WARREN TO ADD VALUE
BOKS: COACH RASSIE ADAMANT HE’LL GET LOOSE TRIO COMBINATION RIGHT
Pumas different kettle of fish under new coach Ledesma, Springboks warned.
The return of Warren Whiteley at No 8 would add another dimension to the Springboks after the significant loss of Duane Vermeulen for the Rugby Championship, believes national coach Rassie Erasmus.
Whiteley is the favourite to start in his 18th Test at the back of the scrum in the Boks’ Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Durban this weekend with Vermeulen not available.
“We will pick a loose trio combination where we keep the grunt and the softer skills, we can’t just throw a No 8 in there for instance and think he is going to do the job of Duane,” said Erasmus in Umhlanga where the team continued their preparations yesterday.
“But then there’s a lot of things Warren can do that Duane maybe can’t do, so what you sometimes lose in a certain aspect you gain somewhere else.
“So we must just ensure we pick a (versatile) loose trio to compete – and I’m pretty sure what combination I have in mind – and in that way we will nullify the losses in terms of attributes.”
But Erasmus cautioned the Pumas will be formidable after Mario Ledesma took over from Daniel Hourcade as their head coach.
“I’ve seen many teams rebuilding and bringing in new coaches and imagine the confidence in their changeroom with a coach where they have won five, six Super Rugby matches in a row, won in New Zealand and beaten all of our franchises,” he said.
Erasmus said the Pumas will have new energy, they would have known they have beaten the Boks here (in Durban, in 2015), they would sit and just love the underdog tag.
“But luckily we know they are formidable and their coach has brought a lot of tactical and technical knowledge with him from Australia,” he said, referring to the time Ladesmo spent as Wallaby assistant coach.
“With the normal grunt they have, they are a very potent combination and from our side, the players and the coaching staff, we know it’s going to be a real Test match on Saturday.”