Tough Choices Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus needs to sort out his scrumhalf backup
Springbok coach must sort out his scrumhalf problem
● Springbok coach Johan “Rassie” Erasmus isn’t the type to stack all his eggs in one basket. In the nine Tests available to him this season, barring yesterday’s encounter against New Zealand in Tshwane, he’s created depth in every position ahead of what will be a demanding end-of-year tour.
However, the scrumhalf problem he encountered when he took on the Bok job meant the moment he landed on his preferred half-back, he had to milk the proverbial cow dry.
Faf de Klerk has been exemplary this year, with a few mistakes here and there, but he’s got no South African peer at the moment.
While this is all well and fine, it leaves the likes of Embrose Papier, Ivan van Zyl and Louis Schreuder at a serious disadvantage.
Embrose hasn’t had a run worth justifying his time at nine, while Van Zyl is the only halfback who has started a Test outside of De Klerk this season. Schreuder has been reasonable for the Sharks, while 10-Test Bok Jaco Reinach, who’s plying his trade for Northampton Saints in the UK, hasn’t featured this season.
Ross Cronje was ever-present for the Springboks last year and even though he was reliable, the speed of his decision-making and distribution, or the lack of it, let him down in big games.
Former Springbok scrumhalf Werner Swanepoel played enough rugby with Erasmus at provincial and international level to understand the dilemma his former teammate is facing.
The South African scrumhalf cupboard has been at its emptiest in a while but Swanepoel cautioned against the use of one individual despite their excellence.
“It is unfortunate that not a lot of guys have been given a chance because most of the Tests have gone down to the wire. It was difficult for Rassie to put on a Papier or Van Zyl, so one can understand the position Rassie found himself in. I think he would have loved to give the youngsters a run, but the nature of the Test matches the Boks found themselves in didn’t allow Rassie the luxury. There’s always the good with the bad,” Swanepoel said.
“At some point, the young players have to get the responsibility so it can be seen what they can offer. The fact that Rassie’s played a lot off the scrumhalf hasn’t quite allowed him the luxury to blood the young nines. The other teams have the luxury of experienced scrumhalves to fall back on.”
Another factor that may have hindered Erasmus is that Van Zyl and Papier haven’t nailed down the starting berth at the Bulls.
They also have to contend with Andre Warner’s presence, and whoever coaches the Bulls next year will have to make Erasmus’s life easier by sorting out the franchise hierarchy. Incumbent Bok flyhalf Handre Pollard, who started yesterday’s Test, said the time Papier was spending with the team has been beneficial for his growth despite the lack of game time.
“We’ve got a lot of faith in Emmy. He’s a bright talent and we’re getting him through the system slowly and we’re giving him a bit of confidence here and there. I play with him at the Bulls so we know each other very well and one of our jobs is to make him feel comfortable when he gets on. There are many senior and experienced players around him and that allows him to get on with his job. He is an exciting player,” Pollard said.
Pollard won’t be the only flyhalf — Papier, Van Zyl, Reinach, Cronje and Schreuder could be servicing come the year-end tour, but whether they have a pecking order is still up in the air.
Former Springbok and Stormers halfback Johannes “Bolla” Conradie said Papier should be next on Erasmus’s starting list but also stressed for better depth in the position.
Conradie had a distinguished career with the Stormers and started 12 of his 18 Tests between 2002 and 2008.
“It’s going to be a tough choice for Rassie because the scrumhalves are still young but they do need to play if the match circumstances allow them to. Embrose, though, should be the one getting the nod because he’s quick off the base, he’s nippy and a cocky nine and, more importantly, passes well,” Conradie said.
“It can’t be disputed that Embrose is still pretty young but he needs more experience and he needs to play. I guess the only way you can get that experience is to play, even if its 10-15 minutes but it’s experience either way. You are playing Test rugby and if you don’t get the opportunity, then you don’t get the experience.”
Swanepoel, who deputised well for the late Joost van der Westhuizen in his 20 Tests between 1997 and 2000, said Papier and Van Zyl need a sustained run during the year-end tour. De Klerk, who plays for the Sale Sharks, may not be available for the four-Test November window.
“Ivan and Embrose have been on the bench this season and we haven’t seen them play regularly. However, they will have learnt a hell of a lot by being part of the squad in terms of how the guys want to play.
“It’s difficult to say who’s the better nine but Rassie will probably give them a chance to see what they can do. The squad experience they have will work for them,” Swanepoel said.