The success and progress of the Springboks has been highly impressive once again this season, with nine wins already in the bag, while this has been balanced with providing more game-time to a younger group of players.
There has been very little drop in standards, and one area where the Springboks have remained a leading force in world rugby is at scrum time.
This has been particularly impressive considering that a veteran such as Vincent Koch has fallen by the wayside, while Frans Malherbe has missed the entire season due to a serious back injury.
Particularly when it comes to Malherbe, it will be interesting to now see what the future holds.
There has been very little information shared publicly about his injury, except for the odd medical update from the Stormers to suggest that that doctors are pursuing a non-surgical approach to allow his back to heal naturally, as opposed to an operation.
It’s expected that he will be able to return to action next year, but after such a long period out of the game, it will need to be a carefully managed process to see how he can once again handle the strain on his back.
The double World Cup winner will turn 35-years-old in March, and although props can generally still perform at the top level quite comfortably into their mid-30s, it is up for debate how Malherbe now fits into the Springbok road map heading towards the 2027 World Cup.
Changing of the guard at the Springboks
In Malherbe’s absence, Wilco Louw and Thomas du Toit have excelled at tighthead, and the dynamic duo certainly looked well placed to book their place to the next global showpiece.
The Springboks are also now exposing talented youngster and former Junior Springbok captain Zachary Porthen to the rigours of Test rugby, while Asenathi Ntlabakanye is another option, especially if he is cleared of the case brought against him by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport.
Ultimately it’s clear that there is suddenly far more competition at tighthead prop, and although the immediate priority for Malherbe will be to simply get back to top fitness and form, he will also know that there will be some work to be done if he hopes to reclaim the No 3 jersey.
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