Topping the Nations Championship log was always a means to an end, and with a 43-0 win over Wales rounding out the campaign, the piece argues that the genuinely hard work now begins: picking the team to face New Zealand in the Greatest Rivalry series. Three weeks of rotation — ten changes per game — gave Erasmus the depth answers he needed, but left plenty of starting spots unresolved. The midfield of Kriel and De Allende, Kolbe on the wing, Willemse at fullback, Wiese at eight, Pieter-Steph at seven and Marx at hooker look nailed down. The real intrigue sits elsewhere.
The Argentina test on August 8 is framed less as a fixture and more as a fitness court of appeal for the returning heavyweights — Etzebeth, Kolisi, De Jager, Mostert, Nche and Feinberg-Mngomezulu — who now need to prove themselves against players who've been building form for three weeks. Paul de Villiers's performances have complicated the Kolisi selection conversation specifically. Erasmus's plan is reportedly to keep the likely Ellis Park starting group in South Africa while the returning players travel to Buenos Aires, minimising travel disruption ahead of the first test. The broader conclusion: depth is no longer a concern, but the returning stars can't simply walk back in — and that competitive pressure is exactly what Erasmus has engineered.