Many peaks to scale for the Boks as they face toughest year since 2021

A challenging year awaits the Springboks as their status as top-ranked team and double Rugby World Cup holders comes under scrutiny.

They have 15 matches in the pipeline, the second-highest number of matches in a calendar year after Jake White's team toiled through 17 in 2007.

But it isn't just the sheer weight of matches that will make it arguably the most taxing year for the Boks since 2021, but the quality of the opposition and location of those battles will elevate the demands on Rassie Erasmus' team. The top-ranked Springboks play the second-placed side twice, plus the third, fourth and fifth-placed teams all away from home.

They play their old foes the All Blacks in Auckland and Wellington, France in Paris, Ireland in Dublin and Argentina at neutral Twickenham.

That they have such a tough assignment is by design. “If you put players in pressure cooker situations two years from a World Cup you learn a lot from them,” Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

“We want a tough year. A year like that. We are playing 15 games,” reiterated Erasmus.

The Boks have achieved much under Erasmus since he took the reins in 2018. They have scaled peaks left unconquered by his predecessors but there are two on his list likely listed 'urgent!'

The Boks play New Zealand in Auckland, where they last achieved victory over the All Blacks in 1938. Despite recent success against the All Blacks, winning in the city of sails is a tall order with the hosts on an unbeaten run of 50 matches stretching back to 1994 when France cast a pall over Aotearoa.

On their end of year tour the Boks might feel they have a score to settle with Ireland in Dublin. Ireland, who have become firm, fierce foes over the last decade or so, have won four of their last five Tests against the Boks. Moreover, the last time the Boks won in Dublin was in 2012.

Erasmus called the Boks' playing schedule “tough”.

“Once out of 10,” he said about the Boks' win record in Auckland.

On the Boks' performances in the New Zealand capital since he took the reins, he added: “Wellington is also tough. We've won there and we've drawn there.

“Then if you look at Ireland, they've been having our number the last couple of years.”

Ireland, who have met much success over South Africa at home, also showed how accomplished they can be away from home when they drew last year's series in South Africa.

The Boks have fonder memories of Paris where France will be desperate to exact retribution for their defeat in the quarterfinal of the last World Cup in front of their expectant fans.

People are now putting brackets next to players' ages, and we do it as well as part of succession planning, thinking when players will give up or can't keep up any more. But then you can't plan a career around a World Cup. If he is still good enough and still number one, two or three in his position, still good enough but might retire in 2026, it would be unfair not to pick him any more.

—  Rassie Erasmus

In addition to the already 13 confirmed Tests, the Boks will also play the Barbarians at a yet to be confirmed venue. They are hoping to arrange one more match.

Though the next World Cup is only two years away Erasmus was clear he wasn't ready to put older players out to pasture. “It isn't really a transition year because we did that last year we looked at a few players,” he reminded about his use of 50 players last year.

“People are now putting brackets next to players' ages, and we do it as well as part of succession planning, thinking when players will give up or can't keep up any more.

“But then you can't plan a career around a World Cup. If he is still good enough and still number one, two or three in his position, still good enough but might retire in 2026, it would be unfair not to pick him any more.

“We have a nice spread of older guys. We have a nice spread in the 84 players. The three guys who won't play for us this year are 'Kitsie' [Steven Kitshoff], Elrigh [Louw] and Trevor [Nyakane].”

Last year the Boks emerged from their 13 Tests with a highly commendable 84.61 win percentage. Should they win 12 of their 15 Tests this year they may consider that slightly short of the mark, but 13 wins or more would be a resounding success.