This week, Rassie Erasmus had to come out to bat for captain Siya Kolisi over whether he was over the hill. As someone eyeballing 40, it is hard to believe that players are cast into the scrap heap of rugby after 35. The balancing act of experience versus youthful energy often dictates who wins the World Cup. Over the years, South Africa has gotten the recipe right – think of Os Du Randt, Percy Montgomery, and Deon Fourie. These players affected the Boks winning World Cups and were deemed ‘too old’. Let’s take a look at how the Boks lineup against other teams:
As you can see, South Africa has a significant age issue, with all the other major contenders already playing much younger players. Rassie is the master planner, so he will know all of this data, and I expected the matches against Italy, Georgia, and Barbarians to be a trial as to which youngsters are ready to take the next step up.
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