Back in November 2022, a South Africa ‘A’ side coached by Mzwandile Stick walked off the pitch at Ashton Gate with a 26-18 defeat to Bristol Bears. For many, it was just another midweek exhibition. But for a handful of players on that field, it turned into a launchpad to rugby immortality — with two of them lifting the Web Ellis Cup just 11 months later.
Now, as Stick prepares to lead a new ‘A’ squad against Zimbabwe’s Sables this Saturday in Gqeberha, it’s worth checking in on the 23 players who last wore the second-team jersey. Some became Springbok legends. Some got stuck in medical purgatory. A few never got the call at all.
The Breakout Stars
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was still a Stormers rookie when he played both ‘A’ matches in 2022. Fast forward three years, and he’s already the highest-scoring Springbok flyhalf in history — nine tries in 19 Tests, a 37-point game against Argentina that shattered Percy Montgomery’s record, and a World Rugby Breakthrough Player nomination. He’s signed with the Stormers through 2029. The only thing slowing him down right now is another injury, but he’s expected back for the All Blacks series.
Grant Williams had one Springbok cap when he faced Bristol. Now he’s got 28 — and a 2023 World Cup winners’ medal. The Sharks scrumhalf became a key weapon off the bench in Tony Brown’s attack, using his pace to tear open defenses. He’s heading to Japan after this season.
The World Cup Winners
Thomas du Toit was already a world champion from 2019, but his 2023 omission stung. He bounced back in style: a PREM Rugby title with Bath, inclusion in the 2025 World Rugby Dream Team, and a return to the Sharks this season. Marco van Staden, meanwhile, overcame a run of severe concussions to make the 2023 squad — even serving as emergency hooker against Tonga after Malcolm Marx went down.
The Career-Changing Injuries
Cornal Hendricks passed away in May 2025 at age 37 after suffering a heart attack. His story was remarkable: diagnosed with a heart condition in 2015 and told his career was over, he came back in 2019 with the Bulls and played Champions Cup rugby less than a year before his death. Elrigh Louw spent nine months bedridden after shredding his knee and breaking his leg in January 2025. He returned last November and is back in Springbok alignment camps.
Jean-Luc du Preez keeps getting derailed by bad luck. After a recall in 2025, a concussion forced him out of the Eden Park Test. Now he’s expected to miss the entire 2026 international season due to head injury issues. He’s denied rumors of forced retirement, telling reporters he’s ‘feeling a lot better.’
The Ones Who Never Broke Through
Not every story ends at the top. Gianni Lombard, a regular Lions starter in 2022, is now heading to the Sharks after falling down the pecking order. Jason Jenkins still has just one Test cap — from 2018 — despite bouncing from Munster to Leinster to the Sharks. Mornay Smith remains stuck behind South Africa’s deep prop depth chart in Pretoria.
And then there’s Henco van Wyk, a center Rassie Erasmus repeatedly name-dropped as an injury replacement — but knee issues have cost him every opportunity. He signed a contract extension with the Lions through 2027, but his Test debut keeps slipping away.
What the 2022 ‘A’ squad shows is that one exhibition loss can mean very different things to different players. For some, it was a stepping stone to glory. For others, it was the closest they’d ever get.
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