Legendary All Blacks outside back Jeff Wilson has sung the praises of Springboks scrum-half Grant Williams after he made a fine contribution in the Boks win in Johannesburg last week.

The Springboks and All Blacks are set to go head-to-head again in Cape Town on Saturday after the Boks clinched a 31-27 triumph over their arch rivals in the corresponding fixture at Ellis Park.

This, after New Zealand dominated for long periods and held a 27-17 deep into the second half and were well set to clinch the victory before losing their way in the game’s closing stages.

Scored the match-winning try

Williams came on as a second half replacement for the Boks and crossed for what proved to be the match-winning try for the world champions in the 74th minute.

And his impact off the bench was not lost on Wilson, who identified the 28-year-old as one of the Boks’ best performers on the day.

“I want to highlight Grant Williams because I think he was significant, the impact,” he said on The Breakdown. “Only two back reserves, and that hurt them for a little bit because they lost one of their wingers (Kurt-Lee Arendse to concussion).

“But he (Williams) did a lot of things around the ruck that I wish maybe we did a little bit more of, which is just taking a couple of steps here and putting forwards into holes.

“We tend to get our guys just catching and then trying to carry.

“And then this was obviously a match-winning try and gives them the opportunity to go out and win.

‘You’ve got real creativity’

“But I just think as much as we talked about the Bomb Squad and we think there was no Faf de Klerk in this game, I think when you’ve got young men at 10 (Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu), 15 (Aphelele Fassi) and at nine (Williams), you’ve got real creativity that is going to be hard for us to hold.

“And if they get more experience, more confidence, bring on seven days.”

When asked if Williams’ impressive cameo off the bench will earn him a promotion to the starting line-up, Wilson said: “Do you think that they might start him? I don’t think so. I think he covers multiple (positions). I think he can play on the wing as well.

“I think he’s got that ability. But I think it was really good, really nice to see that sort of talent.”

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Rassie Erasmus: Mind games or mindful?

Rassie Erasmus has several Kiwi pundits and analysts hot under the collar with his strategically executed moves on and off the field throughout this series against the All Blacks.

Rassie Erasmus’ status as rugby’s master strategist has been on full display throughout this series against the All Blacks. But several Kiwis are accusing him of employing underhanded tactics.

The Springboks took a 1-0 lead in their two-Test Rugby Championship series against the All Blacks with a 31-27 win at Ellis Park last Saturday and will be looking to complete a clean-sweep over their fiercest rivals in the rematch at Cape Town Stadium this coming Saturday.

As for the All Blacks, they will be looking to halt all-sorts of unwanted records against the South Africans. First up, a win for the visitors will see them snap a three-game losing streak in this fixture and simultaneously keep their Rugby Championship hopes alive.

RASSIE ERASMUS: ENEMY OF THE NEW ZEALAND PEOPLE?

All that said, a series of unfortunate events in the lead-up to the first and now the second Tests which have forced the Springboks to change tact from their usual weekly Test schedule, have led to several Kiwis rugby pundits and analysts baying for blood, Rassie Erasmus’ blood.

Last week, radio SENZ‘s breakfast show hosts Scott Stevenson and Israel Dagg accused Rassie Erasmus of underhanded tactics for drafting Eben Etzebeth into the Springbok match 23 a day after the team had been named.

“What is about it with Rassie? Does he just treat the world like his own kind of empire now?” Stevenson said.

“If Eben Etzebeth has been named on the bench a day after saying he’s been ruled out with a knee injury, he was never ruled out – it’s just that that just doesn’t happen,”

Dagg echoed his colleagues sentiments regarding Etzebeth’s inclusion, despite the fact that Rassie had openly stated earlier in the week that the lock is not ruled out and could still make the Bok team.

“We got super ahead of ourselves here in New Zealand and me personally, thinking wow, Eben, he’s a huge loss,” Dagg added.

“One of the big factors in the Springboks squad, will go a long way, o you have to say, it was all part of the plan – it was 100% all part of the plan.”

As one of the hosts on The Breakdown Rugby Show, John Kirwan also questioned Rassie Erasmus’ use of the bench and openly called for a petition to have the Bok Bomb Squad banned.

NEW WEEK, SAME ERASMUS

As per protocol during Test week, Erasmus headlines a media briefing on a Monday and the Springbok team gets announced on a Tuesday.

And while that was the initial plan for this week too, that all changed when on Monday assistant coach Daan Human and Elrigh Louw were put up for media duties with no Rassie Erasmus in sight.

Additionally, it was also confirmed that the Springbok team will only be named on Thursday, several hours after the All Blacks announce their side for the Cape Town showdown.

These changes again could be perceived as Rassie Erasmus playing mind games, when in actual fact it is no more than a delay to give injured duo Siya Kolisi and Kurt-Lee Arendse the best possible chance of proving their fitness and availability for selection.

Skipper Kolisi suffered a fractured cheekbone after he was on the receiving end of high shot by Sam Cane, while Kurt-Lee Arendse sustained a hard knock to the head which left him visibly dazed. He was later confirmed to have suffered a concussion.

In a massive boost for Rassie Erasmus’ team, Kolisi managed to train on Wednesday; but Arendse is likely to miss out on selection this week.

IS RASSIE ERASMUS PLAYING MIND GAMES OR IS HE MINDFUL?

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