The five tools that Coetzee needs in his first Bok squad
NEW Springbok coach Allister Coetzee must have spent hours trying to finalise his first squad. That’s why we thought we would help him select his starting XV for South Africa’s first Test on June 11. Here are some of the tools we think Coetzee needs to rebuild the Boks.
An all-rounder running the show at flyhalf
The Boks need a flyhalf who can dictate the game with his brain, his skills and his boot. For too long they have relied on limited players who were just picked for their reliable goal-kicking.
Yes, there has been a smattering of No 10s who were capable of doing a bit more on attack, especially over the last few years, but they were largely curbed by conservative game plans.
Elton Jantjies’ finger injury is a huge blow for the Boks ahead of the three Tests against the visiting Irish, especially because he is at that age where he needs to kick on at international level.
But the Sharks’ Pat Lambie is more than capable of calling the shots for the Boks. Lambie is a talented pivot with a great rugby brain, while his goal-kicking has also come along nicely.
Fetcher in the loose trio
Playing a proper openside scavenger is not something the Boks have always embraced, but in Bath-based Francois Louw they have a player who is ideal for this position in the South African context.
Bok coaches have tended to look at size as the be-all and end-all of the loose-trio composition. They look at lineout options and ball carriers who can get the side over the advantage line.
Louw, though, is a player who can do both. He is fierce on the ground, but he is also a strong carrier and defender. He is the ultimate opensider in the South African sense.
However, he is going to need back-up, and based purely on Super Rugby form, Stormers No 6 Nizaam Carr and Lions terrier Jaco Kriel should be in the mix, while the Bulls’ Lappies Labuschagne also made a case for himself in last Saturday’s match against the Stormers.
But, for now, Louw should be the man for Coetzee.
X-factor on the outside
Coetzee desperately wants to get his tenure off to a winning start, but he also knows that he has got to experiment with a few combinations to see who of his in-form Super Rugby players can cut it at international level.
He needs to find space for Lions strike-runner Lionel Mapoe and hot-stepping Stormers fullback Cheslin Kolbe, because the Boks have in the past been too one-dimensional from the back.
Mapoe runs excellent lines at outside centre and has scored a lot of tries with his impressive support play. He is also a guy who looks to exploit the outside gap, and is strong enough to break through tackles.
While critics still have their reservations about Kolbe’s size, there is no doubting his bravery or his ability to create something from nothing.
The dynamic No 15 will bring a totally different dimension to the national side because of his unpredictability and his gift to step past defenders. A mix of mongrel and panache in the pack
The Boks always pride themselves on their physicality and being the biggest bully in the rugby schoolyard.
And South Africa certainly have more than enough “hardebaarde” to take the game to the Irish. Eben Etzebeth’s return from injury will certainly boost the Boks in this department, while there are likely to be a number of seasoned campaigners in Coetzee’s first Bok group.
However, because the majority of international packs are all relatively the same size, Coetzee also has to find a mix between the brutes and big guys who can actually play a little bit with the ball.
That’s why Pieter-Steph du Toit needs to partner Etzebeth in the second row when the South Africans take on the visitors at Newlands in two weeks’ time. Du Toit is a hard man with a soft touch and the sort of lock who could become one of the greats of the game, because of his all-round play.
Youth
Jake White’s class of 2007 are slowly finding their way into retirement, while many of them have already said their goodbyes after last year’s World Cup in England. So, Coetzee will have to refresh the ranks by selecting youngsters who have the potential to grow into world-beaters over the next four years.
He should resist the urge to pick players over the age of 32, because they are unlikely to make it to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
The Boks need fresh faces like Kriel, Kolbe and Lions scrumhalf Faf de Klerk.