The battle for back-row places will intensify over the next fortnight as players look to stake a final claim ahead of the World Cup squad announcement, writes JON CARDINELLI.
Since the beginning of his tenure as Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus has been clear about his objective to develop a team that can succeed in the short and long term.
The 2018 season was always going to be a significant one in isolation, given the embarrassing defeats sustained in 2016 and 2017. And yet, the man replacing Allister Coetzee had to put plans in place to ensure that the Springboks were competitive at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, the 2021 series against the British & Irish Lions and the 2023 global tournament in France.
Erasmus has experimented a great deal over the course of the past 18 months and obtained some valuable answers with regard to his immediate and long-term plans. He should be feeling confident about his side’s depth on the eve of the World Cup, especially when considering his options in the back row.
BOK BACK-ROW OPTIONS SINCE 2018
| AGE | TEST CAPS | WORLD CUPS | |
| COETZEE |
28 |
29 |
0 |
| D DU PREEZ |
23 |
4 |
0 |
| J DU PREEZ |
23 |
13 |
0 |
| DU TOIT |
26 |
48 |
1 |
| ELSTADT |
29 |
1 |
0 |
| KOLISI |
28 |
41 |
1 |
| LOUW |
34 |
67 |
2 |
| MOHOJE |
29 |
19 |
0 |
| NOTSHE |
26 |
6 |
0 |
| SMITH |
26 |
2 |
0 |
| VAN STADEN |
23 |
2 |
0 |
| VERMEULEN |
33 |
47 |
1 |
| WHITELEY |
31 |
23 |
0 |
Erasmus hasn’t always had access to his preferred back-row combination. Duane Vermeulen missed the 2018 Rugby Championship due to club commitments in Japan. A serious knee injury has sidelined captain and first-choice opensider Siya Kolisi for the duration of the current Sanzaar tournament.
Outrageous travel demands have occasionally forced Erasmus splitting his squad and selecting two different back-row combinations on successive weekends.
This strategy was first employed when a ‘B’ side travelled to the USA to face Wales in June last year while the ‘A’ side remained in South Africa to prepare for a three-game series against England.
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More recently, Erasmus picked a ‘B’ side to front Australia in Johannesburg while an ‘A’ side was sent to New Zealand to prepare for the clash with the All Blacks in Wellington.
Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Vermeulen have started together in the back row just four times in the past 16 Tests. Erasmus has experimented with as many as 10 different loose-trio combinations during that period.
BOK LOOSE FORWARD STARTS SINCE 2018
| OPENSIDE | BLINDSIDE | NO 8 | |
| COETZEE |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| D DU PREEZ |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| J DU PREEZ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| DU TOIT |
0 |
10 |
0 |
| ELSTADT |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| KOLISI |
11 |
2 |
0 |
| LOUW |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| MOHOJE |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| NOTSHE |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| SMITH |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| VAN STADEN |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| VERMEULEN |
0 |
2 |
6 |
| WHITELEY |
0 |
0 |
6 |
Following the next two Tests against Argentina, Erasmus will make the final call on his World Cup squad. The group will be announced in late August and it will be interesting to see how many – and exactly which – loose forwards are included.
Du Toit’s versatility might encourage Erasmus to select three locks instead of four and take six loose forwards in total to Japan. The preferred back-row aside, Erasmus will need to back two or three options that can cover more than one position in the loose trio.
Francois Louw has featured regularly over the past year or so, and has offered strong options at No 6 and 8. His experience will be an asset to the forward group as a whole.
In late May, I wrote that Jean-Luc du Preez deserves a look as a World Cup option. However, the flanker has fallen down the pecking order after sustaining an injury toward the end of the Super Rugby tournament.
Marcell Coetzee as well as Kwagga Smith could travel to the World Cup. But if Erasmus has to favour one over the other, Coetzee boasts more experience at this level and can start in all three back-row positions.
ERASMUS: ‘It will be tough to cut squad‘
Last year, Warren Whiteley would have been a strong contender for World Cup selection. Injuries have limited his opportunities at franchise and Test level this season, though, and Erasmus may feel that Louw – who was impressive against the All Blacks in Pretoria and more recently against Australia in Johannesburg – offers a quality alternative to Vermeulen at No 8.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe is another high-profile loose forward who has struggled with injuries in 2019. Notshe may get a run against Argentina in Pretoria next week, as the Bok coaches may be keen to assess his fitness. Erasmus himself has listed transformation as a priority, and the inclusion of Notshe in the 31 would certainly boost the Boks in this department.
Fans may disagree with the points made above. They may disagree with Erasmus’ final World Cup selections.
The Bok coach has said that more than a few players will be disappointed when the squad is eventually confirmed. On the other hand, injuries are a part of rugby and there’s every chance that one of the discards will be parachuted into the tournament at a later stage.
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