Rassie Erasmus has hinted that the Springboks could still field a seven-one split on the bench in the series opener against Ireland, depending on the injury status in the camp.
Erasmus named an experienced lineup for the clash at a sold out Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, with captain Siya Kolisi among seven World Cup winners recalled.
The Springboks have opted for a six-two split between forwards and backs on the bench. Grant Williams will cover scrumhalf and wing, while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was named ahead of Manie Libbok to cover flyhalf, centre and fullback.
While explaining why Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who made his Test debut off the bench against Wales at Twickenham, was named ahead of Libbok, Erasmus said there could still be a change on the bench.
“There’s one or two niggles, we might still on Thursday go to a seven-one as well,” Erasmus said. “We will give it until Thursday. I don’t want to elaborate on that too much at this point.”
The big question mark could be around Faf de Klerk, as the scrumhalf has sported a strapped thigh in training this week after picking up a knock against Wales.
Should De Klerk be ruled out, Williams could be promoted to the starting lineup, with Evan Roos called up as an extra loose forward.
In that event, it would be even more important for the Springboks to have a player of Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s versatility to call on.
“Sacha certainly brings something to the party so that there’s not a lot of changes when we go six-two. That’s actually where Manie missed out,” Erasmus explained.
“If your 12 goes down, Sacha can go straight to 12, because he’s played there for the Stormers. If your flyhalf goes down, he can go straight to 10 and if your fullback goes down, he can go there as well.
“Manie didn’t make the 23 purely because we went with a six-two split. He is not so comfortable at 12. Handre would go to 12 and Manie would go to 10 or fullback.
“It just makes more sense because Sacha can over all three of those positions.”
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
