At least 18 of the South African fans’ favourite 2023 Springbok Rugby World Cup-winning squad look likely to miss selection for the Bok squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

New Springbok Head Coach Rassie Erasmus was speaking at a press conference on Tuesday when he suggested that some of the ‘old guard’ will be phased out over the next few seasons.

“Building a squad means giving young guys an opportunity and making sure we always improve on depth,” said Erasmus. “By doing that you will lose a few Test matches, but then we will have the answers when we get to the World Cup. I would rather win the World Cup than sit at an 85 per cent win rate in between.”

The Boks won the 2023 Rugby World Cup with a win rate of just 65 per cent leading up to the tournament in France, but this allowed Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber to formulate their best teams for various opponents.

Erasmus was a hands-on Director of Rugby for the 2023 World Cup in France, when more than half the squad were past 30. In June his year, Kolisi will turn 33, although he remains an international-quality player.

“Siya is playing some of his best rugby, but I prefer to have my captain locally based as that allows for more interaction. This is a unique situation and I think he will play some Test matches, he certainly wants to, but we are not sure about the captaincy,” added Erasmus.

“But it is a challenge to tell a player, ‘OK, you must stop now.’ We have guys in their 30s who believe they can win another World Cup. We know exactly which players can only last another year, and we have given them the task to help the youngsters before they leave.”