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Rassie sticks with experience over youthful exuberance

rugby02 July 2024 14:30
By:Gavin Rich
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Rassie Erasmus presser- @ Gallo Images

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus backed 20 of the 23 players that featured at the Rugby World Cup against Ireland for Saturday’s massive test match at Loftus Versfeld, bringing back the big guns for the first home test of the year.

In many cases it was tried and tested, with Erasmus going for the more experienced players in positions where selections were close.

While it was expected that Handre Pollard was going to be preferred ahead of Manie Libbok at flyhalf, there were no surprises in the starting line-up at all, with Erasmus explaining many of the selections were purely logistical, favouring players who had been in the camp for longer over overseas-based stars that had joined the team later in their pre-test camp.

In some cases, like between World Cup winners Jesse Kriel and Lukhanyo Am, Erasmus admitted that Am wasn’t fully match-fit yet, and with Kriel in form, it wasn’t much of a choice.

Similarly at hooker with Malcolm Marx returning from nine months on the sidelines against Wales, Bongi Mbonambi reclaimed the starting role with Marx on the bench.

But Erasmus made it clear that the door was still open for a number of young players who were still knocking hard at the door.

“It wasn’t tricky, Jesse is in top form. I don’t think there is anyone who says Jesse is not in top form, in the World Cup he was, and against Wales he was. Lukhanyo hasn’t played a lot of rugby in the last four, five weeks,” Erasmus said of the midfield choice.

“It is a different story with someone like Malcolm, where we had him and couldn’t yet do the things yet with Lukhanyo to make him match ready, because he is not 100 per cent match-ready.

“A guy like Malcolm - that's why the last test against Wales was so important - now we can start him, give him 45 minutes or he can come off the bench. Bongi can go as long as he can and Malcolm can add some impact.

“But when Lukhanyo is on form, he is brilliant. It is just a matter of time before Lukhanyo will start pushing Jesse hard again. Then we have Ethan Hooker, who we thought is really a find. We think he is playing well. And then there is Canan, who did well at 13 and will join us and be available for the second test.”

'JUST LOGISTICS'

Another selection that raised eyebrows was that of Kwagga Smith and Marco van Staden in the match day 23, ahead of Evan Roos, while preferring two locks on the bench in RG Snyman and Salmaan Moerat.

Erasmus said that Roos had proven himself as a test player and would be back.

“If you want to go six-two and you want to have Marco and Kwagga in the team. It would be lovely to have Kwagga and Marco on the bench and say, go have an impact, but then you need to drop a lock out.

“We don’t feel Salmaan deserves to be dropped. He is settling in as a nice front lock, and is learning a lot from the other locks. Evan has been with us for a while, he has four or five test caps under his belt,” Erasmus explained.

“All of the players understand what we are trying to do. We are trying not to kill guys’ careers by throwing them into a squad of unknowns around them, but slowly and certainly gives guys opportunity against proper teams, and then a bit tougher and then a bit tougher, and then rest a bit and decide are you a proper test player. Evan showed us that he is and he will get his chance again.”

Erasmus explained the logistical choice was an easy one in the rest of the positions as the team had been working on new moves under new assistant coaches Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery.

“It is just logistics. For instance, a guy like Cobus Reinach had two training sessions with us, just because it was when Montpellier released him. He is a guy who can easily make the match day 23. Krappies (Morne van den Berg) was with us from the first alignment camp, all the training sessions.

“We are definitely trying some new things and one or two guys who don’t know the new things we are trying to do, and sometimes that would be the swing in momentum in the game.

“Thomas only joined us very late because he wasn’t like Handre Pollard, who joined us when Leicester Tigers fell out. Pollard joined us and trained with us for three weeks, this is his fourth week.

“We are happy to have Thomas (du Toit) and Trevor (Nyakane) with us but they both joined us late.”

The Boks have not beaten Ireland since 2016, the last time they toured South Africa.

Springbok team: Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Goliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Kwagga Smith (Shizuko Blue Revs), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (captain - Racing 92), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks).

Replacements: Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers).

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