Time has come to deliver the goods

MUCH will depend on two sets of players at the World Cup: the Bok players who can create a lot out of a little and those who have failed so far to deliver and owe the team big time.

Among the many shortfalls in Heyneke Meyer’s squad, it is missing the Danie Rossouw factor — a diehard player who is versatile and can take a wrecking ball to the opposition. Etzebeth can be that player if used as the ball carrier he has been shown to be.

In a quarterfinal against England, Australia or Wales, expect defence and territorial play to tighten spaces. Le Roux, joining from the back as first receiver, is the paper clip Meyer can use to pick the lock.

There is something in the way Kriel took his debut try against the Wallabies in Brisbane. Never mind that the Boks lost. In beating four Aussie defenders towards the tryline, he gave South Africans the gushing moment they had when Bryan Habana and Lwazi Mvovo scored debut tries against England. It tells you this player can do something special.

The man regarded as “permanently injured” owes the Springboks a performance out of this galaxy. He is blessed with attributes that give Meyer pleasant dreams — size, ball-carrying strides and a lineout option. But you have to scratch your head, trying to remember the last time he affected a test match.

You get X-factor, Y-factor (as in “why is he there?”) and then WTF-factor. Kirchner fits into the last. If he is called upon it means something horrible has happened to Willie le Roux. He has a clearing boot and can safely juggle high balls. He needs to put those limited attributes to full use.

Begrudgingly, the skipper falls into the category of players that must leave nothing on British fields. Injuries and the loss of pace plus the emergence of Damian de Allende have put him in the unenviable John Smit/Bismarck du Plessis situation. But he can be unplayable on his day. IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Willem Alberts owes SA big time