Six Springbok stars now out for the majority of 2026
· The South African
The Springboks’ injury woes continue to go from bad to worse, and it must be reaching a point now that really starts to concern head coach Rassie Erasmus.
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A taxing Test season lies ahead and rotation is going to be crucial to the the cause of the team, but the fact of the matter is that as many as six leading stars are now set to miss a large majority of the 2026 campaign.
On Saturday, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was seen on crutches after the Stormers’ URC quarter-final after suffering what was described as a serious ankle injury.
“He’s obviously going for a scan. The doctors have given me some feedback, but it looks like a proper ankle injury,” Stormers coach John Dobson commented after the game.
“He was cramping a bit before then and looked uncomfortable when he started running back. We haven’t confirmed anything yet, but it’s concerning.
“It is a big blow.”
Other Springboks on the sidelines for a big part of the season
Powerful prop Frans Malherbe is still contending with serious back and neck issues, and it was recently confirmed that he has not been able to resume scrumming yet. Increasingly, it seems clear that he won’t be able to return to frontline action until much later this year, while the possibility of being forced into early retirement can’t be ruled out.
Another World Cup winner, RG Snyman, has ruptured his ACL and been ruled out for the entire 2026 season. Fellow lock Lood de Jager is recovering from hip surgery, and he is only expected to be available in the latter parts of the year, at best.
This past week it was confirmed that influential Kwagga Smith is set to be out for six months due to a knee injury, and there is a good chance he could miss the entire 2026 season.
In addition, the Springboks suffered another major setback after scrumhalf Morné van den Berg was ruled out for up to six months following bicep surgery.
Others on the injury list
Although those are six significant long-term injuries, other veterans like Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams, Cobus Reinach, Ethan Hooker and Aphelele Fassi are also battling with injuries of varying severity.
All in all, the Springboks are going to have to cope without the services of some top players, with the first Test of the season fast approaching against England on 4 July.