The gnawing doubt at the heart of the Springboks selection policy

Every sports fan inevitably reaches a tipping point. It doesn’t happen all at once. First it's a trickle, then it’s a deluge. Suddenly you’re submerged in a sea of inescapable truth. You blink your eyes open as you come up for air and realise that all the players representing your team are younger than you.

If you’re a fan of the Springboks and still in your 20s, you’re in luck. No other side with a realistic shot at winning the World Cup in two months’ time has more men in their 30s than South Africa. There are older geezers - in sporting terms at least - knocking about in other squads. Johnny Sexton is 38. Argentina have a pair of 38-year-old front-rowers in Agustin Creevy and Franscisco Gomez Kodela. But with 19 members currently on their third decade around the sun, Jacques Nienaber’s outfit are older than most.

The reasons behind this are multifaceted. Nienaber inherited a core group from his predecessor and mentor, Rassie Erasmus, that had arguably not yet reached its peak. Four years ago the likes of Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Frans Malherbe, Damian de Allende and a clutch of other key figures were in their late-20s and beginning to ascend the apex of their careers.

What’s more, Nienaber, either through a reluctance to change things up or a lack of options elsewhere, has largely stuck with the same group that won the World Cup in Japan. In fact, if everyone was fit, Nienaber could conceivably field 21 of the 23 players that beat England in Yokohama for the opening game of his team’s title defence and call it his best team. All he’d have to do is replace the now-retired duo of Tendai Mtawarira at loosehead prop and Francois Steyn on the bench.

None of this is news to anyone who has been paying attention but it is remarkable nonetheless and is perhaps not receiving the appropriate attention it deserves. What’s more, the relatively unchanged make-up of the Springboks squad can either be used as a stick to beat Nienaber - who might be painted as conservative by his critics - or as proof that Erasmus’ heir is adept at conserving a legacy and a match-winning game-plan.

There is of course a precedent for this. The Springboks are looking to do something that only the great All Blacks side under Steve Hansen achieved and that is defending a World Cup crown. Four years on from shaking the monkey off their back by squeezing past France in 2011, Richie McCaw skippered a team bursting with experience. Four of the 31-strong group that arrived in England had more than 100 caps to their name and Ma’a Nonu would join them by the time they trounced Australia in Twickenham. However, that squad only had 11 players in their 30s and Keven Mealamu was the oldest at 36.

And so one has to ask, has Nienaber allowed the Springboks to grow old under his watch? Some supporters might baulk at what may appear to be a snide chide lobbed from the safety of a laptop, but it’s worth a wonder. The recent form of Bongi Mbnomabi (32), Faf de Klerk (31) and Makazole Mapimpi (33) has been questioned by pundits online and on screen. The fitness of Siya Kolisi (32) is a serious concern. Champions all of them, and world class on their day. But some alarm bells are worth sounding even if they’re later dismissed as annoying fire-drills.

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 24: Siya Kolisi captain of South Africa and Jacques Nienaber coach of South Africa react after The Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Argentina at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on September 24, 2022 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

The truth is very few instrumental Springboks have yet to reach their best years and too many must look in the rearview mirror to see their own. Malcolm Marx is unquestionably a force that continues to rise. Important props and wingers could be described in such terms. Everywhere else though, gnarled veterans lead the vanguard. That isn’t necessarily a problem. Not when those grizzled and greying warhorses continue to excel.

At the heart of this is Duane Vermeulen and Willie le Roux, who both start this weekend against Argentina. Both have had their share of criticism - the former dismissed as too old and the latter regularly disregarded for his supposed weaknesses - but both continue to confound logic and time.

Vermeulen, at 37, is the oldest member of the group though he’s no mascot. The Springboks have used ageing players who are good around the camp to help inject bonhomie into World Cup campaigns. Bobby Skinsstad performed this role in 2007 while Schalk Brits set a benchmark for the job in 2019.

Vermeulen’s own story, one that includes the premature death of a parent and numerous injury setbacks, has proved a lightning rod for players and supporters who believe in the mythology of the Springboks. But, more importantly. he has continued to have an impact at the elite level 12 years on and could still challenge Jasper Wiese for first dibs on the No. 8 jersey.

Le Roux has less worries concerning his position in the team. No other Springbok player this past cycle has shown anywhere near the game management and tactical nous displayed by the 33-year-old fullback. Despite a litany of reasons touted by detractors - from an apparent lack of bravery and physicality, to his insecurity under the high ball - he remains the working brain in the backline. You get the full picture when you watch him live because his magic is not always captured by the four walls of a TV camera. Even without the ball he is dictating the direction of an attack or pulling teammates into position. It’s no wonder he has assisted more tries than any other South African on a Test pitch.

Le Roux and Vermeulen will play their last Test on home soil this Saturday against Argentina. They deserve a hero’s send-off in Johannesburg. Not that they’ll be thinking of that. This match against the Pumas will simply be a launchpad for their final push over the next six weeks.