JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - OCTOBER 25: Renzo du Plessis of the Lions with the ball during the United Rugby Championship match between Lions and Ulster at Ellis Park on October 25, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
Two massive United Rugby Championship (URC) derbies on Saturday, between the Stormers and Lions in Cape Town and the Sharks and Bulls in Durban, will be the perfect audition for some Springbok hopefuls ahead of the 2026 international season.
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus will undoubtedly be watching the first two local derbies of the URC season with keen interest, as he begins his planning for the coming year.
With 2026 likely being the last year for Bok hopefuls to impress, ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, players will be fired up to show what they can do, and what better way than to do it against fellow local players fighting for the same jersey.
All four franchises have a number of fringe players, and exciting talents bubbling just under the Bok radar, that will hope to have more game time for the national team next year.
Single cap Boks
The Lions have a few single cap Boks, in Quan Horn and Ruan Venter, who will be desperate for another chance in the green and gold, Henco van Wyk and Francke Horn haven’t yet received a nod, but will hope to get a chance, while Renzo du Plessis is a rising talent to watch.
Asenathi Ntlabakanye has a nervous wait for his doping hearing, which was scheduled for December, but will now take place at the end of March, to see if he will be cleared, which would allow him to hopefully continue his budding Bok career.
On the Sharks front, brothers Jordan and Jaden Hendrikse and Phepsi Buthelezi all did not make a single Bok appearance this year, after all playing in 2024, and they will want to force their way back in, while Vincent Tshituka made his Bok debut in midyear, but then dropped out of the mix.
A few other players will also feel like they can make the step up, like Emmanuel Tshituka and Jurenzo Julius, while guys like Edwill van der Merwe and Ethan Hooker, who have impressed at Bok level, will want to keep their spots and keep going from strength to strength.
Among the Bulls, Cameron Hanekom will be champing at the bit to return from injury and get back into the Bok mix, while Elrigh Louw is back from injury and will be eager to rejoin the Boks.
Cobus Wiese will be aiming for some more Bok gametime, having made his debut earlier this year, and Embrose Papier and Sebastian de Klerk will hope that their efforts are recognised.
High flying Stormers
The high flying Stormers have a number of rising talents that will be eyeing the national team in 2026, with youngsters Paul de Villiers and Jonathan Roche making strong cases, while Suleiman Hartzenberg will hope to finally get his chance.
Evan Roos, Salmaan Moerat and Ntuthuko Mchunu will all be gunning for chances to establish themselves, young Zachary Porthen and the older Neethling Fouché, will also both hope to be in the mix.
Even some older players will be aiming to prove that they still have what it takes to make an impact and be included in the Bok mix going into the World Cup.
A guy like Sharks hooker Bongi Mbonambi was left out of their end-of-year-tour squad this year, but then was a late call-up after a few injuries, so he will know his place is in jeopardy and that he will need to put in some big performances to remind everyone of his worth.
Other older players who will need to up their game will be Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Vincent Koch and Faf de Klerk, if they want to stand any chance of getting back into the mix going into 2027.
Injury may have also ended any chance for players like Frans Malherbe and Trevor Nyakane, and it is uncertain if either of them will be able to return from the long-term injuries that have kept them out for the past year.
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