History beckons for the Springboks Down Under on Saturday, yet Rassie Erasmus is using the occasion to measure rookies’ ability to handle pressure away from home, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Erasmus has overhauled the team that claimed South Africa’s first win in Brisbane since 2013, making no fewer than 10 changes to the starting lineup that beat Australia 33-7 in the 2024 Rugby Championship opener last week.
Salmaan Moerat will captain the Boks, while scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and lock Ruan Nortje make their first starts in the green and gold when the world champions run out at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane notes that while the 1937, 1956, and 1971 Bok teams won series in Australia, opportunities have been limited in the professional era. He highlights the strength of the current squad, which includes 14 members from the 2023 World Cup-winning team.
Keohane discusses coach Erasmus’s strategy of making wholesale changes to the starting XV, emphasising that this is not disrespectful but a chance to test newer players.
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“History beckons for a new generation of South African rugby internationals in being the first Springboks to win successive Tests in Australia in the same year,” Keohane writes.
“Erasmus has been insistent he has not risked or gambled with making as many changes, reiterated that there could never be disrespect to the opposition when the Boks matchday 23 includes 14 World Cup winners, and rightly points to the potency of the super substitutes’ bench made up of World Cup winners.
“What Erasmus is using the Perth occasion for is to measure the newbie players’ ability to handle the pressures of starting away from home.
“Erasmus has raved about the depth of quality in his squad, and Perth will provide answers to the depth.”
He also mentions the challenging history of matches in Perth, where the Wallabies have a slight edge overall. But, despite the Wallabies’ current struggles, Keohane predicts a comfortable Bok victory by 15 points.
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
