By Lucky Maree
As the applause died down over the Springbok victory against France in their Parisienne backyard, the conversation among fans shifted to the team selection for the semifinal match against England.
Most of the sideline experts think that playing England will be little more than an interesting sideshow and therefore an opportunity to “give some of the other players a run”.
After all, we all know how well men like Canan Moodie, Andre Esterhuizen, Jasper Wiese and Jean Kleyn performed during the competition, and didn’t they deserve a chance to play?
Surely, the coaches would be tempted to bring in Lukhanyo Am and André Esterhuizen to test them for the anticipated final next week.
On the other hand, as the dust settled during the week, the sterling performances of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel have come into the spotlight. They were at different levels. Do you replace them now?
Then head coach Jacques Nienaber and director of rugby Rassie Erasmus announced an unchanged team! And, when you think about it, it’s the right decision.
Without a doubt it proves that the South African camp is taking this match as seriously as the one against France.
When asked, Nienaber said they were not thinking about the final.
“That would be an insult to England,” he said. And now, with this selection, the Boks have proven that this game is as important to them as any other World Cup match.
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Willie le Roux.
Pictured: The Boks celebrate their win over France.
Image source: Springboks
