Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
After being thrashed by Ireland, also losing to France would turn tour into a nightmare
CLASHES between the Springboks and France are fiery at the best of times, but today’s meeting in Paris could be at an altogether different level.
There will be needle aplenty following the shock victory in the week by France – over South Africa who were named the “preferred candidate” two weeks ago – to host the 2023 World Cup. Allister Coetzee has played down the outcome, suggesting it won’t play a role today, but you can be sure the Boks will be as fired up as the French to show just who is boss, and more deserving of those hosting rights in six years’ time.
But the outcome of the 2023 vote will only be one motivating factor for what transpires today. The biggest factor will be that both the hosts and the Boks are desperate to win after poor showings last weekend – the Boks against Ireland and France against the All Blacks – while reputations of coaches and players alike are on the line.
Coetzee’s team have only won once in 10 outings overseas since he took over in June last year, while France are staring at a fifth defeat in a row if they don’t get up and win today, something the locals in France have said would be a “crisis”.
What would also be deemed a crisis is if the Boks were to lose again today, too. Unfortunately even a win would hardly be seen in a positive light, not after the Boks went down 38-3 a week ago; mainly because South Africa are expected to beat France, and especially this current French team. Added to that, the Boks’ 3-0 series win over the Tricolors in June suggests the hosts today will be pushovers, but they won’t be.
This is a very changed French team from June and they showed against the All Blacks a week ago they have something about them that should make their fans excited. The Boks on the other hand have shown no such thing and that’s one of the reasons why fans should be careful about thinking this will be the Boks’ day.
Besides the enormous pressure that is all of a sudden on the players and coaching team, various questions need to be answered by Eben Etzebeth’s crew today – but by the coaching team as well. Coetzee has backed several players who need to repay the faith shown in them and show they are good enough to play international rugby. It is not the coaching team who have to execute between the four white lines, but the players. It is, however, the coaching team, who plan the style to be adopted – and in Dublin they got it wrong, even if the players didn’t execute it properly. What will Coetzee and Co decide for this evening’s match; more up-and-unders, keeping it tight and among the pack, or running from all parts?
New picks this week, No 8 Duane Vermeulen, and flyhalf Handré Pollard, have huge roles to play, but so, too, Francois Venter at 12, who’ll be asked to run hard and straight at the gain-line and put players on his outside and inside into space. Ross Cronjé, at scrumhalf, also needs a big game, and so, too the back three who flopped against Ireland.
The Boks owe South African rugby fans a big performance. They let their country down a week ago – something that has happened too often in the last two years – and another poor effort, against a young and inexperienced French team, won’t be tolerated.
The coaching team and the players have 80 minutes to prevent this November tour again turning into a nightmare for South African rugby. sound defensively but he’s battled as an attacking weapon out wide and lacks flair and guile. If he does not come good today, Lukhanyo Am will have to be considered next week. Lood de Jager Unfortunately the former SA Rugby Player of the Year has failed to find the form that made him such a dangerous player in 2015 and one suspects he is on borrowed time as well. For his size and athletic ability, De Jager does not dominate like he should – and once did – and it remains a mystery as to why the coaching team feel he is a better option than the industrious Franco Mostert, who besides his line-out work, makes plenty of tackles and carries strongly over 80 minutes, and never tiring. De Jager will need a big one to stay next week. Tendai Mtawarira The debate has raged ever since Steven Kitshoff returned to South Africa and got himself into the national picture: should he start ahead of the very experienced Beast Mtawarira? And as the season’s gone on the debate has become more vocal and robust. Coetzee has largely stuck with the Beast, who hasn’t done anything wrong, but the few appearances that Kitshoff has made have been worthy of more starts this year. He’s not only solid in the scrums, but works extremely hard around the field ... his time has come.