Springboks won’t allow another Wallaby Ellis Park fiasco against England

The Springboks have very recent history to remind them that despite what statistics may say, they cannot simply arrive at Ellis Park to face England and expect to win.

Eleven months ago, the Boks surrendered a 22-0 lead against Australia at the Doornfontein rugby cathedral to lose 38-22.

For 25 minutes the Boks played some of the best rugby they’ve ever produced. But they appeared to become seduced by their own brilliance and forgot to play the percentages.

The Wallabies were brilliantly resilient and stunned the Boks with a multiple try-blitz either side of halftime to record a memorable victory – their first at Ellis Park for 62 years.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has no doubt reminded his team of that performance, which oscillated from the sublime to the ridiculous in the space of 30 minutes.

It was a stark reminder of the tight margins in Test rugby. One team must only dip a few percent for another to run riot. It’s also a performance England coach Steve Borthwick has referenced this week when preparing his men for this Nations Championship clash.

Obviously, England won’t want to fall 22-0 down, and their messaging will be to keep the score close heading into the final quarter.

Borthwick has firepower on the wood in dynamic loose forward Henry Pollock, who, love him or hate him, is a superb player.

In his short career the 21-year-old has shown that he relishes challenge, and none come bigger than the Boks on the highveld at one of their great fortresses.

Tidy scrumhalf Alex Mitchell is another who could skilfully manage the final 30 minutes to either keep England in front, or to give them ways to produce a rearguard.

And with flank Guy Pepper and utility back Marcus Smith among the reserves, England have some real quality to add to the match after half-time.

Experience and power

The Springboks are vastly experienced – especially the starting XV, which collectively boasts 935 Test caps.

There are no obvious weaknesses in the Bok side; from Ox Nché at loosehead to Damian Willemse at fullback and 13 positions in between, the Boks are formidable.

The Bok starting pack is a who’s who of rugby, which is why Borthwick has chosen his biggest, meanest eight in an attempt to go toe-to-toe with South Africa’s big men.

England’s only chance is if their forwards can stand up to the Boks’ power game. The 2.01-metre tall Ollie Chessum at blindside flank is an indication of England’s intent. They have chosen their biggest available pack to contend at lineouts and scrums. No parity there, no chance.

Flank Tom Curry will be a menace at the breakdown and No 8 Ben Earl is a good link player.

But if anything, England look a little light in the back row, where the mighty Jasper Wiese will ask some tough questions of England’s defence – both physically and mentally.

Curry hasn’t had the best of seasons at club level, which is why his selection over Pollock in the starting team raised some eyebrows. But Curry is wholehearted and might be able to do enough to set the stage for some later Pollock heroics.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him (Pollock) come off the bench, and Guy Pepper, Alex Mitchell, and Marcus Smith,” Borthwick said.

“There’s a real dynamism around those players and great skill sets. I think it’s the right thing to do for the team, a right blend for who to start and who to finish.”

The England coach was happy to talk-up Pollock because the player clearly relishes the limelight and the responsibility of being a game-breaker.

“I see the challenge, and we’ve all seen it throughout European rugby, especially when teams see what he (Pollock) gives to the opposition and what he gives to his team.

“They will try to nullify that. I’ve seen that over and over, yet Henry Pollock always seems to shine; he always seems to thrive.

“The smile on his face, having a personality like that, we want more people playing rugby like that, and smiling like that. He’s a wonderful character, and we love having him in our team.”

Behind the pack Borthwick surprised by starting regular wing Tommy Freeman at outside centre. It appears he wants as much pace as possible on the field, even if it comes at a defensive risk in the midfield.

Freeman’s selection hints that England have devised some new strike plays, which require Freeman’s pace and skills.

Boks settled

With the Boks there is always some little trick at the start of a new season, but the reality is that the blueprint is the same.

Dominate set pieces, win the kicking and aerial battle, attack quickly from transition if the opportunity is there, or build phases off quick ruck ball.

The opposition, in general terms, know what’s coming their way. They understand the Boks can bludgeon you, or they can run around you. Erasmus and his staff will always lay any gameplan on the foundation of physical dominance.

But that doesn’t mean a lack of subtlety or nous on attack. A big part of the gameplan these days is creating pockets of space for strike runners such as Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse to prosper.

Sometimes that’s via the air with contestable kicks, and sometimes it’s through the hands with the likes of Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the trams creating an extra two metres of space for the wings to thrive.

The tempo and direction the Boks play will be dictated by halfbacks Grant Williams and Manie Libbok, who can be lethal if they are playing off the front foot.

The Bok bench has a more callow look about it in terms of experience, but not in terms of quality.

Reserve looseforward Cameron Hanekom is set to earn only his second Test cap, and prop Zach Porthen has just three Test caps. But both are high-quality players.

Fellow front-rankers Jan-Hendrik Wessels (hooker) and Gerhard Steenekamp (prop) have just 25 caps between them, although both have been in the set-up for more than three years now.

The ever-reliable and versatile Marco van Staden completes the “official” forward listing among the reserves, although hybrid player André Esterhuizen is on the bench.

Esterhuizen could be deployed at centre or flank, or both, depending on the Boks’ needs and the match situation. He is such a vital weapon in the Boks’ armoury these days.

Scrumhalf Cobus Reinach makes a slight surprising return from a knee injury that saw him miss the last weeks of the URC. It adds great experience and quality in a vital position.

There is no specialist flyhalf among the reserves, although Kolbe and Willemse can both operate in the channel if needed.

And utility back Canan Moodie completes the bench, meaning the Boks are either a five/three or six/two split between forwards and backs depending on how Esterhuizen is deployed.

“The England squad is good – their average age is about 27, and Test caps around 32, so it’s a young yet experienced squad,” Erasmus said. “It’s a very competitive squad, and we know we’ll have to work really hard against them at Ellis Park if we want to get a win. We haven’t played in the last seven months.

“The Barbarians was a nice warm-up to get some guys into the structure, to get to know some guys. The SA ‘A’ game was the same, but this is a Test match against England.

“You get big Test matches, and England is certainly one of them.” DM

Teams:

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian De Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 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.
Reserves: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Canan Moodie.

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Ollie Chessum, 5 George Martin, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (captain), 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie,17 Beno Obano, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Alex Mitchell, 23 Marcus Smith.

Date: 4 July
Venue: Ellis Park
Kick-off: 5.40pm (SuperSport)
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand)