The record that Jake White set with the Springboks was one that Rassie Erasmus came so agonizingly close to beating.

NobleMen BlogDecember 5, 2024Last Updated: December 5, 2024

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The record that Jake White set with the Springboks was one that Rassie Erasmus came so agonizingly close to beating.

Rassie Erasmus came incredibly close to achieving a record in 2024 that would have been equal to the record set by Jake White for the Springboks 17 years ago.

He has said that it is high time that South Africa moves forward with the Springbok players after consecutive Rugby World Cup victories, and indeed he did that in 2024.

He has given 12 Test debuts in his first year back in charge, and has recalled a number of players who had been languishing on the fringe of the squad for the duration of the last Rugby World Cup cycle.

This meant that Erasmus used a staggering 50 players across 13 Test matches in 2024. South Africa still managed to win 11 of those 13 games with their two defeats coming by a single point, despite spreading their net and testing the depth of their player pool.

Erasmus, however, could not match record set back in 2007 by fellow Rugby World Cup winner and former head coach White.

That is of course the record for the most players used by a Springboks head coach in a single calendar year.

Jake White’s Springboks record
For all of Erasmus’s 50 names in 2024, that figure nonetheless fell short of what White had to offer in 2007 when the then-Springboks head coach stimulated lots of debate by resting 20 of his first-string players for the away leg of the Tri Nations.

White would chalk 52 players up that year with the likes of John Smit, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger, Bryan Habana, Percy Montgomery and the list goes on missing the Tests in Australia and New Zealand as the head coach focused on winning the Rugby World Cup.

The present Bulls director of rugby was also known to have juggled his world cup-winning team in matches against Samoa and Namibia, and the Test against Wales. Among White’s 52 players was Luke Watson, who was controversially not included in the squad by the head coach and only added to it by SA Rugby president Oregan Hoskins. Aged 24, Watson would earn his Test debut against Samoa after South Africa hammered England 52-22 and 58-10; his below-par performance would see him lose his place in the squad and not play again in 2007.

Only one player who made his debut under White during the World Cup year was followed by Waylon Murray, Bismarck du Plessis, Peter Grant, and Jannie du Plessis, who all won their first caps just before the tournament set sail for France.

White’s trick of seeing players without jinxed play proved successful for South Africa to be crowned winners of their second World Cup as they proceeded to roll over England 15-6 in the final at the Stade Francais, and in a one-off Test after the tournament, the head coach issued two more debuts in his final game in charge with Ryan Kankowski and Heinke van der Merwe playing in the 34-12 victory over Wales.

Springboks debuts in 2024

While Erasmus’ use of 50 players in 2024 did raise a few eyebrows it was far less controversial than White in 2007 because it was the year after a World Cup rather than the year of the global tournament.

However, he came close to equalling White’s tally and would have done so had Nico Janse van Rensburg earned a cap this year after being called into the squad during the Rugby Championship while Jean Kleyn was selected to play in the final Test against Wales before withdrawing through injury.

While many of the stars from the Rugby World Cup successes did pull on the Green and Gold jumper once again this year, Erasmus did issue debuts to Jordan Hendrikse, Edwill van der Merwe, Ben-Jason Dixon, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Phepsi Buthelezi, Morné van den Berg, André-Hugo Venter, Quan Horn, Ruan Venter, and Cameron Hanekom.

Erasmus’ 50 Springboks in 2024 is the second-highest ever amount of players to play Test rugby for South Africa in a calendar year and beating White’s 49 in 2006 and Erasmus’ own tally of 49 in 2018.

Jake White’s 52 Springboks in 2007

Johan Ackermann, Eddie Andrews, Gary Botha, BJ Botha, Bakkies Botha, Gerrie Britz, Schalk Burger, Deon Carstens, Tonderai Chavhanga, Michael Claassens, Jacques Cronjé, Jean de Villiers, Bevin Fortuin, Jaque Fourie, Peter Grant, Bryan Habana, Derick Hougaard, Butch James, Conrad Jantjes, Enrico Januarie, Wayne Julies, Ryan Kankowski, Hilton Lobberts, Victor Matfield, Percy Montgomery, Johann Muller, Waylon Murray, Akona Ndungane, Wynand Olivier, Breyton Paulse, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Fourie du Preez, Jaco Pretorius, André Pretorius, Os du Randt, Danie Rossouw, Bobby Skinstad, John Smit, Juan Smith, Pierre Spies, Gürthro Steenkamp, Francois Steyn, Albert van den Berg, CJ van der Linde, Heinke van der Merwe, Wikus van Heerden, Pedrie Wannenburg, Luke Watson, Ashwin Willemse.

Rassie Erasmus’ 50 Springboks in 2024

Lukhanyo Am, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Phepsi Buthelezi, Damian de Allende, Faf de Klerk, Ben-Jason Dixon, André Esterhuizen, Eben Etzebeth, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Quan Horn, Vincent Koch, Cheslin Kolbe, Siya Kolisi, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Wilco Louw, Elrigh Louw, Frans Malherbe, Makazole Mapimpi, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthukho Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Canan Moodie, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortjé, Trevor Nyakane, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Evan Roos, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Gerhard Steenekamp, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Morné van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, André-Hugo Venter, Ruan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese, Grant Williams.