Cape Town — The Springboks came painfully short of winning their first full Rugby Championship title since 2009 following their 38-21 win against Argentina in Durban last Saturday.
But while they weren’t able to secure a victory margin of 39 and a try bonus point, coach Jacques Nienaber’s team played some impressive rugby at stages in winning four out of six matches against the Pumas, All Blacks and Wallabies.
Here are five Boks who could be considered winners following the conclusion of the tournament …
Kurt-Lee Arendse
The 26-year-old Bulls star may have featured in just two out of the six matches, but his stock rose considerably in his absence.
Arendse was full of energy at right wing in that memorable 26-10 win over the All Blacks at Mbombela Stadium, where he showcased his talents and made a real statement that he could wear the No 14 jersey going forward if Cheslin Kolbe is injured or moves to fullback.
We all know his ball-in-hand attributes, but what was most impressive was his ability to compete for those much-ridiculed box-kicks in the air, and his courage when tackling – he even dealt with All Black monster Caleb Clarke.
Yes, he got his timing wrong in the red-card incident involving Beauden Barrett, but after his four-week suspension, Arendse was again busy as a second-half replacement against Argentina, where he rounded things off with a well-taken try.
Jaden Hendrikse
The undoubted find of the season. Well, he was part of the squad last year already, and sustained an unfortunate injury against Argentina in the act of scoring a try.
But in 2022, Hendrikse has earned the No 9 jersey ahead of Faf de Klerk through his exploits on the pitch. The Sharks youngster was part of the “B team” that faced Wales in Bloemfontein, but Nienaber saw something in him and persevered despite an iffy performance.
And the 22-year-old repaid the faith with a series of influential displays during the Rugby Championship. His box-kick has just enough hang-time and distance to make life difficult for the opposition, and allow the likes of Makazole Mapimpi to chase it down.
Hendrikse’s service from the base is also sharp and efficient, as he has a knack of finding teammates in space out wide.
Jasper Wiese
The Leicester Tigers No 8 is not everybody’s cup of tea, as he mainly bulldozes his way straight down the middle in trying to burst through tackles.
But what he lacks in finesse, he provides fighting spirit and determination in bucket-loads. If you need to get over the gain-line, Wiese is your man.
He is also quicker than veteran Duane Vermeulen across the pitch, which helps give the Boks energy and work-rate.
Wiese is also deadly in defence when he is able to line up an opposition ball-carrier.
But he must work on his passing skills and decision-making on attack to provide a point of difference in his game – and his coaches must allow him to do that as well.
Franco Mostert
Having lost the No 5 jersey to Lood de Jager during the 2019 World Cup, Mostert has had to be satisfied with being a “Bomb Squad” member ever since.
But Pieter-Steph du Toit’s injury during last year’s Brirish & Irish Lions series gave him an opportunity to get more starts, and while he hasn’t always been convincing, he improved significantly as a No 7 over the last few weeks.
He is a strong lineout option at the back, and has made a bigger contribution as a ball-carrier during the Rugby Championship. His work-rate on defence is never in doubt, but it is about driving his opponent backwards as a blindside flank.
While he may not be a first-choice No 7 yet, Mostert is a valuable option as Du Toit is still not at his 2019 best.
Malcolm Marx
With Bongi Mbonambi having lost some form and then sustained a knee injury, Marx has had to shoulder the load at No 2 – and he has been a runaway success.
The former Lions stalwart, who now plays in Japan, was part of the Bomb Squad previously, but has reclaimed the first-choice berth in the front row.
Marx has shown that he can last 80 minutes as well, and apart from his basics such as throw-ins and scrum work, he is a colossus at the breakdowns too.
The 28-year-old also controls the ball expertly at the back of the mauls, and will be delighted that Mbonambi is now also back from injury to share the load on the end-of-year tour.