There may have been cries from the Welsh media that the current Springbok selection devalues the test series ahead of Bloemfontein’s second match-up between the two sides, but in reality, it is another bold step to creating depth that can take Springbok rugby forward.
For years it has been a problem in the November tour when the Springboks have often had to play Wales without their European-based players in Cardiff in a test match that creates much-needed revenue but falls outside the international window.
And while we never heard anyone from Wales complaining then when the Boks weren’t able to call on their best players, and inevitably Wales came out on top in most of those out-of-window games, it is suddenly a problem now that they do it in the middle of the July test window.
To understand the selection more, you need to understand the psyche of the Springbok management under first Rassie Erasmus and then Jacques Nienaber.
The main priority always is to win test matches. The coaches know that and they know this is their No 1 priority.
But as anyone who has read an online comment or spoken to the average Springbok fan over the past few years knows, there is a desire from the public to see rising stars find their way into the match-day squad at the same time.
So while several stars have emerged from the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this year, those questions have plagued the Springbok management for months on end on when exactly the right time is to blood players.
Often there is momentum in a team, and test rugby rests on experience for big-match players to make the right decisions in big-match moments. Experience is also something that cannot be bought, and ask any international coach if he would have a rookie rising star or an 80-test veteran for a big moment in a big match and most would choose the latter.
Experience brings calmness, it brings time and it helps players make split-second decisions that change the course of games as well.
So while there were calls last season for Aphelele Fassi to take over the 15 jersey, the Bok game plan, and those entrusted with it, knew they needed to win a series against the British and Irish Lions.
At the same time they needed to navigate the Rugby Championship, the toughest tournament in test rugby and they knew it takes only one or two losses and the nation turns against you.
It is a fine line in selection and coaches are often not willing to tread too far left or right to broaden their experience and choose to do it in incremental bites over time.
RADICAL SELECTION
Which brings us back to the Springbok selection for the second test.
Radical it most certainly is. Not many sides would have the confidence and bravery to win a test match with one last-gasp penalty and then make 14 changes to the starting line-up, 19 to the match-day 23.
Not many sides would give six debutants a chance in a test match all at once, but the difference with this Springbok side is that it all forms part of a plan.
When the team assembled a few weeks ago they were told of the plan for all three test matches. And they were given a responsibility to see the plan through on the back of test victories.
The match-day 23 would train and the rest would combat them as the opposition, studying Wales’ movements and trying to recreate a game-day situation on the training field. This part isn’t something new, and is the norm among several international sides. When you have certain scenarios in your face all week in training, it is easier to deal with it in a match-day situation.
The team selected for Saturday’s game in Bloemfontein would have known two weeks ago they would play and would have the confidence instilled in them by a Springbok team that kept its word, no matter how radical it seems to those outside the camp.
And they would have the confidence and responsibility to make sure they see the plan through.
NOT HAPHAZARD CHOICES
While the selection from the outside may look radical, you can see the thinking around each and every selection.
The back three perhaps have a very young look about them but they are buffered by a midfield pairing that is more solid than given credit for.
Warrick Gelant may have only nine caps for the Boks but he is a World Cup winner, and while Kurt-Lee Arendse is a debutant, and Fassi may be relatively new, on their inside is a 51-test veteran in Jesse Kriel.
The back three are all fullbacks by trade and all have exceptional counter-attacking abilities. Apart from their ability to field the aerial battle that will come, the Boks have backed them to explode if the opportunity is on. Gelant has shown that several times this season for the Stormers, igniting attacks from the back and his two back-three compatriots need no introduction to ball in space.
Andre Esterhuizen was awarded the Players’ Player of the Year award in England and has been in sensational form for Harlequins. While this is his first test in three years, he is hardly a rookie. It can also be argued that after his season in England, Esterhuizen must be very close to selection on form at least.
At halfback, the young Jaden Hendrikse has captain Handre Pollard next to him - a thread of combining experience with youthful talent that runs through the team.
The same in the loose trio. Pieter-Steph du Toit needs no introduction and to give young Evan Roos him on the one side and 30-test veteran Marcell Coetzee on the other side shows this was no fluke selection.
Marvin Orie partners Eben Etzebeth, with the latter closing in on his 100th test match. Etzebeth and Du Toit will be factored to keep the pack in check and to lead from the front.
Joseph Dweba is surrounded by two more veterans of the Bok cause in Thomas du Toit and Trevor Nyakane.
In every position where a young player or debutant has been picked, they have been placed next to a player who would normally be in the Bok 23 on any given match day.
LONG-TERM VIEWPOINT
Coming back to the point made previously on the test matches played out of the test window, this year’s revenue-generating game is against England at Twickenham.
On any given Saturday that would be a massive game for the first-choice side, but this year the Boks have to play Eddie Jones’ side without most of their first-choice players, and given this situation, need to put out a side they believe can win.
The selection for Wales this Saturday is the first step in that direction and there is a firm belief that the Bok management will know after the game who they can take into battle at Twickenham and beyond and who needs more nurturing.
While they have made it clear they want to win the game, and that is always the first priority, there is a longer-term view at play here.
With three games for the SA A side - or SA Select XV - as it was announced this week during the November tour, the Bok management are likely to start operating on a two-squad system, and have a chance to take one team through three tough club games while the Boks face the likes of France, Italy and Ireland.
This is far better than having players languishing at home in club competitions or sitting on the sidelines not playing before a massive game like Twickenham.
The Select XV will be able to get game time together as combinations and integrate with the remaining Bok squad members to form the strongest available team for Twickenham, with several games under their belts.
REASSESSING THE PLAN
And that underlines the planning the Boks have gone through for the challenge that 2022 poses for them on the international front. Meticulous, long-term and with a lot of thought behind it.
Nienaber has said that the plan will be revised after the Welsh series, but if the team keep on winning, you can expect this to be the plan going forward. One larger squad, two separate teams, both working towards a common goal.
“We have a plan set out for the year and we will probably reassess after this series. But yes, if you look at the end of the year tour there is a lot of opportunity. There are four test matches and three SA A games. There are seven tests for us, and that gives us a nice opportunity to do that,” Nienaber said on Tuesday about the long-term plans.
Managing the squad to get the best out of them, while giving exposure and gaining test experience is imperative to this cause and is something that is central to the way the Boks are thinking long term.
But it shows that the Welsh reaction, coupled with some fans surprise at such a radical move, was not so radical after all.
This had been thought out months in advance.
Now the nervous excitement of a team that could explode on attack awaits, and the Boks may have a lot to lose if they lose a test match and Wales win their first game in South Africa in history.
But long-term the amount they have to gain is massive.