Erasmus faces selection puzzle ahead of Rugby Championship squad announcement
Image: Backpagepix
Rassie Erasmus will name his 36-man squad on Tuesday for the upcoming Rugby Championship matches against Australia — and the big question is who will miss out, given the Springboks' current embarrassment of riches.
The head coach has used 48 players over the past four weeks, with few letting themselves down and several newcomers delivering notable performances.
At the weekend, Erasmus' bold gamble on an entirely uncapped front row — Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouché — paid off handsomely. Cobus Wiese, ironically filling in for his suspended brother Jasper at No 8, impressed in a position that's not his natural home.
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Edwill van der Merwe once again underlined his growing reputation, staking a real claim alongside the likes of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe, while Canan Moodie continued his smooth transition into a capable deputy for Jesse Kriel at outside centre.
One clear conclusion Erasmus can draw from this block of matches is that Grant Williams is currently his top-performing scrumhalf. Yet, it was also encouraging to see Faf de Klerk fight his way back into contention, with a feisty and skilful second-half cameo.
Kwagga Smith and Pieter-Steph du Toit continue to be tireless warriors, while Ruan Nortjé's recent displays suggest he has matured into a genuine international-class lock — a development that will please Erasmus and his selectors.
'We are fairly happy, it could've been better,' Erasmus said with typical understatement, after Georgia were brushed aside 55-10.
'What we expected from them was physicality and disruption, and we certainly got that. But I don't think it was a performance over the full 80 minutes from us.
"There were a lot of guys who made a lot of errors today because of how Georgia played — and I don't mean that in a negative way. They disrupt very well.'
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a mixed outing at flyhalf, but Erasmus expressed no concern over the young playmaker's form.
Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
'Sacha is not necessarily our first-choice 10. We've got Manie (Libbok), who is pretty much on song, and when Handré (Pollard) came on, he was pretty solid,' the coach explained.
'If you just look at Sacha's goal kicking — he missed four — but I think he ended well. In the warm-up, he picked up a hip pointer injury, but he still wanted to play.
'I don't know if that was an excuse for how he kicked at poles, but he definitely ran it out.
'We like flyhalves who try things on the field, not just play safely in their little box. And he certainly wasn't one of the guys who made the most errors today. Georgia thrive on spoiling and disrupting, and a lot of guys struggled with that.
'I'm not frustrated with Sacha — it's only his second start for us this year. He's still young compared to our other flyhalves.'
Erasmus confirmed that his Rugby Championship squad will have a more settled look, with experimentation largely shelved for now.
'The Rugby Championship is a step up from Tier Two nations, the Barbarians and the Italy matches,' he said.
The coach added that nine additional players will be placed on standby as injury cover.
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