‘Getting better game after game’: Rassie happy with Cameron Hanekom’s progress

'You can see he's starting to be comfortable in the system with the boys around him. I'm very happy for him,' the Bok coach said. Cameron Hanekom is on course for a breakout season with the Springboks, bound to be called up more regularly after strong performances off the bench in the last three Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tests. The eighthman received praise from head coach Rassie Erasmus after the 43-28 win in Baltimore that sealed the series against the All Blacks 3-1. He played just 15 minutes but lifted the intensity set by starting No 8 Jasper Wiese with his speed, strong carries, tackles, and a turnover at the end that led to his try. It followed a similar, though try-less, performance in Soweto, while his appearance in Cape Town was quieter. It’s long overdue for the 24-year-old former URC Next Gen Player of the Year, who has played five of his six Tests for the Springboks this year after missing the entire 2025/26 international season due to injury. He also had a standout performance in the hard-fought 17-10 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires last month, where he scored the winning try. ‘I’m very happy for him’ Erasmus said he was happy Hanekom had taken his opporunities, though they came about largely due to Kwagga Smith’s injury lay-off. But the enforced change gave the coaches time to analyse Hanekom while he settled into the system. Especially as the team solidifies its depth for No 8 cover for Wiese, 30, and Smith, 33, ahead of next year’s World Cup in Australia. “Cameron Hanekom was awesome,” Erasmus said after the Baltimore Test. “Pieter-Steph [du Toit] was cramping and Jasper was obviously tired. [We wondered] do we put Cameron on now? But maybe PT can go 80, or if I put Cameron on now at 8 and PT has cramps then we might have to play with 14 men in the last 11 minutes against New Zealand who attack like that… “He’s just getting better game after game. You can see he’s starting to be comfortable in the system with the boys around him. I’m very happy for him.” Wiese is likely to be rested in the one off-Test against Australia in two weeks, after starting four weeks in a row against New Zealand. The Boks will likely use Hanekom and give Evan Roos, 26, another look-in during that Perth Test.