Dynamic Gelant deserves a chance to lift stale attack
JOHANNESBURG: Will the conservatively-minded and continuity-obsessed Allister Coetzee take a gamble or two with his team selection when he names his line-up today for Saturday’s Test against France in Paris?
That is what South African rugby fans are waiting to find out after his Springboks slumped to another record defeat, this time to Ireland in Dublin, last weekend.
And one of the more burning questions is: Will he give his squad’s most dynamic player Warrick Gelant a debut, be it at fullback or wing?
The Boks have looked stale on attack all year, with none of the men picked by Coetzee able to regularly break the first line of defence and consistently ask questions of the opposition, and last Saturday in Dublin the Bok back line looked especially devoid of ideas.
Gelant has X-factor in spades; he showed it in the Currie Cup, where he was one of the few standout players, and he also showed he has it at Super Rugby level, even though he only played a limited role because of injury. But he’s shown his class at all levels of the game, be it with the national Under-20s or the SA “A” team.
The question is, though, with the Bok wings struggling to make an impact, battling with confidence, and being found wanting under the high ball, does Coetzee have the guts to pick rookie Gelant?
Fullback Andries Coetzee has been the best of the backthree this season and in fact, he’s been as good as anyone in the back line and deserves to continue in his role. He gives it his all and finds holes in the defensive lines, even if they’re not major gains.
But then surely Gelant can play in place of Courtnall Skosan, who appears to have lost confidence following his outstanding showing at Super Rugby level. Even Dillyn Leyds looks out of sorts, but to be fair, he’s had very little opportunity to show his true potential.
The reality is the majority of tries nowadays are scored from turn-over ball and counter-attacking play, and no one in South African rugby has been as lethal as Gelant in this regard. He also has vision, seems to understand the concept of space, and uses kicks into no-man’s land more wisely than many others.
Gelant in the back-three would boost the Bok side, not weaken it, and there are other selections Coetzee could make that would be applauded in most quarters.
Handre Pollard must come in at flyhalf, and why not Rudy Paige or Louis Schreuder at scrumhalf, too? While Elton Jantjies and Ross Cronje have been steady this season, they haven’t really fired fully and now is as good a time as any to see what another halfback pairing can do.
In the centres, it is expected that Francois Venter will replace Damian de Allende at No12, but it appears Jesse Kriel will stay on the outside.
But a gambling Coetzee would even consider Lukhanyo Am at 13 and perhaps shift Kriel to the wing. Again, what’s Coetzee got to lose?
The only expected changes up front will be due to injuries in the back-row, where Duane Vermeulen will come in at No8, with Francois Louw shifted to openside and Siya Kolisi to blindside.
In the front row, Wilco Louw, who replaced the injured Coenie Oosthuizen early last week, will start alongside Malcolm Marx and Tendai Mtawarira.
Coetzee has been a stickler for continuity this year – the reason, according to him, for the improved performances. It did nothing for the Boks last week and on closer examination, perhaps it is the reason why the Boks actually haven’t made all that much progress this year. Coetzee now needs to cast his net a bit wider and take a risk or two.