Springboks Rugby

Springboks: Erasmus no Point Dwelling on Injuries with Two Lock  Rolling Back

Rassie Erasmus is happy with the Springboks makeshift second-row selections with Pieter-Steph du Toit rolling back the years to start at lock.

Rassie Erasmus says that there is no point dwelling on the injury woes that have befallen the Springboks.

The knocks have hit the second row particularly hard but Erasmus feels this will provide an opportunity.

Springboks on injury woes

Erasmus has backed Ruan Nortje and Pieter-Steph Du Toit to start at lock in the third Rugby Championship encounter.

Welcoming back Jasper Wiese after his suspension delighted Erasmus.

It’s not ideal that we have so many injuries at lock, but we are pleased with the way Ruan stood his man in our last match and we are confident that he’ll combine well with Pieter-Steph at lock,” said Erasmus.

“This will serve as a fantastic opportunity for him to prove what he can do against one of the best teams in the world.

“It’s also good to have a player of Jasper’s calibre back and we know that he’ll bring a lot of energy on attack and defence after biding his time to return to the field, and we are looking forward to seeing his physicality combined with the rest of the back row.”

Settled backline is a boon for Springboks

Erasmus believes that the settled backline will also be a boost to the Springboks as they return to home soil.

“We also have a settled backline, and Aphelele made a strong statement against the Wallabies in Perth, so we are excited to see what they have to offer against a heavily attack-orientated All Black backline,” he added.

“We’ve seen what most of these players can do under pressure in Australia, and we’re confident that they’ll want to build on that against the All Blacks.”

Eben Etzebeth

Erasmus revealed that Eben Etzebeth might have been able to play in this round but he felt that they shouldn’t risk a longer layoff.

Eben may have been ready to play this week if we really needed him, but we feel we will benefit more from selecting a player that is 100% fit, and Salmaan should also be back in selection frame next week after following the return to play protocols,” he went on.

“We’re happy that things will ease significantly for us in that department going into the second Test.”

All Blacks to come out swinging

Erasmus expects the All Blacks to throw everything at his team.

“There is also no doubt they’ll still be hurting from the Rugby World Cup final, and in addition to that they know how important a win will be to square things up and open up the Castle Lager Rugby Championship log,” Erasmus continued.

“They’re a quality team with several players who have an X-factor and they constantly pose a threat to our defence, so we have to start well and be on the top of our game in all departments to try to build on what we have done in the competition so far.

“We’re under no illusions that this will be a completely different challenge to that which Australia posed, and that the next two Tests will require a proper step-up from us, but we are excited to see if we can take our game to the next level and give ourselves the best possible chance to stake a claim for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019.

“So, we’ll give our best and hopefully that will place us on the correct side of the scoreboard.”

Can the Springboks beat the All Blacks again?

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