Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is adamant that he is not fielding a ‘B team’ against Portugal on Saturday, and reckons Salmaan Moerat’s side would run Ireland close.
Erasmus said while the focus with the team to play in Bloemfontein this was on growing depth, most of the players are as good as those who started in Durban last week.
“We are committed to succession planning and have tried to make sure that our loss to Ireland doesn’t influence our mindset,” he said.
“In 2020, if we had been able to play rugby, we would have done the same thing. Now we have the opportunity to do that, and we must stick with it.
“But if you compare the guys who are playing this weekend with the guys who played last weekend against Ireland, there is very little difference in quality. So, I wouldn’t call this a B-team.
“If this week’s team had played against Ireland, it would have been a tight Test match. And that is what we want.”
Nevertheless, the one-off Test against Portugal represents a massive opportunity for the Bok fringe players to state their case for inclusion in the squad that will contest the imminent Rugby Championship.
Not everyone can be picked, but the process of growing depth will have taken a significant step forward.
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“We want to have two guys in every position pushing each other to be better, and to also have a young guy knocking on the door wanting to come through,” explained Erasmus.
“I know I have said it before that we weren’t able to do this in 2020 but we can in 2024. We know there will be speed bumps, like the loss to Ireland, which is not lekker.”
Erasmus said he expects this week’s team to embrace the responsibility of representing the world champions.
“I want these guys to be proud of playing for the Springboks against Portugal. A guy like Eben Etzebeth has over 120 caps and in that number, there will have been games against Namibia and Romania. So, a Test cap is a Test cap.”
Erasmus stressed that a fired-up Portugal should not be underestimated, and that players who disrespect them will do so at their folly.
“Portugal beat Fiji at the World Cup. So, if any of our guys take this game lightly, we will see that they are not Test-match material. It is also going to be a sell-out crowd, so they have to represent the Springboks to the best of their ability,” Erasmus said.
“We have analysed Portugal and it’s going to be a busy game – we are going to be all over the field. I think they are going to run away from our set pieces and try to move us around.”
Looking at the team he has picked this week, the coach pointed out that many of the combinations are as good as those of last week.
“If you compare (Aphelele Fassi with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu), and you compare Lukhanyo Am and Jesse Kriel, and André Esterhuizen and Damian de Allende, and Manie Libbok and Sacha or Damian Willemse, you will see there is little in it.
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“Manie and Cobus Reinach played in the World Cup semi-final, they were the pairing there.
“Ben-Jason Dixon is not far off from a guy like Pieter-Steph du Toit in the way he plays.
“RG (Snyman) and Salmaan were in the team that played last week.
“Thomas du Toit went to the World Cup, and everyone knows how well he did for Bath.
“So, the young guys in the team are Phepsi (Buthelezi), Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and a few on the bench,” Erasmus explained.
There is also a backbone of experience in Trevor Nyakane with 67 caps, Makazole Mapimpi (42), Snyman (36), Am (35) and Reinach (32).
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“I expect all of them – and they expect it from themselves – to represent themselves as Springboks in a team that’s ranked No 1 in the world,” Erasmus concluded.
Meanwhile, the majority of the Springboks who did duty against Ireland have been given a vacation by Erasmus, who has reduced his squad from 41 to 25 players for Saturday’s Test.
The players released are Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Jasper Wiese, Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp, Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx, Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard (flyhalf) and Jesse Kriel.
Damian de Allende was excused from the preparations in Bloemfontein for personal reasons, and Franco Mostert did not attend because of his serious leg injury.