Jake White has lobbed a grenade, suggesting that it’s time the likes of Springbok super-subs Malcolm Marx and RG Snyman be promoted to the starting XV.
Marx and Snyman are two of the original members of the Bomb Squad who helped the Boks win the World Cup in 2019, and currently preparing to face Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
Both featured off the bench for the world champions in a defeat by the All Blacks less than two weeks ago, and writing for RugbyPass.com, White reckons the Bok duo – with Pieter-Steph du Toit – should be unleashed from the opening whistle.
A formidable loose trio and an inexperienced half-back pairing, @mark_keohane and Zels unpack the Springbok team selection🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/Mw3J6n57Mt
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) July 25, 2023
“What the loss has done is ignite debate about selection,” the former Bok coach, now Vodacom Bulls director of rugby, writes. “The talk here in South Africa is: ‘Isn’t it time for RG Snyman or Malcolm Marx to start?’ Or, ‘Isn’t it time Kurt-Lee Arendse was unleashed’, or ‘Why isn’t PSDT starting?’
“The drums are beating for the Bomb Squad to start and the court of public opinion is criticising the fact we didn’t compete at the lineout and saying we gave away too many penalties.
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“What would I say to the doubters? It shows what makes rugby such a great game because what it also throws up is questions as to whether the Boks, despite their enormous strength in depth, have held something back.
“Instead of the narrative that the Boks are too predictable and have nothing up their sleeve, fans are now left playing a guessing game.”
The South Africans will play their last Test in the Republic of 2023 this weekend, against Argentina at Ellis Park, which will be followed by outings against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires (5 August), Wales in Cardiff (19 August) and New Zealand in London (25 August).
White also argues that the rematch between the Boks and All Blacks at Twickenham will be a true litmus test for both teams in the build-up to the World Cup, which kicks off in September.
“Whatever the result in Johannesburg, and I’m not saying this to be a smart arse, I think the game at Twickenham against the All Blacks will be the proper benchmark for where both teams are,” he writes.
“In SA, most people expect us to have enough to overcome Argentina and I genuinely think they could make changes against Wales, but whatever the result of those two games, the big test is to get everything right in TW2.
“It’s an overseas Test match, so a bit like a World Cup game in that it’s a neutral venue. You’d think Jacques [Nienaber] and Rassie [Erasmus] will go fully loaded for that one.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter