Rassie Erasmus was at pains to point out that the new-look Springbok side that he picked yesterday to face Portugal was not a ‘B-team’ – and in many respects, he is correct.
There were some tight selection calls that needed to be made for the second Test against Ireland, and in that instance, Erasmus opted to maintain the status quo by choosing an unchanged side.
The world champions lost 25-24 in Durban to a last-gasp drop goal from Ciaran Frawley, and you wonder if the result may have been different if there had been a few new faces at Kings Park.
It’s no use crying over split milk, though, and the only way the Bok coach can avoid a similar conundrum going forward is by giving those next in line a proper opportunity to prove their worth.
Top of that list for Saturday’s clash against Portugal in Bloemfontein has to be Evan Roos.
The Stormers star was seen by many as the likely No 8 before the Irish series – especially in the absence of the suspended Jasper Wiese – but the experience of Kwagga Smith was preferred, and it turned out to be the wrong call.
Smith is so dynamic off the bench, but battled with a number of errors in the first Test, and despite an improved second outing, was far from convincing. Roos is a bustling ball carrier with a high work rate on attack and in defence, and is a strong line-out option too.
The only drawback in his career so far has been a hot temper at times, but if he can channel his aggression in suitable fashion against what will be a fiery Portuguese outfit, he can go a long way to securing a starting berth for the Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Brisbane on August 10.
Another key figure who will be eager to force his way into the starting XV is Lukhanyo Am. Injury affected his build-up to last year’s World Cup, and he had to watch Jesse Kriel combine superbly with Damian de Allende in France.
Kriel still provides that hard edge and work rate at No 13, but he doesn’t quite possess Am’s subtle touches on attack. It is up to the Sharks centre to remind Erasmus of those qualities on Saturday.
After the iffy displays of Handré Pollard and Faf de Klerk against the Irish last weekend, Manie Libbok and Cobus Reinach can state their claims, too.
Thanks to all the fans for yet another unforgettable #Springboks Test in Durban - check out some cool footage from the stands 💚💛#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/5407AFaETu
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 16, 2024
Erasmus reminded everybody yesterday that Libbok and Reinach started in the World Cup semi-final against England, so it is not out of the question for them to do the same against the Wallabies next month.
It is clear that Erasmus rates Jan-Hendrik Wessels extremely highly as a loosehead prop, considering he was playing mainly at hooker for the Bulls over the past few seasons.
Wessels, though, was destructive as a ball carrier and scrummager at No 1 in junior rugby, and hopefully a return to his Bloemfontein home will spark a future on the left-hand side of the scrum.
Making Salmaan Moerat the captain was a bold call from Erasmus, considering the presence of Am, Cobus Reinach and RG Snyman in the starting line-up – even though he has been groomed as a leader since school already.
But the Stormers No 4 from Paarl will hope to come up with a big performance as a player firstly, after only getting a few minutes as a temporary blood-bin substitute for Eben Etzebeth against Ireland last week.
Springbok Team
15 Aphelele Fassi 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse 13 Lukhanyo Am 12 André Esterhuizen 11 Makazole Mapimpi 10 Manie Libbok 9 Cobus Reinach 8 Evan Roos 7 Ben-Jason Dixon 6 Phepsi Buthelezi 5 RG Snyman 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain) 3 Thomas du Toit 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Bench: 16 André-Hugo Venter 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu 18 Trevor Nyakane 19 Ruan Venter 20 Elrigh Louw 21 Morné van den Berg 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 23 Quan Horn.