The URC is the perfect platform for Springbok wannabees to state their case

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has used a 35-man squad for the Rugby Championship with mixed success, although the Boks are currently on a high after an emphatic defeat of the All Blacks last week.

He has said that his squad is not a closed shop and that means players outside of the squad know that consistently good performances in the United Rugby Championship could earn them a call-up as the 2027 World Cup appears on the horizon. We look at five players with a case to state.

Evan Roos (Stormers)

The powerful No 8 has an army of fans who wonder why he can’t crack the nod for the Springboks. There is a conspiracy theory that he and Erasmus have had a fall-out, but the Bok coach has publicly denied it, and says that Roos is not picked for “rugby” reasons, and is in the queue.

There was a time when Roos’ discipline was an issue, but he has fixed that. Now he needs to look at what Erasmus enjoys so much about Jasper Wiese and play more to that style, without compromising his individuality.

Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls)

The big man from Potchefstroom has been sidelined with a knee injury since last November, when he earned his 11th cap off the Springbok bench against Wales in Cardiff.

Since then, he has seen newcomers entrench themselves in the Bok setup, including Bulls teammate Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Boan Venter.

The 128kg, 1.94m Steenkamp is expected to make his comeback next month in the Bulls’ match against the Ospreys, nearly a year since he was first injured. The loosehead prop has everything to play for in the URC.

Vincent Tshituka (Sharks)

The elder of the Tshituka brothers has had a breakout year — he at last received his South African citizenship (he was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo); this was followed up with a Springbok debut against Italy in Pretoria; and he was this week named captain of the Sharks for the URC.

He is a versatile loose forward in that he is a busy ball carrier, has a high work rate on defence, is a skilled lineout jumper, and can turn ball over at the breakdown. He can also play lock. There is plenty of competition at loose forward in South Africa, but Tshituka has the talent to play his way back into the Bok squad.

Jurenzo Julius (Sharks)

The Namibian-born Julius has been turning heads with his explosive running since his school days at Paul Roos, and more recently on the Under-20 world stage, where he played 13 matches for the Junior Boks.

During these appearances, he scored seven tries, making him a well-deserved recipient of the Junior Springbok Player of the Year Award for 2024.

Nicknamed the Boogie Man because of his fearsome running, Julius has spent time at the Springbok alignment camps. He is still just 21 and with the World Cup two years away, he knows that strong performances in the URC can push him up a few places in the queue for outside centre, which is not overly long.

JD Schickerling

The lineout king, who is equally at home at No 4 and 5 lock, played for the Stormers with distinction between 2016 and 2021 before relocating to Japan. He was about to qualify for the Japan national team — and would have been an automatic selection — so he promptly packed up and returned to South Africa last year to chase what he has called his “Springbok dream.”

The Stormers had been having issues with their lineout, and Schickerling promptly sorted it out. The Boks have rich second row stocks, but several of those players are aging, and with Schickerling turning 32 in 2027, he will be at his peak for a lock.

If he can put in a good run this year in the URC, and Rassie suffers injuries in the position, he could knock on the Springbok door.