Midfield conundrum for Boks
TALK about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. That’s the conundrum Springbok coach Allister Coetzee finds himself in with his riches at centre after Jan Serfontein’s stellar performance in the second Test against France last weekend.
The return to form of Serfontein has not only been a blessing for Coetzee after enduring a bad 2016 when he was thin on midfield stocks, it has also created a pleasant migraine that could see Coetzee spoilt for choice come the Rugby Championship and end-of-year tour.
Last weekend, barnstorming Bulls centre Serfontein turned back the clock to when he was the best inside centre in the world at junior level and a future solution for the Boks with his all-round display with ball in hand and on defence, and all but cemented his place in the side for the remainder of the year.
But Coetzee will find it difficult to select Serfontein when the likes of Damian de Allende and Rohan Janse Van Rensburg return to full fitness, while the experience and obvious talent of Frans Steyn can not be ignored.
While Coetzee will count his blessings at inside centre with four quality players at his disposal, he will also have to take careful consideration on who will complement Serfontein at number 13.
Serfontein’s Bulls teammate Jesse Kriel seemingly did enough in the first Test to warrant a fair run at outside centre and will in all probability form the midfield pairing in the third and final Test at Ellis Park on Saturday, but it is not a combination set in stone.
Lions centre Lionel Mapoe has been by far the stand-out performer in Super Rugby of all the South African outside centres and did little wrong in his outing against the French in Durban last weekend.
Mapoe, like Kriel, is a deadly attacking exponent for the Boks and runs the kind of lines suited to the spaces Serfontein can open up for him, but it is his lack of game time alongside Serfontein that could sway Coetzee torwards Kriel.
But then what about the consistent Francois Venter and the exciting Lukhanyo Am?
As hard a place as Coetzee may find himself in when it comes to choosing the perfect fit in the midfield for the Boks going forward, he will undoubtedly prefer to be in this tight spot than where he was last year, scrambling in the wilderness for any player who could just wear the number 12 and 13 jerseys.