The Springbok first-choice players will take a 10-day break from Wednesday as the fringe players take over the fort for the game against Portugal on Saturday and the Bloemfontein clash with the tier-two team has been given extra importance by the attrition rate against Ireland.
While the Boks would have sustained a dent to their morale when Ciaran Frawley’s last-gasp drop-goal sailed between the uprights at Hollywoodbets Kings Park to give Ireland a 25-24 win that secured them a series draw, there were additional concerns for Bok coach Rassie Erasmus to ponder after the game.
Erasmus admitted that the loss of fullback Willie le Roux early in the game hurt the Boks’ attacking plan as the Bulls No 15 brings a connectedness to the attacking game that his replacement Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu isn’t suited to at this stage of his career. Of particular concern should be the fact that it was the second concussion Le Roux has suffered in the last few weeks.
The veteran double World Cup winner, who is nearing the magical 100 mark in caps (he is currently on 95), missed the recent Vodacom United Rugby Championship final due to a concussion sustained in the Bulls’ semifinal win over Leinster. He was as sorely missed by the Bulls in that game as he was by the Boks this past weekend.
SECOND ROW CONCERNS
In addition to Le Roux, Franco Mostert was hobbling badly when he left the field to be replaced by RG Snyman, which suggests the Boks could have a problem at lock once they revert to full strength again for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship games against the Wallabies in Australia in August.
If Mostert is out long term and with Lood de Jager still out, the Boks could be going into those games without either of the two players who have worn the Bok No 5 jersey the most, and made the most impact in the position, over the last couple of years. Marvin Orie, now playing in France, did play there last year but it is not clear where he ranks with the Bok management at present.
Salmaan Moerat is more of a No 4 lock. RG Snyman is a No 5 for Munster and can play there, as he did against Ireland in the second test, but the Boks could be thin there if there is a further injury.
Erasmus said at the post-match press conference that he will field an alternative team in Bloemfontein, and the team, which will be announced to the public on Tuesday, has already been announced internally. That was before Snyman ended up playing most of the Durban game in the second row, so it will be interesting to see what the team looks like in Bloemfontein.
Bulls captain Ruan Nortje could be another candidate to fit into the position but he is not in the current squad.
RASSIE WORRIED ABOUT MARX
The Boks could have a further injury problem of fairly substantial proportions, with Erasmus admitting concern at the injury sustained by hooker Malcolm Marx due to the illegal clean out by Ireland captain Caelan Doris in the second half of the bruising, physical and at times spiteful Kings Park battle.
“The injury to Sous (Mostert) did complicate things for us. We could talk about the impact of missing players like Gazza (Damian Willemse) and Lood (de Jager) but it is the guys who are on the field who have to play the game,” said Erasmus.
“Sous had a bad knock and Malcolm was hobbling a bit, which is a bit worrying for us. We as coaches are just going to have to make sure the other players who might be called on are comfortable enough at this level and we need to build their experience so they feel confident.”
Erasmus said that while Le Roux was missed because of the dynamic he brought to the Bok attacking game with his distribution skills, he felt that the inexperienced but precociously talented Feinberg-Mngomezulu had “showed that he belonged at his level”.
He did indeed, although he did make mistakes towards the end that contributed to the poor game management in the dying minutes that cost the Boks victory. Would Erasmus consider him as a potential starter against the All Blacks? He may not need to as Le Roux may be ready by then and Willemse is making a good recovery from his injury, but the injury situation as it stands does give Erasmus points to ponder. And it will give the players who play in Bloemfontein, which is expected to include Manie Libbok, something to play for in terms of a potential place in the first-choice team plans.
In the meantime, the top players will look forward to their 10-day break and there will be both physical and psychological wounds to lick after a series where in the end a draw was the right result but the Irish proved the old adage that if you front the Boks physically it can often be half the battle won.