Rassie Erasmus Reveals 4 Springboks Could Miss the Entire All Blacks Series

• Rassie Erasmus has revealed how far he expects the Springboks’ squad rotation to go before the series ends
• The coach has already used 30 players across the opening 2 Tests against New Zealand
• A handful of Springboks could remain on the sidelines despite being part of the selected squad

Rassie Erasmus expects 36 Springboks to feature across the four-Test series against the All Blacks, meaning four squad members could finish the contest without playing a match.

The Springboks coach made the comments during a press conference on Monday, 31 August 2026. SA Rugby Magazine reported his remarks.

“In the first two games we’ve used 30 players,” Erasmus said.

“So it’s already a lot of guys that chopped and changed. I guess by the last game we would have used 36, and that’s almost our whole squad.”

Erasmus then revealed the likely number who could miss out.

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“There will be four players, I think, who will not get a run in this series,” he said.

Springboks depth tested by All Blacks rivalry

South Africa lost the opening Test 33-16 at Ellis Park before responding with a 33-26 victory at Cape Town Stadium. The teams meet again at FNB Stadium on Saturday, 5 September, before the final Test in Baltimore on 12 September.

Erasmus said workload could also influence the series. He noted that South African players had played around 60 fewer minutes per man than their New Zealand counterparts over the previous 6 weeks.

Rassie Erasmus expects late series pressure

The coach believes the physical demands will become greater as the contest progresses, particularly as injuries emerge.

“I’ve been involved with the Lions series and way back in ’96 with the Springboks as a player,” Erasmus said. “Normally the decider is the fourth game.”

He added:

“I thought it would always go down to the wire in the last game.”

With the series level at 1-1, squad management could become increasingly important over the remaining Tests.

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John Smit weighs in on All Blacks scrum tactics

Briefly News previously reported that former Springbok captain John Smit had questioned the focus surrounding Dave Rennie’s “walking around” scrum claim after New Zealand’s 33-26 defeat in Cape Town.

Smit suggested the controversy could have diverted attention from the All Blacks’ efforts to limit South Africa’s scrum dominance. He described the claim as “a ploy and a clever one” aimed at deflecting from New Zealand’s attempts to “depower the Springboks scrum”.

Source: Briefly News