Rassie Erasmus explains shock selection which has led to Springboks ‘opportunity’ and new Cheslin Kolbe role
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and Lions full-back Quan Horn, who starts at 10 against the Barbarians.
Quan Horn may have been thrown in at the deep end this weekend but Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus expects him to “do the job” for the team.
The 24-year-old has never started a professional game at fly-half but he has been handed the 10 shirt for the encounter against the Barbarians this weekend.
Horn has starred at full-back for the Lions over the past few years but, with the Bulls’ Handre Pollard preparing for the United Rugby Championship final and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the sidelines, their playmaking depth is being tested.
Manie Libbok would ordinarily be the next in line while youngster Vusi Moyo, who only made his Sharks debut last month, is the other out-and-out fly-half in the squad.
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“Manie has played a lot of rugby in Japan recently and we want to manage him properly,” Erasmus told reporters.
“We must also see Handré get through the URC final without injury, while Sacha is currently injured, so it creates an opportunity for us to have a look at Quan.”
Horn is renowned as a talented distributor and Erasmus hopes that a positive outing on Saturday will provide more options for the Springboks ahead of the Nations Championship.
“We know he can he play 15, but if he can play 10 and 15, hopefully in future that will will help with a 6-2 bench split,” he said.
“The other assistant coaches, all of us, really see something in him when it comes to 10.”
The Boks also confirmed that Cheslin Kolbe will be taking on place-kicking duties, as he has for his Japanese side Tokyo Sungoliath this season, which means Horn can focus solely on his new role at 10.
“What he does for the Lions, maybe he doesn’t have a 10 on his back, but he certainly comes into the mix a lot as first receiver,” Erasmus said.
“We’ve worked with him for three years now in training sessions and we really like the way he takes the ball to the line.
“He’s an awesome defender, he’s got a really great pass and he’s not afraid if someone runs into that channel, and that’s important for us.
“It’s going to be a little bit new for him but he does it a lot at his franchise.”
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The Springboks coaches could have opted to thrust Moyo into the limelight, a highly talented 20-year-old who was a key part of the age-grade side’s triumph in last year’s World Rugby U20 Championship, but they have kept him in reserve.
Erasmus is excited by his potential, however, and the youngster is set to make an impact if he comes off the bench this weekend.
“Vusi, who is on the bench, is one of the guys who really caught the eye in these two weeks. He’s a very calm guy, physical, and kicks without effort,” South Africa’s head coach added.
“So we think the two of them can do the job for us.”
