Boks v Pumas: Who will Rassie turn to at No 8 and in midfield in Buenos Aires?
· Citizen
Expect Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to be included in the Springboks’ starting XV for Saturday’s one-off Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires, but the big question is, who’ll start at No 8 and in midfield?
With first choice eighthman Jasper Wiese remaining in Joburg, with a bunch of other senior players, to start preparations for the Test series against the All Blacks, there’s a vacancy at the back of the scrum.
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Also, first-choice centres Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel have remained in Joburg, so who’ll wear the No 12 and 13 jerseys this Saturday?
Eighthman and midfield picks
Cameron Hanekom is the obvious pick to take over from Wiese in Saturday’s match, but then Marco van Staden and Elrigh Louw can also play at the back of the scrum. Even Kolisi has played there before.
And on Sunday, Rapport suggested versatile hybrid player Ander Esterhuizen could even pack down at eighthman, if he is fully fit and available for selection.
In the midfield, Esterhuizen could play 12 with either Canan Moodie or Ethan Hooker at 13, or Handre Pollard could slot in at 12 with Esterhuizen at 13, leaving Moodie and Hooker to play on the wings. But then, where would Edwill van der Merwe fit in?
Coach Rassie Erasmus has many options, even though he has travelled to Argentina with a squad of just 26 players, including the previously sidelined Kolisi, Etzebeth, De Jager and Co.
He is expected to name his team for Saturday’s match on Monday or Tuesday.
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“We tried to get the balance right between giving some guys who are returning from injury and who have not had too much game time in our last four matches a valuable run against Argentina, while at the same time managing the players who have played a lot of rugby this year,” said Erasmus.
“The guys who have recovered from their injuries have been training hard and are ready to go, so it will be great for them to get a tough Test match under the belt before we face New Zealand.”
The only two current squad players who aren’t able to train and play are Ox Nche and Franco Mostert.
While Erasmus is in charge of the 26-man group in Argentina this week, the remaining squad players will continue their training in Joburg under the watchful eyes of Tony Brown and Duane Vermeulen, who did not travel to Buenos Aires.
“Argentina are a quality outfit and we know we will be in for a massive challenge in Buenos Aires, so we are preparing for a physical and gruelling battle over there,” said Erasmus.
“They are a well-coached team, who have tested us in the last few years.”
The match on Saturday kicks off at 9pm.