Springboks team v All Blacks: Five takeaways as ‘front-row musical chairs continues’ and key trio set for ‘momentous occasion’
Springboks loose forwards Jasper Wiese (inset), Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
Following the announcement of Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks team to face the All Blacks this Saturday in Johannesburg, here are our five takeaways from his selection for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry third Test.
The top line
With the series deadlocked at 1-1 ahead of the final two Tests, at the FNB Stadium this weekend and the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA on September 12, Erasmus has named his strongest possible squad as the world champions hope to build on their recent triumph in Cape Town.
Although much has been said about South Africa‘s head coach’s F-bomb in response to New Zealand boss Dave Rennie’s allegation of illegal scrummaging, Erasmus also complimented his counterpart by mentioning how much the All Blacks have improved since he took charge of the team earlier this year.
And the respect which Erasmus has for the All Blacks is reflected in the selection of his matchday squad for this Saturday’s eagerly anticipated showdown.
The total number of Test caps in the world champions’ starting line-up is 958. Of those, there are 366 caps in the backline, with 592 caps amongst the forwards, while there are a further 222 caps on the bench, which means the matchday squad’s full tally of Test caps is a whopping 1180.
Meanwhile, the average caps per player in the backline is 52, the forwards 74, while the players on the bench average 28.
Erasmus’ hand has been forced, with first-choice full-back Damian Willemse ruled out through a hamstring injury, which means Cheslin Kolbe makes a positional switch from the right wing and will wear the number 15 jersey.
Meanwhile, Kurt-Lee Arendse returns to the run-on side out wide alongside Ethan Hooker as the starting wingers in an exciting back three alongside Kolbe.
The final changes see Malcolm Marx (hooker), Ox Nche and Wilco Louw (props) taking over from Deon Fourie, Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit as the starting front-row.
Front-row musical chairs continues
One of the big talking points from the second Test at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town was Erasmus’ decision to chop and change his front-row in the build-up to that encounter.
Marx, Nche and Louw were initially selected to start that Test but shortly before kick-off on the matchday Erasmus decided to relegate that trio to the bench with Fourie, Steenekamp and Du Toit promoted to start the match.
Erasmus has subsequently explained that he simply made those changes due to the expected weather conditions in South Africa’s Mother City.
“We thought it was going to be wet, and that’s why we picked that front-row (Marx, Nche and Louw),” he said at the press conference after his team’s 33-26 win in Cape Town. “The whole week, the prediction was it was going to be wet, and we thought then we’ll need our heavier front row for the first half of the game. We were always going to use two front rows.
“But then, closer to the game, the weather report said it’s going to be dry, and then we felt our front-row that’s a little bit lighter would be better on the dry field.”
With this Saturday’s clash on the Highveld, the pitch will be much harder than in Cape Town, regardless of the weather, and Erasmus has opted to start his first-choice front-row, so don’t expect any last-minute changes to his run-on side for this fixture.
Momentous occasion for starting back-row
Saturday will be a momentous occasion for Springboks captain Siya Kolisi, fellow flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and number eight Jasper Wiese as they will set a new record as a back-row combination for South Africa.
The experienced trio currently share the record of 17 Test starts as a combination with Francois Louw, Willem Alberts, and Duane Vermeulen, while Kolisi, Du Toit and Duane Vermeulen are next best with 14 Tests together.
Setting a new record will be a fitting reward for Kolisi, Du Toit and Wiese as all three have been stalwarts for their country over the years and added value to the Springboks cause.
After missing the first Test at Ellis Park due to a hamstring injury, Kolisi was back in action in Cape Town and made a try-scoring return, while Du Toit delivered an excellent all-round performance as he celebrated his 100th Test appearance for the world champions.
Kolisi is also a Springbok Test centurion, which means Wiese is the least experienced of this trio as he will be making his 48th international appearance for his country on Saturday.
Despite that, he is one of the Boks’ stars and always empties the tank for his country, be that on attack or defence. Kolisi, Du Toit and Wiese will be determined to celebrate their milestone with a victory this weekend.
Fresh challenge for Cheslin Kolbe in his new position
The loss of Willemse to injury is a massive setback for the world champions as the 28-year-old has been a vital cog in the Springboks’ machine in recent years and is arguably the world’s best full-back based on current form.
Willemse is exceptional in the aerial duels and blessed with an outstanding skill-set in which he gives his side good momentum from the back with his silky attacking skills, while he also has a high work-rate on defence.
There is no doubt that his absence for this clash will be keenly felt by the Boks, but this is a classic case of one man’s loss is another man’s gain, and, in Kolbe, South Africa have a more than capable replacement.
Although he has played the vast majority of his international career on the wing, Kolbe is no stranger to the full-back position, and this will be the second time he fulfils that role for the Boks after he wore the number 15 jersey for them during an Autumn Nations Series Test against Japan at Wembley Stadium in London last year.
Kolbe delivered an excellent performance on that occasion as South Africa cruised to an emphatic 61-7 triumph, and he was in the thick of the action as he was safe under the high ball and proved a handful to Japan’s defence with several fine attacking runs from the back.
The All Blacks are much tougher opponents than the Brave Blossoms, of course, but the diminutive excitement machine has already shown with his brilliance on attack and superb goal-kicking that he is one of the stars of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, so don’t be surprised if he shines in his new role on Saturday.
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Bomb Squad set to fire again
After getting the selection of his replacements bench horribly wrong for the opening Test at Ellis Park on August 22, Erasmus did not make the same mistake again a week later in Cape Town.
We have already discussed the front-row choices for this encounter, and after Marx, Nche and Louw made telling contributions in Cape Town this past weekend, Erasmus will be hoping for similar efforts from Fourie, Steenekamp and Du Toit off the bench at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Similarly, fellow forward replacements Lood de Jager and Cameron Hanekom, as well as hybrid player Andre Esterhuizen, along with backline reserves Morne van den Berg and Manie Libbok, will all have massive roles to play when they inevitably enter the fray.
Although De Jager received a yellow card in the latter stages of the Cape Town clash, he got through plenty of work in the forward exchanges during his time on the field in the latter stages of the second half alongside Hanekom and Esterhuizen.
The latter’s versatility means he also has the ability to make an impact in the backline if needed by Erasmus, while Van den Berg and Libbok will be hoping to make a positive impact as well after both delivered solid shifts off the bench in the previous Test.
The key to getting the best out of the bench players is the timing of their respective entries onto the field, and if Erasmus gets that right, they should be influential in determining the end result.
