Jacques Nienaber is counting on the group of victorious Springboks retained in the matchday squad to give South Africa impetus when they take on the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
Of the matchday 23 that remained in South Africa for the 2023 Rugby Championship opener against Australia, 13 will be in action against the All Blacks at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday.
Fullback Willie le Roux, centre Lukhanyo Am, flyhalf Damian Willemse and the front row of Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe and Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) all start after helping the Boks claim a 43-12 victory at Loftus Versfeld.
“The plan was always to send a squad here earlier because that gives you the benefit of adjusting to the time zone,” said Nienaber, when asked whether he was concerned about the balance of the squad. “But the benefit for the guys who stayed is that they got exposure to top international rugby. The guys who were here earlier didn’t have that.
TEAM: Eben leads Boks, Willemse at 10
Of the 14 players who last week travelled to New Zealand to acclimatise to the conditions and time zone, Nienaber named 10 in this week’s matchday squad – nine of whom will start, including Eben Etzebeth and lock partner Lood de Jager, and the loose trio of Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert and Jasper Wiese.
Loose forward Jean-Luc du Preez, experienced utility back Jesse Kriel and uncapped loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp have missed out, while regular skipper Siya Kolisi is still recovering from injury.
“There are pros and cons for both. As these guys are sitting here, their bodies are fresh and better adjusted, but they haven’t had international rugby exposure this year. The other guys are a bit stiff and sore today, but they have a proper Test match under their belt.
“It’s a little bit of both. But both sets of players have adjusted well to the training sessions. If you look at the squads that we selected, we tried to balance it. I think there is a group of guys who are adjusted and there are guys who have had a proper hit out against Australia. So we are trying to get that balance.”
Photo: Wikus de Wet/AFP/Getty Images
