Lucky Maree
A front row that can do the job from the first kick-off. An eighth man who is fit and can scrum. A flyhalf who is a real playmaker. Elton Jantjies, a flyhalf who is not a playmaker, is nowhere to be seen and Cobus Reinach is on the bench. Sounds like a miracle.
But, wait, there’s more!
The front row of Kitshoff, Marx and Malherbe starting the match looks real good on paper. We hope they execute as we know they can.
So, is this a perfect team? Certainly not.
Canan Moodie at 14 is an experiment that should have been tried a long time ago, but an experiment nonetheless. The signs have been very positive but whether he can make the massive step-up remains to be seen.
What we do know is he will not be standing out on the wing struggling to stay warm. The Aussies back their wings anyway, and no doubt Moodie will be under fire.
Talking about being under fire, all Australian guns will be trained on Willie le Roux at fullback. Willie can be good and he can be bad. He’s a confident player and nobody is better at being bad than Willie if he gets rattled.
Sooner or later, Frans Steyn will waddle onto the field. The only place where this once great player can still play is at centre where the contact is closer and more deliberate. There are very few wings who can’t run around him and if he ends up on the wing or fullback, there will be gaps.
Fortunately, Warrick Gelant will bring speed off the bench and he will have to hit the ground running – fast.
Given the situation, this may be the best Springbok side since Mbombela.
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11
Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Franco
Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Kwagga Smith, 20 Duane Vermeulen, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Warrick Gelant.
Image source: @Springboks
