The Stormers have worked hard to maximise the flanker’s attacking strengths in the wider channels. Defenders have been surprised by his speed and power, and if they’ve managed to bring him down, they’ve often failed to prevent an offload to a supporting player.

Would the Boks benefit from this skill set? Absolutely. Kolisi himself has played that role in the wider channels in recent years, although the Bok skipper may be the first to admit that he’s no Smith or Dayimani in the speed department.

Just as Smith has boosted the Bok bench in recent seasons, Dayimani could add something new to the Bomb Squad, and ultimately the team’s attack, in 2024.

The Bok coaches will have other questions, though. Does Dayimani have the appetite for an ugly fight at the breakdown in a big match away from home? Can he do it on a cold, rainy night at Stoke?

The next few months will provide an answer. When Dayimani and other Bok hopefuls travel to Europe and are subjected to challenging conditions, they will have the chance to show whether they are up to that task, and ultimately whether they are ready for the step up to the next level. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.