Rassie Erasmus has an old problem to solve

Six years ago Rassie Erasmus had a problem to solve. He’d only been in charge of the Springboks for 10 games at that point and had started Faf de Klerk at scrum-half in nine of them. The former Lions half-back had built a reputation in Johannesburg as a dashing runner, but after his move to Sale Sharks he’d added guile and metronomic discipline to his game. Erasmus had clearly recognised that the man with the blonde mop would be key to his World Cup aspirations.

But for the first assignment of his European tour at the end of 2018, de Klerk was unavailable as the match against England fell outside of the allocated Test window. English clubs were not obligated to release their players and Sale weren’t doing South Africa any favours. This presented a problem.

In a position synonymous with great Springboks such as Joost van der Westhuizen and Fourie de Preez, the depth of talent at 9 looked rather thin. The options included the Bulls duo of Ivan van Zyl and Embrose Papier, as well as the Sharks captain Louis Schreuder. All were handy players but at the time they had a mere eight Test caps between them and had spent a combined 122 minutes on the park for their country. With just a year to go before the World Cup in Japan, Erasmus needed to cram minutes into their legs.

In the end none of the three rookies made the World Cup squad. De Klerk, 27 at the time, returned to the hot seat but was still relatively inexperienced with 25 caps before the tournament opener against New Zealand. In support, he had Cobus Reinach - a well-travelled 29-year-old but one with only a dozen appearances for South Africa - and Herschel Jantjies - a baby-faced 23-year-old who exploded onto the scene with two tries on debut against the Wallabies.

We all know how this story ends. Though Jantjies is no longer front and centre, de Klerk and Reinach rule the roost at scrum-half for the Boks. They have 58 and 35 Test caps respectively, own two World Cup winner’s medals and have established themselves as modern legends.

But here’s the dilemma. De Klerk is 33 and will be 36 at the next World Cup. Reinach is 34 and will be 37 when the team defends their title in Australia in 2027. At least one of them will be watching the tournament from their home. There’s a good chance that both will be sitting on the sofa.

Who is the next scrum-half off the rack? Clearly Erasmus isn’t so sure himself. He’s selected Jaden Hendrikse for the Rugby Championship decider in Mbombela this weekend. That makes it five scrum-halves selected to start in 10 Tests so far this year.

De Klerk started against an abject Welsh side in London before wearing the number nine jersey in both Tests against Wales. Reinach has started four times against four different opponents. Grant Williams kicked off against the All Blacks in Cape Town having started on the bench on five previous occasions. Morne van Berg, having impressed off the wood against Portugal and Australia, struggled in the wet against the Wallabies in Brisbane.

Have any of these players set the house on fire? Has there been a performance from a South African scrum-half that has screamed confidence and surety at the base of the ruck? Not really. Which is why the two toppies (Afrikaaans slang for for someone long in the tooth) remain the incumbents. There just hasn’t been enough of a challenge from the upstarts.

Faf de Klerk of South Africa looks dejected after defeat to Ireland during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between South Africa and Ireland at Stade de France on September 23, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

None of them have been helped by South Africa’s new attacking system. It’s not that the nascent approach implemented by Tony Brown isn’t a good one. This year the Springboks are scoring higher on rucks won and ruck speed as compared to the previous three years. But they’re conceding far more ruck penalties and they’re struggling to get as much go-forward ball from carriers as they did under the old system. There have been signs that things will click, but so far continuity - perhaps the most important variable that a scrum half needs to be successful - has been in short supply with ball in hand.

The rotation at fly-half hasn’t helped either. An experienced 10 often assuages any shortcomings of a developing nine but there has been inconsistency at pivot as well. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu looks the real deal but is still finding his feet. Handre Pollard has ice in his veins and is a Springboks legend, but has himself battled to locate his groove in this new attack. And Manie Libbok has barely played at all, racking up just 87 minutes in the green and gold since the World Cup.

Despite the evidence, Erasmus has shot down suggestions that his scrum-halves are struggling and has backed Hendrikse to stamp his mark against the Pumas.

Damian de Allende, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Grant Williams and Ben-Jason Dixon of South Africa during the national anthem prior to the Summer Rugby International match between South Africa and Wales at Twickenham Stadium on June 22, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)

“For a guy like Jaden who is starting this weekend, it is very exciting. It always is for the younger nines like Grant Williams and Jaden,” Erasmus said. “I actually think that a guy like Jaden will flourish in the way we want to play. He’s a natural footballer and I don’t think the game plan has impacted the performances of the nines and whoever said that I disagree with it.”

Who are we to argue with a double World Cup-winning coach? But if Hendrikse is off his game, and if Reinach off the bench can’t add to what’s come before, the discord will only grow louder an old problem will once again need solving.