Bok coach chooses to go for the conservative approach in the front row
THE oldest cliché in the rugby book is that the game starts up front, but this could be where the Springboks lose tomorrow’s Test match against Ireland after coach Allister Coetzee yesterday made two crucial selections in the front row.
He has recalled Tendai Mtawarira and Coenie Oosthuizen at loosehead and tighthead respectively instead of making brave calls and picking in-form young bucks in Steven Kitshoff and Wilco Louw.
Coetzee has argued that the latter players will give him a power-packed bench. It will, but what if the game is lost by the time they come on?
Ireland have an exceptional front row that is spearheaded by British and Irish Lions stars Tadhg Furlong and Rory Best and veteran Cian Healy, who is no slouch himself.
We saw in the recent Currie Cup final what can happen when a front row gets well on top.
The destroyer-in-chief was Louw, who has proved equally good at international level.
Oosthuizen has played no rugby since that unfortunate injury in early September, while Louw remains on the bench.
Tighthead is a position where the only way you can grapple yourself into form is by live scrumming, in other words by playing.
The third change to the starting lineup is at inside centre where Damian de Allende comes in for Jan Serfontein.
Coetzee clearly had thoughts of making ALSO INSIDE Nedbank golf wrap, P26 Brazil GP preview, P26 Maxwell on Ashes, P27 a change at flyhalf judging by his comments early in the week. The coach said he would use the training session on Monday to clarify the condition of Elton Jantjies who is freshly back from Japan. Coetzee said he had been impressed with Handre Pollard in training.
Again, Coetzee has made the conservative call but in this case it is probably the correct one. Springboks: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Francois Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c), 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Beast Mtawarira. Substitutes: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Wilco Louw, Franco Mostert, Uzair Cassiem, Rudy Paige, Handré Pollard, Francois Venter. Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale; 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray; 8 CJ Stander, 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Devin Toner, 4 Iain Henderson; 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rory Best (capt), 1 Cian Healy. Substitutes: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 John Ryan, 19 James Ryan, 20 Rhys Ruddock, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Joey Carbery, 23 Darren Sweetnam.