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EXCLUSIVE - Former Springbok on why England will win first ever series on South African soil

By Chris Jones
Springboks

England are coming off three successive Six Nations defeats but Schalk Brits makes Eddie Jones’s men favourite to win next month’s test series in South Africa and is backing recalls for Wasps Willie le Roux and Sale’s Faf de Klerk to bolster the Springboks cause.

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RugbyPass understands Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus is planning to fly Bismarck du Plessis home for the England series to cover for the loss of the Lions hooker Malcolm Marx who has a serious hamstring injury. The plan is to recall du Plessis once the hooker’s commitments to Montpellier are completed as they are in the Top14 play-offs. It means du Plessis cannot be considered for the Springboks test with Wales in Washington on June 2.

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While other members of the Springboks squad will have to deal with the jet lag problems created by the one-off test in America, du Plessis will be able to fly directly to South Africa from France for the series which starts in Johannesburg on June 9 followed by Bloemfontein (June 16) and Cape Town (June 23).

The knee injury suffered by Racing 92 outside half Pat Lambie in yesterday’s European Champions Cup final defeat by Leinster, rules him out of the England series making the return of le Roux and de Klerk even more timely as they are not only in great form but have crucial up-to-date experience of the England players who will be attempting to win a first ever series in South Africa.

For Brits, who is preparing to face le Roux in Saracens home Aviva Premiership play-off semi-final at Allianz Park on Saturday, the return of the Wasps fullback and de Klerk, the Sale Sharks scrumhalf, can only enhance the Springboks’ chances.

Lions and South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx

Brits, in his final season as a professional player, said: “Willie has been voted the Wasps supporters player of the season and Faf has got the same award at Sale. I have played with and against Willie and he creates space for others or makes something happen himself. From a full back perspective, we have been struggling in South Africa and he would bring a different dimension to the Bok side. During the World Cup in 2015 we were quite structured in the way we wanted to play and that inhibited some of his capabilities.

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“If you watch what Willie has been doing at Wasps this season then it is pretty phenomenal with 21 try assists. That stat alone show you what he brings to the team as well as being such a solid player and offers a kicking option. Willie would be an asset to any team.

Sale Sharks’ Faf de Klerk

“Faf instils passion into the game and it’s not like people are queuing up for the No.9 role with the Boks and it is up for grabs. It really comes down to what pattern Rassie wants to play and getting the right players to put that into operation. If he wants to bring in pace then pick Faf or bring him off the bench and let him do his magic.

“Faf has been playing outstanding rugby for Sale and his option taking has been really good and he has been a little pocket rocket. If I was his size I would be getting out of the way of the big hits but he puts himself right in the middle of things.”

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For Erasmus and whoever he chooses to take on England, the challenge will be significant and despite Jones being robbed by injury of key players including captain Dylan Hartley(Northampton) and the Bath pair of Antony Watson and Jonathan Joseph, Brits expects a difficult series for the Boks. He added: “England didn’t have a great Six Nations but they definitely go to South Africa as favourites because they have a squad that has been together for a long time. Rassie is striving, in a very short time, to get structures in place and losing guys like Jan Serfontein is a real blow.”

With Marx out with his hamstring injury, is Brits putting his own hand up for a test recall given his form for Saracens? “Of course, yes! I would love to finish my career playing for the Springboks and please give Rassie a call and tell him I am available!”

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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