Oupa Mohoje’s concussion in the 14th minute of the Springboks’ 37-15 win over France in Durban turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Bokke.
Nothing against Mohoje and no one wants to see a player stretchered off the field, but Jean-Luc du Preez added so much more to the game when he replaced Oupa.
And heading into the final Test of the series in Johannesburg this coming weekend, coach Allister Coetzee should stick with the combination of captain Warren Whiteley at No.8, Du Preez at seven and Siya Kolisi at six in his looseforward department.
The original motivation for Mohoje cracking the nod in the starting line-up was that he is a lineout option as well as a strong ball carrier.
Let’s start with the lineouts.
The Springboks mostly used Whiteley at this set piece this past weekend – even more than they used locks Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth.
And he worked a treat.
Now if Oupa was going to be used instead of Whiteley, Coetzee would have now seen that his captain is as able as the No.7 at that job.
Four lineout options are enough in the pack and with Du Preez also able to jump in the set piece, the question that should be asked is if that alone is enough to keep Mohoje in the starting XV?
Yes, he makes a lot of tackles and is a decent ball carrier.
But Du Preez proved on Saturday that he is also a good ball carrier and just looks a little livelier than Mohoje on the field.
Apart from the loosies, I find it weird that the team is not missing their two most recent Player of the Year award winners.
Lood de Jager, who won the award in 2015, and
current holder Pieter-Steph du Toit, are both watching from the sidelines at the moment.
And fans probably wouldn’t want it any other way.
The reason for that is the rise of Franco Mostert.
On Saturday, again, he put in one of the most honest performances we’ve seen in the Bok No.5 jumper in recent years.
Not one for the glitz and glam, Mostert made tackle after tackle against the French and is making it
difficult for the award winners to bounce back and unseat him in the starting XV.
It’s clear that new stars are being born in the Green and Gold and what I’m particularly happy about is the fact that Coetzee is giving them a chance to shine at international level.
So while we’re not at the level of the New Zealanders in terms of depth – just look at their Super Rugby teams as well as the Baby Blacks, at least it’s a department in which there is some growth.
Long may it continue…