Lucky Vince Pienaar
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has one decision to make before anything else, and that decision is the one that nobody can predict.
How much does Rassie want to win the match against the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday?
Having won against the Kiwis at Emirates Ellis Park, the worst the Boks can do is draw the mini-series, and The Rugby Championship is all but won.
Jean de Villiers, former Springbok captain and one of the country’s most knowledgeable rugby commentators, spoke valid words on the Boks Office podcast this week.
While experts from all over the rugby world are trying to guess Rassie’s team, De Villiers’ comment is the one that makes the most sense. “I just don’t know,” he said.
Planet Rugby, known for its contentious, click-searching approach to reporting, has even predicted that Handré Pollard will be at flyhalf and Willie le Roux will be at fullback. Pollard and Le Roux, in the run-on side, is not impossible, although logic dictates otherwise.
Speaking about Le Roux’s current role, Rassie said that Le Roux is mentoring the younger players, specifically Aphelele Fassi. Rassie also said that “Willie will get his chance to get his 100 Test caps,” implying that it will be against lower-ranked teams.
As far as Pollard is concerned, in the historic moment when Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored that 60-metre penalty, Pollard’s role went from absolutely critical to nice-to-have.
While the Boks and all rugby-loving South Africans are celebrating a great victory, it is easy to forget that it wasn’t perfect. There were simply too many basic errors, and the handling was not up to scratch.
The All Blacks backline, by contrast, was silky smooth.
And what about that flip pass that Damian de Allende slipped into the waiting hands of Jordie Barrett? That was unforgivable. De Allende should have held the pass for a fraction of a second, and Siya Kolisi may have scored a runaway try. Is that a sign that De Allende should get a break? Lukhanyo Am is ready and waiting.
The truth is, it took the bomb squad, with Kwagga Smith at the helm, to come racing into town like the cavalry in a cowboy movie to save the day.
Rassie has delayed the team announcement until Thursday because there are question marks over the fitness of some forwards, notably Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth. Rassie seems to be having a problem with locks, but in fact, he can plug in several players in all positions in the tight five.
Scott Robertson, who seems to be delivering on his appointment as New Zealand coach, has several deckchairs he can rearrange on the Titanic, but it will make very little difference. The All Blacks have not scored a single point in the last 20 minutes of their previous three matches – and there doesn’t seem much that he can do about it.
Both teams will be announced on Thursday.
South Africa v New Zealand, DHL Stadium, Cape Town, 5pm.
Argentina v Australia, Estadio López, Santa Fe, 9pm.
Pictured above: Bongi Mbonnambi scoring his try.
Source: Springboks/X
