A bicep injury to Malcolm Marx during Kubota Spears' playoff win has sharpened what was already a pressing question: South Africa still haven't properly settled on their hooking depth ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Erasmus acknowledged being thin at the position back in 2023, but with Marx and Mbonambi dominating selection, meaningful development opportunities have been scarce. This piece works through the realistic candidates: Wessels as a versatile front-row option who may shift to hooker proper, Grobbelaar having seemingly addressed the size and scrummaging concerns that held him back, and Van Staden's flanker-to-hooker project quietly gaining traction at the Bulls. Further down the pecking order, Venter is making a compelling case at the Stormers despite the optics around his personal connections to the coaching staff, while the Dweba situation — dropped from PONI funding, shipped to Exeter, yet potentially still on Erasmus's radar — gets a thorough re-examination. The most intriguing thread is Mnebelele, who was reportedly one Wales cap away from a Test debut last year despite having no professional rugby on his CV. The piece lays out the genuine tension between fast-tracking him now versus letting him develop through the U20 Championship and Currie Cup pathway.