Consistency, versatility and adaptability are keys to Boks’ team for Pumas showdown

As the old saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus took that mantra to heart by making only three injury-enforced changes to his starting team to face Argentina in a must-win Rugby Championship clash in Durban on Saturday.

The team that produced a record-breaking 43-10 victory over the All Blacks in Wellington 10 days ago will have another chance to build on the momentum they gained in New Zealand.

The only changes are at inside centre, where Damian de Allende returns, while Damian Willemse unsurprisingly gets the No 15 jersey in the absence of the injured Aphelele Fassi, and Eben Etzebeth comes in for Lood de Jager at lock. Bringing in the 136-cap veteran Etzebeth, who has consistently been South Africa’s best player for a decade, is hardly a step back.

Ditto for De Allende, who was excellent at Eden Park in the 24-17 defeat by the All Blacks earlier this month. De Allende is always a minimum 8 out of 10 performer. Having that depth to call on must be intimidating for the opposition.

Willemse, who was brilliant at inside centre in Wellington, is perfectly at home at fullback, underlining the Boks’ versatility borne from years of Erasmus’ tinkering.

Erasmus is a master scenario planner, and sometimes the team has struggled when changes have been made with a bigger picture in mind. But those minor setbacks seem worth it at times like these.

“Firstly, Fassi’s injured and he’s out for quite some time,” said Erasmus. “We were quite honest about Damian [Willemse] — he was struggling a bit with form, so we brought him closer to the game at 12 [in Wellington], where things can be more instinctive. Then he shifted to 15 and looked just as comfortable.

“He’s done many great things for us. People think he’s young, but he’s already won two World Cups and a British & Irish Lions series. Sometimes you just need one game to get you back to form. I think it’s quite an obvious choice with Fassi out.”

Bench-warmers

There are tweaks to the bench, with scrumhalf Morné van den Berg finally getting a chance to play because Grant Williams is injured. Williams is another who shone off the bench in Wellington, which will add some pressure on Van den Berg, especially with rain forecast.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels is the backup hooker, with Boan Venter coming in as reserve prop, meaning hooker Marnus van der Merwe misses out this week.

RG Snyman, Wilco Louw and Kwagga Smith are three game-changers among the forward reserves, while Manie Libbok and André Esterhuizen add steel and silkiness to the backline backups.

Esterhuizen, who can also be used as a flanker, gives the Boks plenty of options as he allows Erasmus to go with a 5-3 split between forwards and backs, yet still have a sixth forward with Esterhuizen as an option.

Again, it all comes back to the months and years of tinkering and experimentation.

Canan Moodie retains the outside centre berth after an assured performance in Wellington, where he combined physicality with vision. It really does feel like No 13 is the jersey he was meant to wear.

Of course, that leaves Jesse Kriel on the sidelines and muddies the waters for the returning Lukhanyo Am. But like all Erasmus’ “problems”, it’s a good one to have.

“Earlier this season, we also had Damian [de Allende] and Canan together [as a centre pairing],” said Erasmus.

“But remember, De Allende and Lukhanyo [Am] were a combination at one stage.

“Lukhanyo is coming back with the United Rugby Championship starting again, so he’s in the mix in a week or so.

“Canan and André [Esterhuizen] are a great combo, but we enjoy André off the bench.

“If you look at the changes we made, it’s mostly injury-enforced.

“We felt that Canan playing closer to the ball allows him to make a few more instinctive calls as opposed to standing on the wing and working with the fullback.

“Just like Damian [Willemse], he is a good instinctive player. Jesse [Kriel] will play for us a lot more in future. It’s just nice to try the combinations.”

Esterhuizen looks to have an increasingly crucial role in the set-up as a hybrid forward/back.

“We decide at the start of the week what my focus and role should be,” said Esterhuizen

“It varies. At times I focus on playing flank and other times on centre.

“I’d be involved amongst the forwards doing lineouts before shifting to the backs during split sessions.

“It depends [on the coaches] where the focus should mostly be. If it’s in the forwards, it would be on the flank and in the backs at centre.

“It all depends on what’s been planned for me for the week. It’s much tougher training in the forwards compared to the backs.

“There are so many versatile players in our squad. Just looking at the backs, we have guys like Damian [Willemse] and Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] who can cover up to four positions.

“Damian de Allende could probably shift to flank if needed, and Kwagga [Smith] could go to the wing. I feel it’s easier to transition from the backline into the forwards than vice versa.” DM 

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 André Esterhuizen.