Breaking down Rassie's 10 best options for the 'Bok Backrow'
One thing the Springboks have never been short of is quality loose forwards, think Andre Venter, Schalk Burger, Gary Teichmann or even newly appointed Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus to name a few.
The list is endless and there is a continuous conveyor belt of quality flankers and No 8’s to select from. The new Springbok coaching team has plenty of options available to them but the combination of the loose trio is usually more important than specific individuals.
The uncertainty around the makeup of the loose trio is even more complex with three potential front-runners in the mix for the captaincy in Warren Whiteley, Siya Kolisi and Duane Vermeulen.
Here we look at some of the choices for the year ahead and leading into Japan 2019.
Warren Whiteley was Allister Coetzee’s captain and it is no secret that the men in Green and Gold missed his leadership in a poor 2017. The Lions’ No 8 is extremely mobile and not your traditional South African eighthman. The Glenwood old boy has extremely good linking skills and his balls skills alongside his elusive running makes him an extremely good all-round package for the loose trio. There are questions being raised around his injuries and his continuous playing schedule in Japan and South Africa needs to be managed.
The Thor-like Duane Vermeulen is a bruising ball carrier that continually gets over the advantage line. The 31-year-old has a thunderous tackle and is extremely effective in the tight loose. A major concern is the fact that his future still seems to be uncertain as to where he will base himself. He is perfectly suited for the northern hemisphere where it is all about inches. The hard fields of the southern hemisphere haven’t been a familiar place of late for the Toulon loose forward and one feels he will have to get down south to add to his tally of test caps. An extremely good blindside option.
Siya Kolisi had an incredible 2017 and firmly put himself on the map from an international point of view. The Stormers’ captain was only second best to Malcolm Marx as SA Rugby Player of the Year. Kolisi is an extremely talented ball carrier and mobile loose forward who adds a massive amount when the game loosens up. At 1.88 metres and 105 kilograms he is not big enough for the blindside when compared to the likes of Jerome Kaino and Scott Fardy, he is also not an out and out openside flanker. Eddie Jones referred to Chris Robshaw as a six-and-a-half and the same could be said of Kolisi who offers plenty to the loose trio.
Franco Mostert is a definite dark horse among the names mentioned but is a player that will add immense value to a Springbok pack. He has a massive engine and gets through a truckload of work in the loose. The former Tukkies stalwart is a fantastic lineout option and his athleticism is second to none. Mostert will need to gain some experience on the side of the scrum if the 27-year-old is to be considered, however he could potentially be an extremely exciting choice with all the second-row options available.
Roelof Smit could be the bolter among this group. The Bulls openside flanker gets through an enormous amount of work in the loose and creates havoc at ruck time, slowing down opposition ball and turning over possession regularly. Smit has unfortunately had a string of injuries and needs a run of games to be considered, he is definitely an outsider but has plenty to offer the Boks if they are looking for something different.
Francois Louw has been a consistent performer in the Green and Gold and doesn’t always get the credit he deserves. The opensider who plies his trade in Bath is a menace at the breakdown and makes a massive amount of tackles for both club and country. He is rated as one of the best in Europe, which speaks volumes taking in to account the quality of scavengers up north. The former Western Province loose forward is dependable and still has plenty to offer the Springboks.
The loose forwards stock is bursting at the seams with quality players, particularly when you still have Pieter Steph Du Toit, Nizaam Carr, Cobus Wiese and the Du Preez twins also in contention. The challenge for Erasmus remains to get the combination right.
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
69 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments