‘Boks close to genuine World Cup contenders’
Springboks have not had the best of European tours this year, and for it to be regarded in a positive light, Jacques Nienaber and Co will have to overcome what will in all probability be a full-strength England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Narrow defeats to Ireland and France will have left the team slightly dejected, despite the narrative from the Bok camp saying otherwise, while SA A’s failure to beat Munster and Bristol Bears has certainly not helped the cause.
An excellent victory over an improving Italy this past weekend will have restored much confidence, but defeating England will close off the year with a gleeful punctuation.
The Boks, however, will have to do it without a bevy of important players, who have returned to their respective clubs.
It has, therefore, forced Nienaber to make six changes to his starting XV, while also selecting an interesting bench that is a five-three split and is bereft of a back-up lock. Nevertheless, as far as the coach is concerned, “it is what it is”, and the Bok think-tank have their plans in place to make a fist of the clash.
“We knew when we organised this game that it was going to be outside the Test match window,” Nienaber said. “The players also knew it.
“The development of the squad this year, when you look at the growth of some of our players coming into the mix, and us developing our succession planning in certain positions, I think we always saw this Test match as an opportunity to give some of the less experienced players a chance.
“It is a great opportunity for them and we are looking forward to seeing how they perform in this big Test match... It is good for us, and
I still feel we can get a team out there that is good enough to compete.”
Those inexperienced players include Evan Roos, Marvin Orie and Kurt-lee Arendse in the starting XV, and Jaden Hendrikse, Manie Libbok and Canan Moodie on the bench.
Marco van Staden, who is also a replacement for the encounter, is a bit more world-weary than that trio, but with nine caps to his name, also remains new to this Test match malarkey. The objective against England is then two-fold: get these players used to the rigours of international rugby with a view to the Rugby World Cup in France next year, while also finishing the November tour on high note.
In this regard, Nienaber believes the Boks have ticked off a few boxes, and will tick off a few more on Saturday.
“We wanted to see certain players play with the Springbok on their chest (for both the senior national team and SA A)… there is a little bit more pressure,” he explained.
“We wanted some answers on certain players, and I think we got those answers on those players. It will be the same on Saturday.
“We always want to try and improve and develop, and try to build our game in all aspects.”
SPRINGBOKS: 15 Willie le Roux 14 Kurtlee Arendse 13 Jesse Kriel 12 Damian de Allende 11 Makazole Mapimpi 10 Damian Willemse 9 Faf de Klerk 8 Evan Roos 7 Franco Mostert 6 Siya Kolisi (captain) 5 Marvin Orie 4 Eben Etzebeth 3 Frans Malherbe 2 Bongi Mbonambi 1 Ox Nche Bench: 16 Malcolm Marx 17 Steven Kitshoff 18 Thomas du Toit 19 Marco van Staden 20 Kwagga Smith 21 Jaden Hendrikse 22 Manie Libbok 23 Canan Moodie