Jean de Villiers highlights Malcolm Marx as Springboks most important player

Because the Springbok game is built around the forwards, De Villiers says that losing a player as strong as Marx could have a massive negative effect on the team.

"I'll give you one name, Malcolm Marx. If we lose Malcolm Marx, we're in trouble," he told The Rugby Pod.

While South Africa have a plethora of props at their disposal, Marx has become absolutely critical at hooker.

The powerhouse forward became World Rugby Player of the Year for his performances in 2025 and in their big November games against France and Ireland, he played 77 and 73 minutes respectively.

With Bongi Mbonambi, who is now 35, being eased out by Erasmus having been omitted from the first alignment camp of the year, the head coach is looking for an effective back-up to Marx.

Johan Grobbelaar, Marnus van der Merwe, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and usual flanker Marco van Staden were all picked in the 16 shirt in 2025, but the Boks have not yet found a reliable replacement for the 31-year-old.

Since claiming their second World Cup title in succession in 2023, South Africa have remained the dominant side in the game.

They sit atop the World Rugby rankings and with just 19 months to go until the next global tournament, the Boks are the favourites to secure an unprecedented three-peat.

Head coach Rassie Erasmus has managed the squad impressively and have built incredible depth in most positions. They look well on their way to being in a good shape for the 2027 World Cup.

"What Rassie has done is that he's built such a strong squad that if you ask me now, 'select the strongest Springbok line-up', I could go with 15 guys, but if you ask me, 'who will play in the World Cup final?' it will be very different to the one that I name," De Villiers said.

"You've got some of the ageing guys that might be early to mid-30s, but he's already got a back-up for them.

"The incoming youngsters that are on the fringe, they've already got maybe 10 Test caps, but by the time you hit the World Cup, you're on 20 or 25 so you've built up that experience."

There appear to be few weaknesses in their squad but De Villiers was pressed on the player they cannot afford to lose for the next global tournament.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's name was mentioned given that he has become the first choice fly-half, but the former South Africa captain believes that Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok are outstanding alternatives.

"You've got Sacha but he's also gone through a bit of a dip in some of the games. You've still got Handre and what he has done previously, but you've still got Manie Libbok," De Villiers said.

"I've got no doubt whatsoever that Manie Libbok will play a part in this squad going forward because the way that we are attacking currently and the shape that they are running, no one does it better than Manie.

"The way that we are able to cut up defences, Manie can play a massive role in that."

De Villiers mentioned Damian Willemse as a possibility, stating that "whether at 12 or 15" he is "a fantastic rugby player and such a massive threat."

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