Erasmus backs Papier for spot
SPRINGBOK COACH BELIEVES HE IS READY He says rookie No 9 has picked up valuable knowledge already.
Rookie scrumhalf Embrose Papier will not necessarily be thrown in at the deep end during the Springbok tour to Europe next month. After first-choice No 9 Faf de Klerk was ruled out of the tour due to commitments with his English club Sale Sharks, Papier could expect to receive more game time.
However, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus believes Papier gained valuable experience with the Boks in the Rugby Championship, despite not receiving much time on the field.
While Papier was only 21, Erasmus felt he picked up a lot of know-how and insights by being involved in Bok meetings and planning sessions, and he became acquainted with defensive and attacking patterns.
“I think it meant more to Embrose to spend time in camp with the squad than maybe would have been the case if he was released to go and play a few matches for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup,” Erasmus said.
It left Erasmus in a predicament, however, due to Papier’s inexperience at Test level, as was the case with his provincial teammate Ivan van Zyl, with the two forming part of the 13 players who were released for Currie Cup duty yesterday.
De Klerk, who starred in his 20th Test against the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld last week, was set to leave a big gap, with Lions scrumhalf Ross Cronje also out with a shoulder injury which was expected to keep him on the sidelines until next season.
But that was not where Erasmus’ problems came to an end, as none of his overseas players – De Klerk, fullback Willie le Roux, prop Vincent Koch, wing Cheslin Kolbe and flank Francois Louw – would be available for their tour opener against England because the Test fell outside the international window.
De Klerk’s situation was unique because apparently there was an agreement between Erasmus and Sale Sharks that he was released for the Championship only if he was made available to the club when the Boks would be on their end-of-year tour.