Injuries could unsettle Boks

AFTER a bruising encounter against France, the Springboks were dealt a mixed bag in terms of injuries. Powerful lock forward Eben Etzebeth looks set to return to action after joining the squad in full training ahead of the Scotland Clash at Murrayfield, but Warren Whitley is doubtful.

The Stormers man, having missed out on the France Test thanks to a foot injury sustained against England, looks ready to return to the squad and will more than likely slot straight back into the starting line up.

However, Lions captain Whitley looks like he may miss out this weekend’s Test with a calf injury.

“Warren has a calf injury and I would say he is doubtful for Saturday,” said Erasmus. “Vincent Koch and Frans Malherbe both have some bumps and we will be cautious with them, but I think they will be fit to play.”

It is not the worst injury threat to hit the Springboks as Etzebeth could quite easily take his place next to Franco Mostert in place of Pieter-Steph du Toit who has been sensational as a No 7 flank in the last few games.

Whiteley’s absence could see Du Toit return to No 7, and Duane Vermeulen take his usual No 8 role alongside Siya Kolisi for a damaging lose trio combination.

Coach Rassie Erasmus added that the Springboks can brace themselves for a very tough match against Scotland. The rampant Scots beat Fiji 54-17 at home over the weekend.

“Gregor Townsend (Scotland coach) is someone I’ve coached against during my time with Munster,” said Erasmus. “I know how he coaches and his style of coaching. His teams are always very fit and organised in all facets of the game. There’s a lot of Glasgow players in their team and that’s why I know it’s going to be tough on Saturday at Murrayfield.” DOES Rassie Erasmus back Embrose Papier?

If you look at how the scrumhalf has been used until now, there’s very little that would suggest that.

Since making his international debut against

Wales in Washington DC back in June, Papier has had limited chances in the Test arena. And while that doesn’t seem like too bizarre a way of easing the 21-yearold into the rough waters of international rugby, it’s how the Bulls product has been used – or not used – that doesn’t make a lot of sense at the moment.

The latest example – the Springboks’ too-close-forcomfort win over France – again raised some questions regarding Erasmus’ plans with the player he described as a “natural attacker” earlier this year.

And rightfully so.

The SA director of rugby’s first-choice No 9, Faf de Klerk, started at the Stade SCOTLAND’S rugby of old was as harsh and attritional as the weather in the deepest Highlands.

They were always a forward dominant side that would try and grind out small margins whenever possible. But, much like the evolution of their major cities, Cosmopolitan Edinburgh looks as chic and as slick as the Thistles’ playing style these days.

Through their evolution, they have had some Kiwi influence in the form of Vern Cotter, and he has taught them a raft of new skills and handling drills.

The Scotland of new is a team of nip and zip, and not one to be taken lightly anymore.

But what does this mean for the Springboks whose Northern Hemisphere tour has hardly been a dawdle thus far with a close loss, and a close win, under their belts.

England pulled out the hammer at Twickenham, and France the sledge hammer to try and batter the Boks, but in Edinburgh, it will be more of a surgeon’s scalpel to deal with.

If we were to examine just where Springbok rugby has come since the days where Scotland were a bit of an easy win, and a total battle of the forwards, we can admit the South Africans have tried to not forgo any of their physicality.

It is still something that precedes them in the reputation stakes the world over.

Regardless of the size or aggression of an opposition, there is hardly ever a time where the Boks will be blown away by pure brawn and physical assaults. This has led to the South Africans perhaps getting stuck in this mindset when the going gets tough. de France, while Papier, who missed out on a starting berth to Ivan van Zyl last week at Twickenham, again occupied what seems to have become his spot on the bench. The fact that De

There is no doubt that the Boks have tried to add a lot more skill, flair, and exciting attack to their repertoire but it is still not as polished as it should be. That is not to say that the South Africans don’t have the skills or personnel to go toe-totoe in a battle of free flowing rugby, it’s rather the game plan is not quite there yet.

But, Rassie Erasmus faces a big call this week as his side readies for Scotland. Do they double down and bulk up further to bully the home side out of the game entirely, or is this the right chance to show that they can implement a smooth and silky game of rugby should they decide to.

England’s tactic was to try and best them in the tight stuff with some big boys, and they countered that well with the likes of Malcolm Marx and Duane Vermeulen not giving an inch. Against France, it was all out heavy-weight warfare, and still that was rebuffed.

But, will this bulwark approach be appropriate when the battle is not brought to them in the trenches? Scotland will be happy to look for space, find the offload, throw a fiftyfifty– and break the line a lot more than France and England combined, so if the Boks have their heads down in the dirty stuff, they could miss a lot of the action.

On the other hand, the old adage states that it all happens upfront so perhaps a bullying tactic could mitigate the Scots before they even get going.

Really though, while the Springboks are still finding their groove ahead of the World Cup, it would be pertinent for them to show the other strings they have to their bow, and beat a team like Scotland with a game plan that is different from the first two matches, and hopefully even more effective. Klerk was off his game yet played the full 80-plus minutes just boggles the mind. In recent weeks, Erasmus’ plan when it’s come to the use of his bench hasn’t really been clear. And although he used a more effective formula in France, it’s not one Erasmus seems keen on using in the scrumhalf equation.

If a player – in this instance, De Klerk – isn’t exactly getting it right on the field, why keep him on? And while this past weekend’s showing at No 9 begs that question, the bigger concern is what exactly the plan is with the talent that is Papier?

If you look at how he has been used with the Boks up until now, it’s hard to make sense of the apparent excitement Erasmus showed about the speedy scrumhalf earlier this season.

Erasmus has spoken a lot about building depth ahead of next year’s World Cup and he has also discussed the issues at scrumhalf.

Limited cameos

Does he expect Papier to feature during the spectacle at all? If so, how are Papier’s limited cameos conducive to his development and growth? And with so few Tests left before the tournament in Japan, when will the process of building Papier seriously start?

Enough time has been lost as it is. The decision to start Van Zyl ahead of Papier against England last week was also a questionable one. Yes, given the former’s tactical ability and the conditions in London, it made sense. But the Boks played like they would in extremely wet conditions even though that wasn’t the case, and again, more game time for Papier couldn’t have done any harm.

He warmed the bench for most of the Rugby Championship, and not much has changed heading into the third assignment of this year’s November Tour.

Does Papier just not suit what seems to be Erasmus’ box-kick game plan? Does Erasmus just want to “protect” him? Will he be – any time soon – given the chance to grow his game … that game consisting of ridiculous pace, the ability to speed up play and attacking forté?

That’s not clear. But one thing’s for sure … Papier needs the chance to build experience. He needs to reduce his work-ons.

And that’s not going to happen by watching on from the replacements bench that he has come to know so well.