By Lucky Vince Pienaar
Jasper Wiese is set to miss many Springbok matches through suspension after his six-match ban following his red card in his final appearance for Leicester Tigers.
But instead of creating a gap in the Springbok team, it has shown the number of players Rassie and the coaches have available to them, including for the match against Wales at Twickenham now only four weeks away.
It’s an interesting match for several reasons, and also because it falls outside of the international test window, which means that South African players in Europe will not be available.
Most prominent at eighth man is Evan Roos, although he may not be available for the Boks because of the Vodacom URC final on the same day. And, to be honest, Roos is still considered a hothead who can give away yellow cards at the worst possible moments.
Similarly, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom could step into that position but they too have other commitments.
There are excellent options in Phepsi Buthelezi and Lions star Francke Horn, too.
But guess who pops up for the job? Kwagga Smith, who plays in Japan, is available. It’s hard to imagine somebody else in the number 8 jersey.
Most interesting (and a dream come true for many fans), is the availability of flyhalf Siya Masuka and scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba for the Springboks. With Manie Libbok not available, what an exciting experiment that would be!
Following the Sharks’ dismal performance in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, their players are all available to once again provide the cornerstone of the Springbok team: front-rowers, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche are the obvious choices with locks Eben Etzebeth and (probably) Gerbrandt Grobler.
It’s the last match before the “Strangle the Boks scrum”-rule comes into effect. The Boks will have a point to prove and Wales will bear the brunt of the onslaught without Big Daddy in the form of World Rugby protecting them.
Pictured above: Springbok alignment camp.
Image source: Springboks/X
