Lucky Maree
Had things worked out differently last week, Jacques Nienaber’s experimental selection for the previous two matches may have continued – but the chips are down for the Springboks coach.
In a selection that has very few surprises, it is hard to criticise the team he will send into battle against Wales in Cape Town this Saturday.
Three selections, however, highlight the weaknesses in the Springbok team.
Damian Willemse, who has been banished to that never-land of the so-called utility back, will start at fullback. Under the circumstances he is probably the right choice, but while he grows in stature every time he appears on the field, he is still not the complete fullback.
The fact that Willie le Roux is on the bench as cover for that position highlights even more starkly the problem with that position.
Handré Pollard, thankfully, is no longer captain. While he only just makes it as flyhalf, he simply doesn’t have what it takes to be the skipper. His kicking performance on Saturday may have had a crucial impact on the outcome of the game – and not in a good way.
Hopefully, his attention will not be divided and he can focus on being the flyhalf instead of trying to be the captain. Expect Willemse to move to flyhalf and Le Roux to come in as fullback some minutes into the second half.
We must be grateful for small mercies and it’s good to know that Elton Jantjies isn’t around to terrorise us from the bench.
Will Siya Kolisi regain some of the fire he showed as captain and player in the World Cup? There is no indication that he will, but we hope so.
Whether the selectors picked the right squad, is a question for another day, but given the players we have, the best 23 will take to the field in Cape Town on Saturday.
Run-on team: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Subs: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Elrigh Louw, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Willie le Roux.
Image source: @Springboks
