Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus is not afraid of ruffling feathers and making changes if he feels it will make the team better.
Naming his team for their upcoming opening round Rugby Championship clash with the Wallabies in Brisbane, Erasmus has made a major selection decision.
Widely discussed as the brightest prospect in South African Rugby, flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has displaced double World Cup winner Handre Pollard in the starting line-up.
Discussing the selection, Erasmus said, “Sacha has made a notable impact off the bench in all four Tests he has played so far, and he’s slotted into the system with ease, so we are excited to see what dynamic he adds to the team as a starter.
“His goal-kicking has also been impressive, and we know that against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina the margins are very small, so every point will count.”
Elsewhere Vodacom Bulls number eight Elrigh Louw has leapfrogged Kwagga Smith for the starting number eight shirt which too feels like a nod to the future.
“We’re also keen to see what Elrigh brings to the game, given his consistently strong performances for the Vodacom Bulls in the last few seasons and off the bench against Portugal. With Pieter-Steph (du Toit) and Siya (Kolisi) alongside him, he’ll have good guidance to play to his strengths and do what he does best.”
Confirming that he is looking ahead to the future, Erasmus made some interesting points on his selection thoughts for this year’s Championship.
“One of the big talking points for us as a team from the beginning of the season was that we need to get the balance right between selecting teams featuring youth and experience as we build toward towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“We’re pleased with the way we’ve been able to integrate some of the young players into the squad this season and give them game time against top opposition.
“We rested several players against Portugal to ensure that we had a fresh squad for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, while a few young players really grabbed the opportunity to show what they can do in the first four Tests of the season.
“We’re excited to see what they have to offer against a team such as Australia which plays a vastly different style of rugby to that which we faced against Wales, Ireland and Portugal.
“Sacha and Ben-Jason showed proper class when they earned their chance to play this season and we are looking forward to seeing them in action against the Wallabies.”
Erasmus said he expected a thorough Test against the home team who go into the match off three successive victories this season in a city where the Springboks last registered a win in 2013.
“We only face the Southern Hemisphere teams in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship now, so we know they’ll pose a completely different challenge to the sides we’ve faced to date,” said Erasmus.
“They are also playing on their home turf where they have a good track record against us in the last few years, so we know it’s going to be a massive challenge.
“The fact that they are facing the world champions at home and knowing full well that they are hosting the 2027 World Cup will also inspire them, while we also have no doubt that they are desperate to climb the world rankings.
“They are a well-coached team with good playmakers, so they’ll definitely be charged up for Saturday’s match-up.”
Erasmus emphasised the importance of a good start to the competition: “We have a challenging campaign with two away games against Australia and then two Tests against New Zealand at home before making a short trip to Santiago where we will face Argentina, and then we wrap up the tournament against Los Pumas in Nelspruit, so it will be vital for us to start well and build good momentum.”
Of the Springboks’ win record in Brisbane, Erasmus said: “This is a new year and new campaign, and a lot has changed for both teams in the last few years, so while we are mindful of that statistic, it won’t affect how we approach this match or next week’s encounter in Perth.
“Just as winning the Rugby World Cup is history now, so is that statistic, so as a team we want to go out there and give our best, and if we stick to our structures and capitalise on our chances, hopefully we’ll work ourselves into a good position to get the desired result.”
Tuesday, 6 August 2024
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Louw earn first starts in fresh team to face Wallabies in Brisbane
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Elrigh Louw will make their first Test starts for South Africa against the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday as the Springboks largely reverted to the squad that shared a two-Test series with Ireland last month for the kick-off of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the Suncorp Stadium.
The match-23 feature only three changes from the group that faced the Irish with the only new players being Louw (No 8), two-time Rugby World Cup-winning scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, and replacement utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon.
The 22-year-old Feinberg-Mngomezulu is elevated to start at flyhalf after four appearances off the bench this season (coming on at either flyhalf or fullback) while Louw starts at No 8 after four replacement appearances since his debut at the start of the 2022 season.
Only six players are retained in the squad from the 64-21 win over Portugal at the end of July in Louw, Reinach, Dixon, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, RG Snyman (lock) and Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing).
The new halfback combination sees Reinach continue in the No 9 jumper in place of the Faf de Klerk, who is nursing a niggle, while experienced flyhalf Handre Pollard provides cover off the replacements’ bench, along with Grant Williams, who serves as back-up at scrumhalf and wing, in a six-two split in favour of the forwards.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, who said that Snyman had picked up a niggle at training on Tuesday and will be monitored for the rest of the week, again named a powerful bomb squad with a front row of Malcolm Marx (hooker), Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch (both props), alongside Dixon, Marco van Staden and Kwagga Smith.
Erasmus was delighted to hand first starts to Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Louw and said: “Sacha has made a notable impact off the bench in all four Tests he has played so far, and he’s slotted into the system with ease, so we are excited to see what dynamic he adds to the team as a starter.
“His goal-kicking has also been impressive, and we know that against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina the margins are very small, so every point will count.
“We’re also keen to see what Elrigh brings to the game, given his consistently strong performances for the Vodacom Bulls in the last few seasons and off the bench against Portugal. With Pieter-Steph (du Toit) and Siya (Kolisi) alongside him, he’ll have good guidance to play to his strengths and do what he does best.”
Erasmus said the changes were part of a broader Springbok selection plan: “One of the big talking points for us as a team from the beginning of the season was that we need to get the balance right between selecting teams featuring youth and experience as we build toward towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“We’re pleased with the way we’ve been able to integrate some of the young players into the squad this season and give them game time against top opposition.
“We rested several players against Portugal to ensure that we had a fresh squad for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, while a few young players really grabbed the opportunity to show what they can do in the first four Tests of the season.
“We’re excited to see what they have to offer against a team such as Australia which plays a vastly different style of rugby to that which we faced against Wales, Ireland and Portugal.
“Sacha and Ben-Jason showed proper class when they earned their chance to play this season and we are looking forward to seeing them in action against the Wallabies.”
Erasmus said he expected a thorough Test against the home team who go into the match off three successive victories this season in a city where the Springboks last registered a win in 2013.
“We only face the Southern Hemisphere teams in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship now, so we know they’ll pose a completely different challenge to the sides we’ve faced to date,” said Erasmus.
“They are also playing on their home turf where they have a good track record against us in the last few years, so we know it’s going to be a massive challenge.
“The fact that they are facing the world champions at home and knowing full well that they are hosting the 2027 World Cup will also inspire them, while we also have no doubt that they are desperate to climb the world rankings.
“They are a well-coached team with good playmakers, so they’ll definitely be charged up for Saturday’s match-up.”
Erasmus emphasised the importance of a good start to the competition: “We have a challenging campaign with two away games against Australia and then two Tests against New Zealand at home before making a short trip to Santiago where we will face Argentina, and then we wrap up the tournament against Los Pumas in Nelspruit, so it will be vital for us to start well and build good momentum.”
Of the Springboks’ win record in Brisbane, Erasmus said: “This is a new year and new campaign, and a lot has changed for both teams in the last few years, so while we are mindful of that statistic, it won’t affect how we approach this match or next week’s encounter in Perth.
“Just as winning the Rugby World Cup is history now, so is that statistic, so as a team we want to go out there and give our best, and if we stick to our structures and capitalise on our chances, hopefully we’ll work ourselves into a good position to get the desired result.”
Erasmus added: “The rest granted to some players after the Ireland Test certainly paid off and one can see it in their enthusiasm and excitement to return to the field. That combined with the excitement from the younger players in the group for this challenge has contributed to a good atmosphere in the camp.”
The match kicks off at 14h45 (06h45 SA Time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. A number of law variations have also been adopted for the competition, as announced by SANZAAR earlier on Tuesday.
Springbok team to face Australia in Brisbane:
15 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 95 caps, 75 pts (15t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 33 caps, 96 points (15t, 3c, 5p)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 71 caps, 80 points (16t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 81 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 18 caps, 75 points (15t)
10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 4 caps, 17 points (7c, 1p)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 33 caps, 65 pts (13t)
8 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 points
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 79 caps, 40 points (8t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) – 85 caps, 50 points (10t)
5 – RG Snyman (Leinster) – 37 caps, 10 points (2t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 122 caps, 30 points (6t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 72 caps, 5 points (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 71 caps, 70 points (14t)
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 31 caps, 0 pts
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 67 caps, 85 points (17t)
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 52 caps, 0 points
19 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 2 caps, 5 points (1t)
20 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 20 caps, 0 pts
21 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 43 caps, 35 pts (7t)
22 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 11 caps, 10 points (2t)
23 – Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 71 caps, 732 points (7t, 98c, 162p, 5dg)
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