Comment by Ashfak Mohamed
WHILE the Rugby Championship title would be nice to win, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made it pretty clear that developing the team’s play and depth is at least as important, if not more so.
If the trophy was the main goal, Erasmus could easily have stuck with the side that beat the Wallabies 33-7 in Brisbane for the second Australian encounter in Perth.
In fact, he could even have reverted to a more World Cup-style match-23 by reinstalling Handré Pollard at flyhalf and sticking with Cobus Reinach, Damian de Allende and Willie le Roux for the rest of the backline.
The pack could also have maintained the core of Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche, but that was not the case in Perth, either.
Instead, there were 10 changes made and one positional switch, and even though they were only 11-9 up at halftime and needed the experienced bench to close out the victory, it was still a creditable 30-12 triumph in the rain at Optus Stadium.
So, virtually the entire squad has earned Erasmus’s trust, and that leaves the door wide open in terms of selection for next Saturday’s blockbuster clash against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
Many Bok fans may feel that the world champions should return to a “tried-and-tested” match-23 in order to get past a fired-up All Black outfit who need to win to stay in the title race after losing their first clash against Argentina in Wellington.
But should the Rugby Championship trophy take precedence? Or must Erasmus continue on his path of exploration as part of the bigger picture of growing depth in the squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup?
Perhaps the latter is the better and more important goal at this point. In fact, it is not the only objective. The introduction of Tony Brown as the attack coach has been a breath of fresh air to the Bok set-up.
No longer are the South Africans just relying on physicality, forward dominance, box-kicks and cross-kicks, and playing from set-pieces and off turnover ball.
Now they are keeping defences guessing, whether it’s through little grubbers in behind, smart lineout and maul moves, having Cheslin Kolbe feeding scrums and lineouts – and so we can go on.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s arrival on the international stage has also added a new dimension, whether at flyhalf or fullback, and the selection of Lukhanyo Am at inside centre proved that the Boks are more flexible than ever in the backline.
We haven’t even got to the forwards yet. Pieter-Steph du Toit has shone at blindside and No 5 lock, Elrigh Louw has been a strong, physical No 8, and the likes of Ben-Jason Dixon and Jan-Hendrik Wessels have been impressive in their first year of Test rugby.
So, who exactly should line up for the Boks against the All Blacks? The field is wide open, and considering the fact that they will play on warm conditions on a fast Ellis Park pitch, Erasmus needs to pick a suitable team to take on the Kiwis with ball-in-hand.
It could be very different on a much heavier Cape Town Stadium pitch the following week, as all the rain that has fallen in the Mother City this year might necessitate an entirely different mindset in style of play and selection.
It would be a worthwhile exercise to test this talented Bok group once more with another massively challenging scenario: taking on the All Blacks at their own game.
Some Bok supporters have longed for the day when South Africa can go toe-to-toe with New Zealand in an all-out attacking extravaganza.
We saw it before at Ellis Park, in 2013 – although that was an enforced scenario as Heyneke Meyer’s Boks needed to produce a bonus-point victory and deny the visitors any bonus points to win the Rugby Championship.
They couldn’t do the latter, but it was one of the most thrilling Tests between the two sides, won 38-27 by the Kiwis over a Bok side captained by Jean de Villiers.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu should be given an opportunity at fullback against a big team after excelling there as a replacement against Portugal, with his playmaking, strike-running and kicking game all providing exciting possibilities.
It would be interesting to see Lukhanyo Am and Damian de Allende reunited in midfield, and this time around, the latter must be allowed to showcase his full array of skills instead of just being a battering ram.
Manie Libbok is due a start at flyhalf, and a halfback combination with Grant Williams could give the All Black defence sleepless nights.
As explained in yesterday’s Independent Newspapers publications, Pieter-Steph du Toit’s work-rate and ball-skills make him well-equipped to slot in at No 8, as Jasper Wiese hasn’t played for nearly three months and would be better as an impact player off the bench.
Ben-Jason Dixon is almost an exact clone of Du Toit, and has been outstanding this year at the highest level, so there won’t be issues at blindside flank.
Giving the mobile Vincent Koch a start at tighthead would also add a higher work-rate to the Bok front row, where Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche are without peer with their contributions on attack and defence.
Erasmus can also be bold on the bench – how about Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Aphelele Fassi making second-half impacts?
* The Bok side will be named on Tuesday ...
My Springbok Team v All Blacks
15 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 14 Cheslin Kolbe 13 Lukhanyo Am 12 Damian de Allende 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Manie Libbok 9 Grant Williams 8 Pieter-Steph du Toit 7 Ben-Jason Dixon 6 Siya Kolisi (captain) 5 RG Snyman 4 Eben Etzebeth 3 Vincent Koch 2 Malcolm Marx 1 Ox Nche.
Bench: 16 Bongi Mbonambi 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 18 Thomas du Toit 19 Ruan Nortjé 20 Kwagga Smith 21 Jasper Wiese 22 Handré Pollard 23 Aphelele Fassi.