Rassie Erasmus has backed the experience and versatility of a Springbok match-day 23 boasting a 7-1 split on the bench to outmuscle Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
No 8 Kwagga Smith will earn his 50th cap for the Boks while Eben Etzebeth leads the team in the world champions’ end-of-year tour opener in Edinburgh.
Fullback Willie le Roux is set to reach 98 caps, while Grant Williams is the sole back on the bench among an experienced forward-heavy group.
“This is a seasoned and quality team and adding to that 21 of the 23 players have won a Rugby World Cup title, with some having won two, so they know what it takes to perform at this level,” said Erasmus.
“Many of these combinations have also played together this season either during the incoming series and Rugby Championship, or both, which will be valuable against a quality team such as Scotland.
“We are expecting an extremely physical match, so we opted for a seven-one split of forwards on the bench, and this was aided by the fact that we have such versatile players in the backline, who can cover different positions if necessary.”
TEAM: New-look Boks unleash Nuke Squad
Commenting on Smith’s milestone, Erasmus said: “Kwagga is a vastly talented player and a fantastic team member, and I’m delighted to see him reach this big career milestone.
“It takes a special player who performs consistently well over a few years to reach this achievement, and Kwagga has certainly done so while maintaining the same high standards at training and on the field. We are very proud of him.”
Erasmus forecast another fierce battle with the Scots: “They are ranked seventh in the world and they’re a team that never stop fighting. They also have top quality players in their squad, we know it’s going to be an epic battle.
“In the Rugby World Cup last year, we were only three points up against them at halftime, and with the new dynamic they have brought to their game, we know it’s going to be an 80-minute battle.
“They’ll also have a passionate and vocal home crowd behind them, and we know what energy that brings to our team when we play at home, so that will boost them even more going into the match.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter/Andy Le Gresley Photography
The post Rassie: There’s no substitute for quality appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
