Springboks team winners and losers: ‘Generational talent’ returns as Rassie Erasmus ‘gambles’ and rewards ‘Bomb Squad expert’
Springboks Kwagga Smith and Canan Moodie.
Following Rassie Erasmus’ bombshell Springboks selection to take on Scotland in their Autumn Nations Series opener, we pick out our winners and losers.
The Bok boss changed tack with his squad naming by leaving it until Friday instead of the usual slot on a Tuesday and for good reason as Erasmus has returned to his successful tactic of a 7-1 split.
He has also surprisingly moved Siya Kolisi to the bench as the Springboks embarked on their mission to end an 11-year wait to go unbeaten in the November internationals.
Without further ado, here are our winners and losers from Erasmus‘ selection.
Winners
Kwagga Smith
The ‘Bomb Squad’ expert gets his moment in the starting XV as he earns his 50th Test cap for the Springboks and rightly so. Erasmus has done this time and time again in the past with Vincent Koch another regular feature on the bench but was elevated to the starting line-up against Wales for his milestone match.
However, his inclusion at number eight with Marco van Staden in Kolisi’s usual role on the side of the scrum suggests that the Springboks back-row has a clear mandate: Slow Scotland’s rucks at every opportunity.
Smith and Van Staden are the Springboks’ best exponents at the ruck on opposition ball along with hooker Malcolm Marx and this has been somewhat of an area of concern for South Africa this year, particularly against Ireland and New Zealand.
31-year-old Smith richly deserves to celebrate his 50th cap in the starting XV as until 2023 he was arguably one of the most undervalued players in the squad. He now gets his moment in the limelight albeit at a packed out Murrayfield and not on home soil.
“Kwagga is a vastly talented player and a fantastic team member, and I’m delighted to see him reach this big career milestone,” Erasmus said of the livewire back-rower.
“It takes a special player who performs consistently well over a few years to reach this achievement, and Kwagga has certainly done so while maintaining the same high standards at training and on the field. We are very proud of him.”
Springboks: Rassie Erasmus drops selection BOMBSHELL as 7-1 split returns and Siya Kolisi benched
Willie le Roux
While one Springbok celebrates a milestone, another moves closer to etching his name into the record books as Willie le Roux will run out for his 98th Test cap on Sunday afternoon.
Erasmus has admitted that the veteran full-back will more than likely not make it to the next Rugby World Cup unless he performs a Stephen Donald-esque comeback but for now, Le Roux still has plenty to offer the team not only in passing on knowledge to the younger players but on a performance basis.
He does not have the pace of the Le Roux that tore it up for the Cheetahs all those years ago before earning his Test debut but there are few Test full-backs, if any, with his game management and IQ and with Finn Russell in the opposing starting XV, the Boks need it.
Franco Mostert
Following the injury to Ruan Nortje, Franco Mostert is parachuted right back into the starting XV for the Springboks having recovered from a broken leg during the Ireland series which resulted in him missing the entire Rugby Championship campaign.
Mostert links with skipper Eben Etzebeth in the pack and his return is a testament to how highly the coaching staff think of him, which has been hard-earned throughout his career in Green and Gold.
Erasmus has enthused that he will need to blood in the next generation of stars but at 33 years young, Mostert is not letting his role in the squad go anytime soon and deserves to mark his return in this manner having impressed earlier this year for the Boks.
Speedsters
Erasmus is certainly putting his faith in wingers Canan Moodie and Makazole Mapimpi, who get starting roles ahead of the brilliant Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe.
It’s a massive call because not only are Kolbe and Arendse the Springboks’ most lethal attackers but arguably their best defenders too and Scotland are no slouches in attack – quite the opposite.
Still, Moodie has been dubbed a generational talent and has had his career stalled by injuries this year and will be relishing the opportunity to mark Duhan van der Merwe on Sunday, while Mapimpi has shown flashes of brilliance in his outings for the Boks this year and will be out to prove that he is not done with Test rugby just yet.
Andre Esterhuizen
A shot at redemption for Springboks centre Andre Esterhuizen as he returns to the starting XV for the first time since was red-carded against Portugal in July.
A supremely talented player, Esterhuizen has got somewhat of a reputation amongst fans that he is a ‘walking card’, something Harlequins fans will attest to.
The 30-year-old is handed a start this week alongside Lukhanyo Am as the two Sharks stars get the opportunity to impress against one of the most lethal and settle centre pairings in Test rugby in the form of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, a real challenge on both sides of the ball.
Thomas du Toit
The Springboks reverting to a 7-1 split for the first time will take most of the headlines but Erasmus has made another key decision in his starting pack with Thomas du Toit filling Frans Malherbe’s void in the number three jumper.
It will be the fourth Test match of the year that Du Toit starts for the Springboks this year and is somewhat of an indication that he is being seen as the man to fill Malherbe’s boots permanently when the veteran Bok does retire.
His selection in the front-row also means that he will get the chance to go toe-to-toe with his former Springbok U20 teammate Pierre Schoeman in the scrums, a battle the pair will both be licking their lips for.
Elrigh Louw
Like Nortje, it’s been a breakout year for Elrigh Louw in the squad and perhaps there is no better indication of that with him starting at blindside flanker this week. Louw has done this job for the Boks off the bench in recent matches with Smith filling in at the back of the scrum, but the number seven jumper has almost exclusively belonged to Pieter-Steph du Toit.
Louw has big boots to fill this week even with Du Toit on the bench but if his previous appearances in Green and Gold are anything to go by, he will thrive with the responsibility and give the Boks another viable option behind the brilliant double World Cup winner.
Rassie Erasmus
We sound like a broken record marvelling at the depth Erasmus has at his disposal but it is truly mind-blowing particularly when he feels comfortable enough to make so many changes to his starting XV for such a challenging Test match.
The Springboks boss is hailed for his innovation but in this case, he is blessed with the forward depth to even attempt a 7-1 split, few Test teams have the 15 quality forwards that South Africa do.
It’s a bold and brave decision to field such a line-up and back the team’s versatility, particularly in the backline with New Zealand’s clash against England a good example of the risk that comes with it with both Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane leaving the pitch with injuries in the brutal Test match.
The 7-1 ‘Bomb Squad’ selection paid off against New Zealand twice last year but don’t be fooled this is a gamble.
Losers
The overlooked forwards
When a head coach names 15 forwards in his matchday 23, those who do not make the cut are simply losers by default.
In this case, it is the likes of Wilco Louw, Johan Grobbelaar, Jean Kleyn and Cameron Hanekom. It sounds rather harsh but when there are 15 spots up for grabs and you are not one of them, surely as a player you feel hard done by. It’s an incredibly harsh view perhaps but it is just as much of a rare occurrence and one unique to the Springboks right now as no other major tier one team has pulled this trigger.
Wilco Louw is one of the forwards that will certainly feel most hard done by after his sterling performances for the Bulls before earning his recall following Jan-Hendrik Wessels’ injury.
Ruan Nortje
Reports earlier this week suggested that Nortje would continue his breakout year with the Springboks, earning another start against Scotland, but an injury has curtailed that.
The 26-year-old earned five starts and eased the Springboks’ locking crisis during the Rugby Championship after RG Snyman and Mostert were ruled and looked to be really nailing his spot down in the team.
It’s a real shame for the Bulls captain who was omitted from Erasmus’ first squad of the year and took his opportunity with both hands and some. Thankfully for Nortje, the Bok head coach won’t quickly forget his efforts and he is bound to get another opportunity at some stage next year and Erasmus will know that he can always turn to him in a crisis again.
Manie Libbok
A star of this fixture during the Rugby World Cup pool stages last week, Manie Libbok is overlooked this time around after grabbing the number 10 jumper in the final Rugby Championship clash against Argentina.
Libbok’s absence may point to a potential start against England next week and only time will tell if that materialises, but getting another crack against Scotland’s brilliant Russell would have certainly got the fans’ tongues wagging.
The Scotland forwards
No matter how you look at it, the Scotland forwards are in for a bruising clash at Murrayfield on Sunday after an abrasive Test match against the Fijians.
Gregor Townsend has opted for a 6-2 split, one less forward than the South Africans, and he certainly has athletes like Rory Darge to battle the Boks for a full 80 minutes but it will be a fierce battle.
Jordan Hendrikse
With Erasmus backing a 7-1 split and making so many changes to his starting backline, Jordan Hendrikse would have fancied his chances of earning just his second Test cap particularly given his versatility.
Instead, Erasmus has backed Grant Williams to cover scrum-half and wing from the bench with Le Roux doubling up as an emergency 10 and Moodie as a centre or full-back. Recently, Hendrikse has played 10, 12 and 15 and offers similar versatility to Damian Willemse who made the 7-1 split possible in the first place.
