Rassie Erasmus has shed new light on the thinking behind his team selection for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against Australia at Ellis Park.
Kolisi’s new role at No 8 key to Bok strategy
Rassie Erasmus has shed new light on the thinking behind his team selection for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against Australia at Ellis Park.
Much of the focus has been on two headline picks: Siya Kolisi starting at No 8 and Manie Libbok preferred at flyhalf. But Erasmus insists the Kolisi move is more nuanced than a simple position swap.
“We actually changed our mind there,” admitted Erasmus.
“The more we practised and prepared, we realised the only time Siya really plays at eight is during scrums, and scrums happen maybe 13 or 14 times a game,” Erasmus said at Monday’s team announcement in Sandton. “General play happens far more.
“Australia is a huge threat at the breakdown, and Pieter-Steph [Du Toit], Marco [Van Staden] and Siya are really strong there.”
At flyhalf, Erasmus has chosen to start Libbok over Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handre Pollard in an effort to manage player workloads across during the tournament. He also hinted that Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Pollard and scrumhalf Morne van den Berg – Man of the Match against Italy at Loftus in July – will likely feature in the second Test in Cape Town.
Damian Willemse’s versatility lets the Boks forgo a dedicated flyhalf on the bench, offering more squad flexibility.
Erasmus also addressed the unusually early team announcement.
“We’ve been preparing for Australia for three weeks, which isn’t normal. Usually, it’s closer to the Test after the incoming series. The early announcement is to clear up speculation – the team already knows who’s playing. Getting this out of the way means we can focus on training.”
He added that changes could still be made depending on how Wallaby coach Joe Schmidt puts his team together.
“If they go 6-2, we might bring RG [Snyman] back. But if it stays 5-3, this is our team. This is just about focusing on training now.”
