Boks game plan to suffocate Blossoms
Mtawarira, Mbonambi and De Jager to start as coach strives to play to SA’s strengths
As much as he talked up Japan and how his team would have to adapt to the whirlwind rugby the hosts have made their trademark‚ Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has stuck to his guns in team selection.
He has assembled the same players that did duty against Italy‚ which is considered his best 23‚ for Sunday’s Rugby World Cup (RWC) quarterfinal against Japan.
He again went with a six-two split on the bench which‚ as was the case against Italy‚ is aimed at pummelling the opposition.
The Brave Blossoms‚ however, are a prospect slightly unlike Italy. Instead of pummelling them, the Boks will try to suffocate a team that gloriously exploits space. The Springboks figure the wider the physical dimensions of the men they deploy‚ the less space there will be width-wise for the hosts.
“We want to nullify space around the tight forwards, but we also play towards our own strengths‚” Erasmus said of his selections. The match will be a battle of tactical will.
“We will try to play at our pace‚ they will try to play their pace. It will be a tactical battle.”
Three players‚ Lood de Jager‚ Bongi Mbonambi and Tendai Mtawarira, who were outside Erasmus’s first-choice starting team at the beginning of the tournament, had played their way in by the time the Boks met Italy. They return en masse.
“Bongi brings great physicality, especially at scrum time‚” Erasmus said of the hooker. It also means he will be able to call on the slightly sprightlier RG Snyman‚ Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff off the bench.
“It may come down to who brings the greater intensity in the last 20 minutes‚” said Kitshoff. “Who has more power in the legs to win the close games towards the end?”
Erasmus admitted he has had difficult conversations with the players outside the match-day 23. However, much of it was before the team left for Japan.
“We have been together for 17 weeks‚” said the coach. “There are different ways countries plan. We have been honest.
“A guy like Frans [Steyn] knew he would be involved in every game but would probably not start.
“We had hard chats before we came here. It is tough on the guys who won’t play another game but they would want to be there when we lift the trophy.”
The coach believes his team will wear the favourites’ tag. “Japan believe they can beat us. Deep down their coach Jamie Joseph will say they are. Deep down I believe we are. We are prepared to win. That doesn’t make it any easier.
“We will try to be as ready as we can. Both teams will believe they are favourites.”