Cape Town — Springbok head Jacques Nienaber selected his matchday 23 for this weekend’s Rugby Championship clash against Australia in Adelaide.
IOL Sport’s Morgan Bolton looks at five points picked up from Nienaber’s team ahead of the Wallaby clash.
5. Le Roux le problème?
The return of utility-back Frans Steyn on the bench, and the continued preference of Damian Willemse at fullback, sees Willie le Roux miss out on selection for this weekend’s clash.
It is a big gamble on the part of Nienaber & Co to leave Le Roux out of the matchday 23. Veteran Steyn is a legend, for sure, but the 35-year-old has not played much in recent weeks. That lack of match fitness was evident in the New Zealand clash at Ellis Park regarding Duane Vermeulen and Joseph Dweba, and Steyn – as classy a player as he is – could face similar problems when he takes the field.
Le Roux won over many critics these last few Tests with mature and composed displays, and was one of the reasons the Boks managed to beat the All Blacks at Mbombela Stadium and secure a series victory over Wales, even if it was by coming off the bench.
And while we are on the subject of Vermeulen, Nienaber's persistence to start with him will surely face its litmus test this weekend. Perhaps Vermeulen would have been better served with a stint of the bench in the second half, with Jasper Wiese or even Evan Roos given a go at the Australians.
Anyway, moving on ...
4. Dweba gets a shot at redemption
We made no bones about it after the loss to the All Blacks in Johannesburg that hooker Dweba was below par in that Test.
This goes back to those concerns regarding match-fitness, but perhaps after that average showing at Ellis Park, Dweba will be in a better space. The 26-year-old is powerful and can be an explosive runner, so here is hoping that he pays Nienaber’s faith back in kind.
Nevertheless, there will be heavy debate surrounding Malcolm Marx not starting again, and those will only intensify if Dweba has another poor outing. Rumour has it that Marx might be nursing a slight niggle that the Bok think-tank are trying to manage, a concern that has been further compounded by the loss of Bongi Mbonambi.
3. The ‘Bomb Squad’ defused
After two matches in which Nienaber’s preferred 6-2 split was put under immense pressure due to early injuries – the first when Faf de Klerk was knocked out early in the match against the All Blacks in Nelspruit; and the second when a similar fate befell Jesse Kriel a week later – the Bok coach has changed his strategy regarding the bench.
There are now the more traditional five forwards – Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Franco Mostert and Kwagga Smith; and three backline players in Jaden Hendrikse, Elton Jantjies and Steyn.
The big question here is how Nienaber will employ this configuration.
Will he return to a more conventional tactic that sees him call on his replacements later in the match – around the 60-minute mark – or will he stick to his halftime stratagem?
It seems the former will be more likely.
2. We Am pleased
Before Nienaber named his team, there was talk that Lukhanyo Am could possibly be selected on the wing. Thankfully, the folly of such action has been averted as Warrick Gelant will wear the No 14 jumper.
Am is a brilliant playmaker and the defence general in the backline, so having him on the wing honestly made no sense. He is arguably the best centre in the world and this is where he deserves to play. When that shift occurred against New Zealand at Ellis Park, the Boks lost their shape on attack and in defence, and arguably Damain de Allende’s game suffered the most.
Moreover, with Steyn on the bench, there should be no such concerns that the backline will need a reshuffle should any injury occur early on.
1. We know, right?
Imagine our surprise when it was revealed on Sunday that Monday would be chosen as the day to reveal the Bok team for a Test this Saturday.
The Boks have only been Down Under since last Saturday, so it would seem that Nienaber & Co had a fairly decent idea of who was going to play in the match last week already. We suppose the matchday 23 can now go full tilt this week without any distractions of team-talk, but it certainly doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
The Boks have their plans, of course, but now the Wallabies – Dave Rennie and his players – can make theirs knowing full well who they will be facing.
IOL Sport