Cunning Nienaber shuffle elevates - not reduces - series with Wales
Hold the phone. This isn’t what was promised on the tin. Springboks rugby doesn’t do whacky. It doesn’t do zany or experimental or wild. Springboks rugby is all about box kicks and murderous mauls and big men running over smaller men. That is what they do and we feel safe when they do it. Sure, there is space for some fleet-footed dazzler out wide, but he is a luxury player, nothing more than a string bend in a guitar solo that otherwise fits very neatly into the composition of a well-rehearsed song.
At least that is what Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber more or less said at the start of this series against Wales. He declared loudly and with a straight face that Test rugby is no place for experimentation. He set his jaw and without any semblance of insincerity stated that his team had a brand to uphold.
So what’s up with this latest Springboks team? There are six uncapped players in the second Test 23. Three last played in 2019. Two haven’t donned the green and gold since the Lions tour last year. Only four have kept their place from last week’s scrappy 32-29 win in Pretoria. To misquote Ron Burgundy, I’m not mad, I’m impressed.
It should be noted that there are eight World Cup winners in the squad, that they are captained by Handre Pollard who just won the Top 14 with Montpellier, and that the side is bolstered by the return of the 2019 world player of the year, Pieter-Steph du Toit. But it’s easier, perhaps more appealing, to overlook the familiar names and focus instead on those who are playing for more than just a Test victory.
Evan Roos at No8 is the most exciting of the newbies. The 22-year-old Stormers star shone in the United Rugby Championship and has looked born for the green and gold all season. He made 41 more successful carries and beat eleven more defenders than anyone else. He also won the fifth-most turnovers and made the eighth-most tackles in the competition.
The hot-stepping Kurt-Lee Arendse is the other uncapped player in the starting line-up with a further four on the bench, but there are other names littered across the squad that has been received with a sense of anticipation. Andre Esterhuizen starts at inside centre, eager to prove that his club form for Harlequins in England can translate to international level.
Warrick Gelant and Jaden Hendrikse are out to underline their credentials as linchpins capable of starting and finishing games while sticking to a tight game plan. And Thomas du Toit and Joseph Dweba will want to show that there are more than six world-class front-rowers in South Africa.
But this is less about the players and more about what their selection says of Nienaber’s plan 15 months out from a World Cup title defence. It also poses some interesting questions for a Welsh outfit that really can’t afford to lose to a team already labelled as second-stringers.
Edging the first Test has given Nienaber the luxury of rotation. He will be confident that his first-choice picks should get the job done in the third match if the need arises. It’s rare that fringe players are given game time in a contest that matters. The series has yet to be decided and Wales will treat this as a must-win encounter.
Besides – and this is a crucial point – all of the fresh faces have been placed alongside an experienced head. Roos has 88 Test caps alongside him in the back row with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Marcel Coetzee for company. Hendrikse’s first port of call at fly-half is Pollard and his 60 caps. Jesse Kriel – 51 caps – is positioned in the middle of an inexperienced backline while Dweba will pack down alongside Trevor Nyakane playing his 55th Test. This is not a haphazardly selected side.
As for Wales, Saturday’s showdown could be the most important match of Wayne Pivac’s career. Few expected his team to win this series. Many expected his team to lose every match by a considerable margin, but that was before Nienaber pulled a Kansas City Shuffle. Now, all the pressure is on Dan Biggar and his mates.
Some Welsh writers and fans have argued that Nienaber’s selection devalues the series. They have suggested this implies that the South Africans regard Wales as a second-rate power not worthy of their household names.
It’s understood where they are coming from. South Africa and Wales are two countries that need very little encouragement to feel aggrieved. National insecurities cut deep and we have both been on the receiving end of English dominion. It’s on the rugby field that the collective self-doubt is banished. If the roles had been reversed South Africans would likely consider this a sleight as well.
But devaluing the integrity of the series? I don’t think so. A win would certainly be caveated but then again, isn’t every victory? Isn’t there always a referee to blame, a particular player at fault or a moment that can be pinpointed as the reason why your side lost? There is no pleasing some people and Welsh fans should remind themselves that this is still a strong South African team, no matter how many accumulative caps they have.
A defeat would of course sting, it may even be humiliating, but let’s remind ourselves that a full-strength Wales team succumbed to Italy at home for the first time only a few months ago. We’re hardly in the midst of a golden age of Welsh rugby. Would a reverse in Bloemfontein really rank among the worst days in Wales’ 141-year history?
If anything, what the Springboks have done elevates the series. It introduces us to new names and might serve up a greater spectacle filled with protagonists on the hunt for glory. It might also force Pivac’s hand and culminate in a bit of razzmatazz from the visitors.
Whatever transpires, we now know one thing’s for sure: Nienaber is a lot more cunning than he lets on. Then again, he has been rubbing shoulders with Rassie Erasmus for the better part of three decades.
Comments on RugbyPass
It’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
24 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
24 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
2 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
24 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to commentsDoes the AI take into account refs? hahaha Seriously why not have two on field refs to avoid bias?
24 Go to comments