Jean de Villiers says there’s one player Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks can’t afford to lose ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Speaking about Erasmus’ evolving squad ahead of their title defence, the former Springbok captain highlighted the depth being built, but cautioned that not all positions carry equal cover.
“I’ll give you one name, Malcolm Marx. If we lose Malcolm Marx, we’re in trouble,” he said on the Rugby Pod podcast.
Marx goes into the 2026 season off the back of some strong performances in a career-defining year which saw him named as both World Rugby Player of the Year and SA Rugby Player of the Year.
De Villiers believes Erasmus has created fierce competition across the board, to the point where predicting a World Cup XV is far from straightforward.
“What Rassie has done is that he’s built such a strong squad that if you ask me now, ‘select the strongest Springbok lineup’, I could go with 15 guys, but if you ask me, ‘who will play in the World Cup final?’ it will be very different to the one that I name,” De Villiers said.
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The former Bok centre pointed to the careful balance between experience and youth as a key strength.
“You’ve got some of the ageing guys that might be early to mid-30s, but he’s already got a back-up for them.
“The incoming youngsters who are on the fringe, they’ve already got maybe 10 Test caps, but by the time you hit the World Cup, you’re on 20 or 25 so you’ve built up that experience.”
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At flyhalf, De Villiers sees multiple options still in play – including Manie Libbok, Handré Pollard and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“I’ve got no doubt whatsoever that Manie Libbok will play a part in this squad going forward because the way that we are attacking currently and the shape that they are running, no one does it better than Manie.
“The way that we are able to cut up defences, Manie can play a massive role in that.”
De Villiers also backed Damian Willemse as a versatile weapon, “whether at 12 or 15”, but ultimately believes the Springboks’ success will still be driven by their pack.
Springboks 2026 schedule
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