Does Erasmus even have a second string?

Will the real Springbok team please stand up. The Boks have made sweeping changes after their opening World Cup loss to New Zealand, ahead of their second encounter against Namibia in Japan tomorrow.

And can one honestly say this weekend’s side is that much weaker than the team who played last week? Most of us don’t think so.

For instance, is Herschel Jantjies a weaker option at scrumhalf than Faf de Klerk? Or is the lock combination of Lood de Jager and RG Snyman any weaker than Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth?

The same argument could be made at inside centre where Frans Steyn is measured against Damian de Allende, and with the frontrow combo, where Beast Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch are pitted against Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Frans Malherbe.

Could tomorrow’s team have fared any better against New Zealand than the side who took the field? I’m sure a lot of us could say that with conviction.

Tomorrow, therefore, could bring some doubt to coach Rassie Erasmus about whether his firstchoice combination actually did play against New Zealand.

Despite all the social media vendettas against referee Jerome Garces, the Boks should be honest enough to say their own mistakes led more to their downfall than the brilliance of the All Blacks.

They were definitely not as sharp as they could have been and their execution and supportive play on attack, especially where wing Cheslin Kolbe was involved, was severely lacking.

While it would be a bit far fetched to say the Boks’ mistakes gave the win to New Zealand, one has to look at how clinical the All Blacks were when the opportunities arose for them to pounce, and in that regard not many teams are as clinical as the men in black.

Though the Boks will in many people’s eyes now have to take the tougher road, which is expected to include clashes against Ireland in the quarterfinals, Australia in the semifinals and a rematch against New Zealand in the final, none of that is a given.

The All Blacks, for instance, are now likely to meet Scotland in the quarters and England in the semis, but what guarantee is there that they will actually get the better of the impressive England side? They could in fact have the more difficult path ahead of them.

So while the expectations on the Boks have dropped slightly after their defeat to the All Blacks, it’s not all bad.