Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus may have surprised a few people, including this one, when he named a team for the final game of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series that looked remarkably similar to the one that started the first game at Ellis Park.
With Damian Willemse returning to fullback after missing the 29-24 win over the All Blacks that put the Boks into an unassailable lead in the series in Soweto last weekend, there are in fact just three differences to the team that will start the game in the final match of the four-game rubber in Baltimore to the side that began in Johannesburg on 22 August.
Cheslin Kolbe, who deputised for Willemse last week, sustained a broken jaw early in the game, and Willemse is a straight swap for him, while Ethan Hooker plays on the wing after sitting out the first game. Kurt-Lee Arendse, injured early on in Johannesburg, is back in the starting side.
Grant Williams started at scrumhalf at Ellis Park and has not featured again after having an off day in the No. 9 jersey, and this time it will be Morne van den Berg who starts at halfback after Cobus Reinach, now on the bench, played there in Cape Town and Soweto.
At forward, there is just one swap - Paul de Villiers started the first game due to the absence of skipper Siya Kolisi, who returned in Cape Town and has been excellent in the two games he has played.
With the Boks heading to Australia for a one-off international after Baltimore, the likes of De Villiers and probably Williams, plus according to Erasmus the experienced flyhalf Handre Pollard and possibly another World Cup winner in lock Franco Mostert too, are likely to get game time then as Erasmus resumes his quest to build depth ahead of next year’s World Cup in that country.
But while there appears to be a perception that the retention of the same basic mix that lost at Ellis Park before recovering with two strong power game-oriented displays in Cape Town and Soweto means that the approach will be route 1, meaning forward domination and a strong emphasis on set pieces and devastating mauling, the reality is Erasmus’ team is versatile enough to adapt.
NOT THE INTENTION OF BOKS TO MOVE AWAY FROM ALL COURT GAME
Indeed, Erasmus was correct when he demurred when it was suggested to him at the team announcement press conference that his team played more expansively in the third test than in the other two.
"I don’t think the first game was that simple (played to a straight conservative forward-based template),” said Erasmus.
"We tried to be physical and then got a bit of tunnel vision, and there were several instances where the All Blacks played fantastically and deserved to win. But there was a lot that went wrong in that game that was just down to us not taking our opportunities. Attack coach Tony Brown worked really hard on it. We don’t always just want to just push maul tries and scrums, we also want to take opportunities differently when they present themselves.
"It wasn’t planned obviously that we wouldn’t use the opportunities we created through our attack in the first test, but we have improved in that regard since then and we have worked hard, we’ve had to, because New Zealand doesn’t offer you many opportunities. When it came to taking and creating opportunities, Damian (de Allende) did well on Saturday (in putting away Arendse for a crucial try), so did Jesse (Kriel) and Ethan Hooker did really well (on attack) too.
"I think the guys are getting better (when it comes to attacking New Zealand), but it was just a case of us being weak at taking our opportunities in the first test. It (the more expansive attack seen in Soweto) did not come down to a mind-shift.”
UTILITY VALUE OF KEY PLAYERS WILL KEEP KIWIS GUESSING
So let’s look at the Bok team that has been selected for Baltimore, with the options offered by the bench players, before we automatically assume that this fourth game of the series will just conform to the perception that the Boks stick to the main road, meaning mauling and set piece dominance, with little deviation from that, if they want to close off the series by annexing the RGR trophy outright.
For a start, Willemse’s return at fullback offers the option of playing him in tandem with Manie Libbok, on the reserve bench, in the crucial 10/12 axis should the game situation demand that exciting attacking dynamic, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, well equipped to move to fullback. As he did when Kolbe was injured at the FNB Stadium.
Andre Esterhuizen can of course also be introduced as an inside centre, and not a loose-forward impact player, as he has been in the last two games, while should there be an injury or Kriel just shows signs of four tough games in a row just catching up with him, which in his case does seem unlikely, then Hooker can also move inside from wing to the outside centre position.
LIBBOK THE PERFECT FINISHER
Libbok’s introduction from the bench did appear to bring a greater incisiveness to the attack in Soweto, but Erasmus made an interesting point that gave an indication of how he may be used going forward, particularly given that it does seem right to back the extraordinarily gifted Feinberg-Mngomezulu as the first choice flyhalf moving forward.
"Apart from Sacha’s skill, he’s a really good defender, and that’s normally one of the things the All Blacks try to exploit as they try to chase a fast start," said the Bok coach.
"Manie did really well for us, but Sacha, although there are areas where he is not 100 percent hitting his straps yet, is really good. We mustn’t forget that at FNB Stadium he was playing only his fourth game after coming back from injury. Manie can come on early if Sacha gets injured, but we may need him later in the game. You must remember that it is easier to attack in the last 30 minutes when the opposition are tired and their defensive system is less organised."
In other words, in Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Libbok the Boks have the perfect starting/finishing flyhalf combination, although Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s utility value means he doesn’t necessarily need to leave the field when Libbok comes on. And Willemse’s ability to move to centre could present the opposition with the headache of having to contend with three of the world’s best attacking backline players all dovetailing together in the second half in Baltimore.