Benching Pieter-Steph du Toit must have been difficult for Rassie
MOVING Pieter-Steph du Toit to the Springbok bench for the Test against Argentina in Mendoza tomorrow night (9.10pm kickoff) must have been a difficult decision for coach Rassie Erasmus.
There is also a rotational change on the bench as Wilco Louw replaces Thomas du Toit as tighthead cover, while newlycapped Marco van Staden drops out of the matchday squad. No doubt it would have been a tough decision for the coach to make, leaving out Van Staden, who only had a small window to showcase his potential, but even more difficult must have been the decision to bench Du Toit.
Du Toit offers versatility, with his ability to cover lock and flank, which is often a curse for players as they become good impact men off the bench. But he was also quite the stand out in the Kings Park Test.
Du Toit was the top Bok tackler with 19.95% of those hits being dominant, with 67%of his tackles body tackles. He also had 10 carries, nine of them dominant. Finally, he hit 20 rucks; in nine of them he was the first to arrive and for another 10, he was the second to get there.
But, it would be foolish to simply shoehorn the impressive player into the flanks, as the coach has made a deliberate decision on getting that balance right there, and as such, those three men need more than one game together to see if it is the right choice.
The decision to bring Mostert back gives a strong indication as to who Erasmus’ first-choice No 5 lock is.
It is now a chance to see how Mostert and Eben Etzebeth operate together, and, in modern rugby, having a player of Du Toit on the bench is not a waste as the impact of replacements has become as vital as those starting the match.
The backline remains the same, and this is also more telling than had there been wholesale changes.
No player in the backs had a game that was worthy of them being dropped, even Handre Pollard’s poor kicking display does not suddenly make him unworthy of the No 10 jersey, in fact, he deserves another chance to show it was a blip.
It is a young and mostly inexperienced backline. The combination of Andre Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am more than deserves an extended run together to see if they can turn their partnership to something impressive for the Boks. And with both wings grabbing a brace of tries each, under the tutelage of Willie le Roux, there is no need to tinker there either – although the hope will be that Damien Willemse gets some time at the back in Mendoza.
Meanwhile, The Pumas have also made a change at lock, probably with an eye on upping their physicality, as Tomas Lavanini comes in for Matias Alemanno at No 5. Lavanini has been a key figure for both the Jaguares and the Pumas over the years, but the abrasive lock walks a fine line between hard and illegal play, making him susceptible to yellow cards.