Hendrikse brothers get nod for year’s final Test

They deserve their chance, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus insists on the inclusion of Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse in the team to play Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

The brothers, who will become the 36th set to do so for the team, will form the halfback combination as the Boks seek to complete their first blemish-free end of year tour since 2013.

Since winning last year’s Rugby World Cup, Erasmus has shuffled his players and would have used 51 players should loose forward Cameron Hanekom make it onto the field at the Principality Stadium.

With the match day-23 subject to constant change, Bok accuracy and at times output have fluctuated, but they have by and large maintained their winning touch. Despite the changes, the Boks’ victories in Edinburgh and London have left them on the cusp of another notable achievement under Erasmus.

“We have been chopping and changing and testing combinations,” the coach said. “We could’ve played Cobus [Reinach] and then there are guys such as Herschel Jantjies and Morné [van den Berg] at home, but fortunately it worked out for the two brothers.

“They deserve a chance together. Jordan only had one chance and then Jaden is pretty settled,” said the coach.

Scrumhalf Jaden has been part of the national team furniture since 2021, while Jordan got his first taste in the Boks’ opening Test of the year against Wales in London.

“He is certainly a guy that brings something different,” said Erasmus about flyhalf Jordan. “He has got a big boot and he is a more physical flyhalf. There is a guy called Siya Masuku who hasn’t even got a look in yet. Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] is back home and Damian [Willemse] is back home. It’s nice that he has come through our ranks.

“Maybe he hasn’t got the fine skills such as Manie [Libbok] has, but he can certainly kick the ball a mile and he stands his ground in his channel. He is not afraid to take it on.

“There are very few guys who are up there with Manie when it comes to handling skills, but let’s see, maybe he surprises us with that.”

The flyhalf will have big boots to fill and though he did not entirely convince on debut, he now has the opportunity to start gnawing away at the pivot pecking order.

Injury kept Jaden on the sidelines at the start of the season. He has played in only four of the Boks’ 12 Tests this season. The first two were off the bench before he started in Mbombela and Edinburgh. The Boks were severely disrupted by the Scotland contesting and counter rucking and he did not deliver his most polished performance behind the Bok pack. He can, however, see out his Springbok season on a high.