CENTRAL SELECTION BANQUET
BOK COACH ERASMUS SPOILT FOR CHOICE IN MIDFIELD WITH ANY NUMBER OF COMBINATIONS GOING FORWARD
AS RASSIE Erasmus’s tenure as Springbok coach progresses, he will be pencilling in his dream team for the World Cup opener against New Zealand in Japan next year.
Injuries and changes in form of the leading protagonists will inevitably mean he will have occasion to reach for an eraser between now and that September date. Some positions and combinations are fairly clear but others, such as the midfield combination, will have the coach juggling pencil and rubber over the next year.
The centre partnership in the “full strength” Bok teams for the first and second Tests against England was Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am; against Argentina it was André Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am. But who will it be for a much sooner match against the All Blacks, the looming September 21 Rugby Championship Test in Wellington? And how is the depth stacking up at inside and outside centre?
The De Allende-Am combination again has the inside track. The Stormers man has been injured but will be fit for the matches in Australia and New Zealand, and while he has been indisposed it has given Erasmus an opportunity to take a closer look at Esterhuizen and, further, his combination with fellow Shark Am. The pair have played alongside each other for two Super Rugby seasons now and last week were aired on the international stage, and are likely to continue again this weekend in the rematch with the Pumas.
Both played well last weekend in Durban and there are obvious advantages to elevating a provincial combination into the Springbok team, but that does not necessarily mean it is the best available partnership.
De Allende, who has had his injury problems over the last two years, this season has been in his best form since 2015, and while Esterhuizen is likewise in form and has grown his game since learning to distribute in Japan, De Allende offers just a little more.
It should not be forgotten that prior to the June internationals, Jan Serfontein was one of the overseas-based players Erasmus was looking to bring back, but the former Bulls man has been sidelined for some time now with a mystery injury; he has a growth on his thigh that is not responding to treatment.
Serfontein was in outstanding form for the Boks before he left midway through last year to join Montpellier, where he immediately earned rave reviews.
Incidentally, with Serfontein injured, Erasmus was looking at bringing back another Montpellier player, utility back Frans Steyn, to cover No 12.
That plan ended unhappily when there appeared to be a communication issue between the Boks and Steyn’s club.
It was the same story, of course, with hooker Bismarck du Plessis.
Another former Bok Juan de Jongh was also touted by Erasmus for a possible recall, from English club Wasps.
Going back to De Allende, much of his sparkling form in
2015 was enjoyed in conjunction with Jesse Kriel. They combined because of Jean de Villiers’ injury problems that year, before and during the World Cup. The Boks have won seven out of 10 Tests in which they have been in tandem.
Kriel, only 24 but already with 37 Test caps, is currently on the outside. He will be playing for the Blue Bulls against the Sharks in the Currie Cup on Saturday while his rival for the Bok No 13 jersey, Am, will be starting later in the day in Argentina.
Also, the cover in that position right now is Lions centre Lionel Mapoe.
It could be that Erasmus has settled on a specific squad do do duty in the mini-series with the Pumas, with first choice players in action plus fringe players he wants to have a closer look at, such as Mapoe.
He knows what he can get out of Kriel, who had a standout season for the Bulls this year in Super Rugby.
Am, though, is looking increasingly like the first choice No 13. He is a complete centre in that he has the pace to attack the outside channel and to make cover tackles out wide, while his ability to contest and win ball in tackle situations is a notable bonus. His try against the Pumas last week showed he also has a muscular presence.
For now, Erasmus’s first choice partnership would appear to be De Allende and Am, with Esterhuizen shadowing the former and Kriel and Mapoe the latter.