There wasn’t much happening in and around the Mother City in terms of
professional rugby last week.
With the Springboks only playing Argentina this Saturday and Western Province having a bye in the Currie Cup, we needed some action.
And true to form, it came in the form of ex-Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.
This column is not about him or the hell that broke loose last week surrounding his application for the position of head coach at the Kings.
All I can say in that regard is, is that if the Kings knew what was good for their rugby and they wanted to put the team on the map again, they should have appointed P Divvy is as head coach.
For those who don’t know, they have halted the process of finding a new coach and have appointed Director of Rugby Robbie Kempson to take charge of the team in the meantime.
Anyway, to this week and the Springboks will be looking to be crowned Rugby Championship champs for the first time.
With the tournament being shortened this year, it won’t mean much in terms of rugby.
MISSED OUT: Coach Peter de Villiers. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix.
But the Boks simply can’t afford to fall flat against the Pumas in Argentina.
I do believe it will be their toughest assignment to date.
The reason for that is that the Argies know us and they know us well.
A team, disguised as the Jaguares, that has competed against South Africans throughout the Super Rugby championship and then also winning the South African Conference, would have done their homework ages ago.
As for South Africans touring there, the Lions were the only team that could beat them in Argentina this year.
Hostile crowds are usually the early excuse for South Africans not getting it right in Pumaland.
This week there won’t be any excuses, though.
There simply can’t be.
The Springboks had two weeks to prepare for the clash and coach Rassie
Erasmus is supposed to send out his strongest match 23 available.
On top of that, a first Rugby Championship crown in a World Cup year should serve as enough motivation not to get disheartened by a few fans not egging you on.
New Zealand proved that, even when they aren’t at their best, they have what it takes to beat Argentina in Argentina.
I don’t expect Erasmus to make a lot of changes to the team that played against the All Blacks last weekend.
One change might see Makazole Mapimpi replaced by Sbu Nkosi.
The midfield of Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am weren’t at their best against the All Blacks, so we can expect a change there also.
Erasmus might bring in Jesse Kriel to partner with De Allende or even give Frans Steyn a start alongside Am.
SHOWING HIS HAND: Rassie Erasmus. Photo: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix.
Handre Pollard should start at 10, with Elton Jantjies returning to the wood for this assignment.
Then there’s the No.9 position. If Faf de Klerk is ready, he will in all likelihood start and get his ball off the back of Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
Yes, I believe Kwagga Smith despite his good work last weekend will serve the Boks better off the bench.
I would also like to see Trevor Nyakane replacing Frans Malherbe at tighthead, with Beast Mtawarira starting ahead of Steven Kitshoff.
I believe Rassie’s hand is clear for all to see.
There shouldn’t be any shocks in the World Cup squad, but now is the time for him to test his starting XV.
If they can’t deliver in Argentina, then he’s still got a couple of games left in which to tweak a few things.
So let’s see what the Boks truly have ahead of the World Cup.