Cameron Hanekom spent only 19 minutes on the field in Saturday's 29-24 win over the All Blacks at FNB Stadium, but his impact was significant enough for Rassie Erasmus to single him out as a key contributor to the victory. The Bulls eighthman was part of the rolling maul that produced Malcolm Marx's converted try to extend the lead to 26-17, and Erasmus specifically cited a turnover from Hanekom as one of the moments that shaped the result. Hanekom, characteristically, deflected the credit.
"I had a job to do, just like we all did. Coming off the bench, I wanted to bring energy. The guys on the field had been there for 60 minutes, so when I went on, I wanted to give everything."
He pointed instead to the Bok pack's set-piece dominance as the platform for the win, which gives the Springboks a 2-1 lead in the four-match series. "Our scrums, our mauls, our lineouts — there are a lot of other factors, but we pride ourselves on those elements, and I felt like we ticked those boxes."
Hanekom's five caps belie the growing regularity of his appearances in green and gold. His debut came against Wales in Cardiff in November 2024, but a serious hamstring injury sustained in a URC match disrupted his momentum and kept him sidelined for several months. He returned to the Bok set-up against England in the Nations Championship in July. "It was hard work, but it was worth it."
The near-86,000 crowd at FNB Stadium left a clear impression on the 24-year-old from Ceres. "Playing any time against the All Blacks is a special experience, and the atmosphere was crazy. Seeing the crowd, singing the national anthem with all the Springbok supporters, it's very special. It was a good way to finish our last game at home for the year."
The series concludes on neutral ground in Baltimore on Saturday night, though Hanekom was keeping his focus narrow. "We've got the 'next job' mentality — we know there's still one more game to go."