Rassie Erasmus is set to welcome back a host of Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks players to his team for the clash against England on Saturday.
The Boks boss made 11 changes to his starting XV to take on Scotland at Murrayfield and deployed a 7-1 bench split in order to keep his players fresh for the clash against Steve Borthwick’s men at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The decision paid off as South Africa marched to a flattering 32-15 victory over Scotland and now the Springboks are set to return to their best matchday 23 to tackle the side they edged by a single point in the World Cup semi-finals.
Erasmus is set to name his team on Tuesday, so ahead of the clash we take a stab at predicting what the Springboks matchday 23 will look like to take on England.
Predicted Springboks team v England
15 Aphelele Fassi
The man dubbed ‘The Weekend Special’ was in stunning form for the Springboks during the Rugby Championship and is bound to get a look-in to the squad at some stage this November. Aphelele Fassi was not dropped from the squad but rather Willie Le Roux was given the chance to edge closer to 100 Test matches for the Springboks. This is where the question mark remains for Le Roux as Erasmus has stated that they will push to get Le Roux to the milestone but will that be this November or next June/July? The experienced playmaker was in fine form against Scotland but one has to think that Erasmus could want Le Roux to celebrate his 100th cap on home soil next year and if that’s the case then Fassi looks the go-to pick at full-back. Really, both players are quality operators and would not let the side down so Erasmus is spoilt for choice at the back and frankly throughout his team. There is always a chance Le Roux or Fassi feature from the bench too.
14 Cheslin Kolbe
Erasmus all but confirmed that Cheslin Kolbe would return to the starting XV for this week with the world-class speedster replacing Canan Moodie despite the youngster producing a strong performance against Scotland and why wouldn’t he. Kolbe has time and time again produced strong performances against England and rises to the challenge for the biggest games and despite Borthwick’s team’s form and recent results, this is a big Test.
13 Jesse Kriel
Another one that Erasmus all but confirmed as Jesse Kriel is set to return to the starting XV.
“Next week, it will probably be Damian and Jesse again,” the Springboks boss said after the win over Scotland.
Kriel has been sensational particularly on defence for South Africa since the Rugby World Cup last year and has thrived in the new attacking patterns implemented by Tony Brown. Lukhanyo Am was not poor by any stretch of the imagination but Kriel is currently in better form.
12 Damian de Allende
Copy and paste from the above. Damian de Allende has been superb for the Springboks this year and will almost certainly replace Andre Esterhuizen, who did impress with his shift against Scotland. There is a very good chance that Erasmus named the team to face England when the squad was still in Jersey a fortnight ago and there might be a tweak or two but not in the number 12 jumper.
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse
While Makazole Mapimpi grabbed a brace against Scotland, the veteran winger is bound to make way for Kurt-Lee Arendse this week. The team selected to play against the Scots smacked of a ‘second string’ selection and giving those guys that are pressing for more minutes an opportunity to shine. But the side that got the job done against Argentina or one close to that is bound to play England, which means that it is Arendse on the wing. Erasmus is always one to have a joker up his sleeve but we can’t see it being a shock call on the wing.
10 Manie Libbok
After Handre Pollard ran the show at fly-half against Scotland, we are predicting that Manie Libbok will return to the number 10 shirt against England. The playmaker has a bit of a point to prove after he was hooked off before half-time when these two sides met at the World Cup and it’s highly likely that Erasmus gives him that chance to stake his claim. He has issues off the tee but surely he would have been hard at work to rectify that, with Pollard set to be backing him up on the bench.
9 Grant Williams
With Libbok at 10, there could be yet another change at scrum-half with Grant Williams taking over from Jaden Hendrikse. Williams was excellent off the bench once again versus Scotland and has performed wonderfully in that role all year. However, he seems the perfect fit for the current attacking shape and is the form number nine. Cobus Reinach could well be the starting scrum-half too as this has been the position that Erasmus has chopped and changed the most this year.
8 Jasper Wiese
Kwagga Smith was underwhelming in his 50th appearance for the Springboks and is bound to return to his role on the bench this week. This will open the door for one of three possible starters at number eight: Elrigh Louw, Jasper Wiese or a Test debut for Cameron Hanekom. Wiese produced a strong shift off the bench against Scotland and we predict that many of those who were part of the ‘Bomb Squad’ at Murrayfield will start against England.
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
This one needs little to no explanation. Pieter-Steph du Toit is the best blindside flanker in the world and will be deployed to hunt down the England fly-halves. After a cameo against Scotland, he is bound to go the full 80 minutes at Twickenham.
6 Siya Kolisi
Siya Kolisi’s inclusion will only be down to the swelling around his eye as it looked almost completely shut after the final whistle at Murrayfield on Sunday. If he is not cleared for the showdown at Twickenham then it is bound to be either Smith or Marco van Staden at openside flanker while there is an outside chance that Hanekom gets the nod.
5 Franco Mostert
Franco Mostert wasn’t at his best against Scotland but that is understandable as he hasn’t played any rugby for five months, but Erasmus is likely to give him another shot in the starting jersey. He is bound to have RG Snyman on the bench and will happily pull the trigger if Mostert is up to scratch.
4 Eben Etzebeth
Another selection that needs almost no explanation. Eben Etzebeth is not the Springboks’ most-capped player of all-time by chance.
3 Thomas du Toit
There is an outside chance that Erasmus could turn to the scrummaging prowess and nous Premiership nous of Wilco Louw at tighthead prop but Thomas du Toit more than deserves another start, particularly after a starring performance against Scotland. Vincent Koch has been the consistent selection on the bench and it would be a surprise to see him omitted.
2 Bongi Mbonambi
It would be a shock to see Johan Grobbelaar in action at Twickenham but Erasmus has made bolder and more surprising calls. Bongi Mbonambi is almost certain to be the starting hooker with Malcolm Marx on the bench.
1 Ox Nche
Ox Nche has been arguably the best loosehead prop in international rugby this year and has started all of the Springboks’ big Test matches this year and that is unlikely to change despite the strong form of Gerhard Steenekamp off the bench. Erasmus has emphasised the need for fresh and powerful pack against England and Nche is the cornerstone of the front-row as the Springboks beef up their pack for Twickenham.
Replacements
Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Elrigh Louw, Cobus Reinach and Handre Pollard
Erasmus backed the 7-1 split against Scotland but we predict that he will go with one fewer forward against England. This will allow him to have Pollard as back-up to Libbok. The front-row replacements are bound to stay the same as will Snyman’s role. Smith and Louw has been used well in tandem recently off the bench and we predict that the Bok boss will refrain from the urge of selecting Jean Kleyn as a double-lock option.
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