Comment by Ashfak Mohamed
Let’s get straight to the elephant in the room: Evan Roos has been dropped from the Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship Tour of Australia, and it is hard to understand why.
There is no specialist No 8 in the 33-man squad announced by coach Rassie Erasmus yesterday, with Roos left out after starting against Portugal last week, and Jasper Wiese serving the final two games of his six-match suspension.
The loose-forwards in the squad are captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden, Ben-Jason Dixon and Elrigh Louw. Smith started at No 8 in both Tests against Ireland and is the likely figure in that position against the Wallabies again on August 10 and 17 in Brisbane and Perth, respectively.
So, why leave out a proper No 8 in Roos?
The 24-year-old wasn’t a stand-out player in the 64-21 triumph over Os Lobos in Bloemfontein but he deserves another opportunity. The Stormers star made a number of powerful carries across the pitch, and his robust approach takes the Boks over the advantage line.
He even displayed his soft skills a few times with a couple of nifty offloads, while he is also a strong defender.
It was quite surprising to see him yanked off for Louw as early as the 46th minute at the Free State Stadium, especially after starting against Wales in London, where he also made an sizeable impact.
Roos’ omission, therefore, is a risk that the Boks didn’t need.
Louw has played a lot of rugby at No 8 over the past few seasons, but had to move back to No 7 at the Bulls last season after the emergence of two outstanding youngsters in Cameron Hanekom and Mpilo Gumede. The former, however, is still recovering from a hamstring injury.
In fact, with Hanekom out, Gumede would arguably have been a better option at No 8 for the Boks. This is no slight on Louw, but he is better suited to blindside flank, as he lacks the speed and skills required of a Test No 8.
Smith, of course, played his heart out in typical fashion against Ireland, but he doesn’t possess the necessary physicality for a starting No 8, and is a far more dangerous option off the bench.
With Franco Mostert now joining other top locks, such as Lood de Jager and Jean Kleyn on the injured list, Bulls captain Ruan Nortjé makes a welcome return to the Bok squad, after being mysteriously omitted against Ireland and Portugal.
In the backs, Faf de Klerk’s injury will, hopefully, result in Grant Williams starting at No 9 against the Wallabies, although Bulls star Embrose Papier will again feel aggrieved at being left out in favour of Lions half-back Morné van den Berg.
“We believe this is the best group of players we could select for this tough assignment in the Championship,” Erasmus said yesterday via statement.
“We rested some players before the match against Portugal to recharge for this competition, and we are excited to see the energy they’ll bring back to the squad. We’ve also included a few younger players who made a strong statement in the Tests we played so far this season.”
Where do we even begin.🤌
The energy was off the charts.🙌
Thank you Bloem.🫶#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks pic.twitter.com/8z9d6EyCJg
The Bok squad will assemble in Johannesburg on Sunday for a camp before departing for Australia next Wednesday.
* Meanwhile, centre André Esterhuizen was suspended on Wednesday for three matches (if he completes the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme) for his dangerous tackle in the third minute against Portugal in Bloemfontein last weekend, which saw him earn a red card from the bunker after an initial yellow card from referee Hollie Davidson.
The hearing was undertaken by an Independent Disciplinary Committee chaired by Matthew Weaver KC (England) and joined by former player Jamie Corsi (Wales) and former international referee Valeriu Toma (Romania).
“The player accepted that foul play had occurred and that the offence warranted a red card,” World Rugby said in a statement.
“The Committee considered the appropriate entry point for the offending and decided that the offence warranted the mandatory mid-end entry point for offending involving contact with the head of six matches.
“Having considered the mitigating factors, the Committee decided not to award full 50 per cent mitigation to the sanction resulting in a sanction of four matches. An additional match may be removed from the sanction should the player complete the World Rugby Coaching Intervention for Sanction Mitigation (“CISM”) which applies to foul play involving Head Contact.
“The player is therefore suspended for the following matches: Sharks v Lions (27 July), Pumas v Sharks (3 August), Sharks v Griquas (11 August) and Cheetahs (17 August, which will be removed if he completes the ‘tackle school’ programme).”
That means that Esterhuizen will miss the first Test against Australia in Brisbane at least, and be available for the second clash in Perth.
Springbok Squad
Forwards: Ben-Jason Dixon, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Grobbelaar, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Elrigh Louw, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Salmaan Moerat, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortjé, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Backs: Lukhanyo Am, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Manie Libbok, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morné van den Berg, Grant Williams.
Injury or rehabilitation: Jean Kleyn, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert, Steven Kitshoff, Faf de Klerk, Jaden Hendrikse, Herschel Jantjies, Canan Moodie, Edwill van der Merwe, Damian Willemse. Suspended: Jasper Wiese.
Springbok Rugby Championship Fixtures (SA times)
August 10, 6.30am: Australia, Brisbane
August 17, 11.45am: Australia, Perth
August 31, 5pm: New Zealand, Johannesburg
September 7, 5pm: New Zealand, Cape Town
September 21, 11pm: Argentina, Santiago
September 28, 5pm: Argentina, Mbombela