Full-strength South Africa set for Murrayfield task
SPRINGBOK coach Jacques Nienaber will need to strike the right balance when selecting his team for the clash against Scotland on Saturday.
While the Boks have come to Britain with the intent to develop their squad, they have also set their sights on three big wins. A victory against Scotland will be crucial in the context of the next World Cup.
Scotland and South Africa will meet in the Pool B fixture on 10 September, 2023, in Marseilles. The Boks have not lost to Scotland since 2010, and have never lost to them at a World Cup tournament.
Unless Scotland complete an upset on Saturday, the Boks will go into that World Cup as favourites for the trophy.
Not that Nienaber and company will underestimate Scotland at Murrayfield. It was not long ago when several Scotland players represented the British & Irish Lions in South Africa.
Finn Russell caused problems for the Boks when he came off the bench in the third Test in Cape Town. While the Boks boast the best defensive system in the world, there is a healthy appreciation in the South African camp for what the Scots can do on attack.
With all of this in mind, it would not be a surprise to see Nienaber picking his strongest available side for the mission to Murrayfield.
The Boks are already without a host of injured players – World Cup-winners Faf de Klerk, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe, and Frans Malherbe – and it remains to be seen whether S’bu Nkosi, who missed the Wales clash due to visa problems, will feature. Because of these absences, they have been forced to field second- or third-choice players and to experiment with new combinations.
Even without several of their stars, the Boks made a powerful statement to claim a 23-18 win against Wales – their first in Cardiff since 2013. While it took some time to adapt to the wet conditions at the Principality Stadium, the South Africans dominated for much of the contest in areas such as the scrum and maul. Had they been more accurate, they may have won by a greater margin.
“There were plenty of opportunities, but the accuracy was lacking,” Nienaber said. “Our discipline was poor in the first half, and we did well to rectify that in the second. We didn’t use enough of our chances when we entered their 22, but I felt that our conversion rate improved later in the game.
“It was good to get this win under the belt, but we have a lot to work on before the next game.”
Trevor Nyakane was the only injury concern in the wake of the victory against Wales. If the tighthead prop fails to recover, one would expect the versatile Thomas du Toit to come into the match 23.
Nienaber may be tempted to rotate his half-backs on Saturday. Herschel Jantjies struggled to adapt to the wet conditions at the Principality Stadium, while Cobus Reinach
delivered a more assured performance when he entered the fray after 50 minutes.
Handre Pollard has been an outstanding servant for the Boks, and remains the team’s first-choice fly-half and vicecaptain. That said, Nienaber has to give Pollard’s understudy Elton Jantjies a start at some point on this tour.
The selection of the back three should be particularly interesting. Wales peppered the likes of Jesse Kriel with high balls at the weekend. Kriel, a specialist outside centre, was asked to plug a gap on the right wing in the absence of Kolbe and Nkosi, and did so with mixed success.
Damian Willemse was forced to leave the field for an HIA in the 15th minute, and did not return. In his absence, doubleWorld Cup winner Frans Steyn produced an influential performance. Afterwards, the 34-year-old utility back admitted that he was playing every Test as if it was his last.
If Willemse is cleared, one would expect him to receive another opportunity. This is an important selection with a view to 2023, as the ageing Steyn as well as Willie le Roux – who was rested against Wales – are unlikely to push on to the next World Cup. The Boks also have an exciting young prospect in Aphelele Fassi, who will be unleashed at some point on this tour.
It took more than a half of rugby for the Boks to adapt to the conditions as well as the referee’s interpretations against Wales. This fact may encourage Nienaber to make relatively few changes ahead of the game against Scotland. For the Boks, the result of this match is crucial in the short and long term.