{"id":44415,"date":"2025-12-08T08:35:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T08:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=44415"},"modified":"2025-12-08T08:35:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T08:35:10","slug":"three-springboks-fighting-for-comeback-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2025\/12\/08\/three-springboks-fighting-for-comeback-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Springboks fighting for a comeback in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Springboks continued to expand their squad this past season, and the results were highly effective as the coaches spread the workload while still achieving top results.<\/p>\n<p>Some veteran players have begun to fall by the wayside, but there are three players who will be determined to fight their way back into contention next year.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-three-springboks-fighting-for-a-return-to-the-test-arena\">THREE SPRINGBOKS FIGHTING FOR A RETURN TO THE TEST ARENA<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Lukhanyo Am<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After a few seasons hampered by a lack of fitness of form, which saw him fall behind the consistently excellent Jesse Kriel and the rising threat of Canan Moodie, Lukhanyo Am\u2019s 2026 comeback hinges on his success in Japan\u2019s Rugby League One with the Mitsubishi Dynaboars. The two-time World Cup winner was once viewed as the Springboks\u2019 most complete outside centre not that long ago, but the 32-year-old must prove he hasn\u2019t lost any of the physical edge or consistency that defined his peak years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Faf de Klerk<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 34-year-old faces one of the steepest climbs back, as the Springbok scrumhalf depth chart has rapidly expanded, with Grant Williams, Cobus Reinach and Morne van den Berg all currently featuring ahead of him. Despite being a pivotal figure in the 2019 and 2023 World Cup triumphs, the veteran\u2019s omission from recent squads signals a desire to promote younger talent with greater attacking versatility. For De Klerk to earn a recall in 2026, he needs to deliver a reminder of the value his experience and tenacity can offer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vincent Koch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A key member of the famed \u2018Bomb Squad\u2019, Koch is aiming for a strong 2026 return after slipping out of the spotlight this year. While still an exceptional scrummager, the competition at tighthead is intense, with Thomas du Toit, Wilco Louw, and rising youngsters pushing for spots. Koch is now 35-years-old, but that\u2019s generally not viewed as \u2018too old\u2019 for a prop, and so there is every chance he could make a play for a return to the Test arena if he can rediscover some top form for the Sharks.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-all-fixtures-so-far-for-2026\"><strong>All fixtures so far for 2026:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Saturday 4 July | England | Venue TBC<\/li>\n<li>Saturday 11 July | Scotland | Venue TBC<\/li>\n<li>Saturday 18 July | Wales | Venue TBC<\/li>\n<li>Saturday 22 August | First Test \u2013 New Zealand at Ellis Park, Johannesburg\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Saturday 29 August | Second Test \u2013 South Africa v New Zealand at DHL Stadium, Cape Town\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Saturday 5 September | Third Test \u2013 South Africa v New Zealand at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg<\/li>\n<li>Saturday 12 September | Fourth Test \u2013 South Africa v New Zealand | Venue TBC<\/li>\n<li>Weekend of 6-8 November | Italy | Venue TBC<\/li>\n<li>Weekend of 13-15 November | France | Venue TBC<\/li>\n<li>Saturday 21 November | Ireland | Venue TBC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Springboks #fighting #comeback<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Springboks continued to expand their squad this past season, and the results were highly effective as the coaches spread&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44417,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44415\/revisions\/44417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}