Notshe may get chance in Test
No 8 has earned spot in the Boks starting line-up
Sikhumbuzo Notshe is in line to start his second Test match for the Springboks when they take on New Zealand, this season’s Rugby Championship winners, at Loftus on Saturday. The Springboks No 8 earned a place in the starting line-up for the first time in the 23-12 win over Australia, in Port Elizabeth at the weekend, in the absence of injured Warren Whiteley. Whiteley’s availability is subject to passing a fitness test later in the week.
“We have sent Warren to do rehabilitation and we will make a decision on him from tomorrow.
“We will hear from him if there is still pain on his groin and take it from there‚” said Boks assistant coach Matt Proudfoot.
He said centre Damian de Allende was in the running to return to the playing squad after recovering from injury.
Proudfoot showered Notshe with praise after his satisfactory performance against the Wallabies, where he made 10 tackles before he was replaced early in the second half by Marco van Staden.
“I think he was very tidy. The first start can be a little bit nerve-racking for a lot of guys but he has been around the camp for a long time and he did his job‚” said Proudfoot.
“He is more of an attacking player and we want him to play his attacking game.
“We didn’t get the flow we wanted in the second half where he could express himself.
“But I was happy with the way he engaged the scrum and he is developing into a reliable line-out option.”
Looking ahead to the anticipated clash against the All Blacks‚ Proudfoot said the Boks needed to get their mauling right.
“It is something that we are driving hard as a pack of forwards because once you can get the pack on the front foot they can be dangerous‚” added the the assistant coach.
“It is a big part of our game and I want us to be better because it is an area where South African rugby has been good at.
“We will keep on evolving; the way Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Franco Mostert have been guiding the line-out has been good.
“We would like to be more consistent in it and that is something I will be drumming this week.”