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'He's clearly going to be a key part of the South African game plan': What Rassie Erasmus' comments on cohesion mean for the Springboks
The recent announcement of the 46-man Springboks squad to feature against the British & Irish Lions in a three-test series this July was both surprising and largely unsurprising in a variety of different ways.
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Much has been made of the fact that the Springboks are yet to play a test match together since their World Cup triumph nearly twenty months ago due predominantly to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Make no mistake, however, that when that first test kicks off on 24th July in Cape Town, Warren Gatland’s side will by no means be facing a dusty relic of the team that claimed that memorable 2019 World Cup win in Japan.
Having missed out on international rugby in 2020, South Africa’s current squad of players have nonetheless featured prominently for club teams across the globe – from the Top 14 to the Top League and from the Premiership to the recently established PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA. What might on first glance therefore seem to be a mish-mash of internationally-based players, is in fact on further inspection a tightly knit and established group of World Cup winners.
Indeed, of that 31-man World Cup squad, the only absentees in the current squad aside from the injured Warrick Gelant, are three retirees in Tendai Mtawarira, Francois Louw and Schalk Brits. All this is to say, that the current squad have at the very least a proven foundation to build upon.
“They’ve definitely gone with the ‘tried and true’,” commented Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall, speaking on this week’s episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod. “They’ve got eight new caps which is always good to see…but it’s a pretty settled, experienced squad.”
Certainly, on the topic of tried and tested, few players seem to fit the bill better than two of the potentially more surprising names chosen by head coach Jacques Nienaber and director of rugby Rassie Erasmus: 36-year-old Morné Steyn and 34-year-old Frans Steyn. Both are arguably legends of the South African game, the former a serial Super Rugby rugby record holder (second in points scored in the competition to only Dan Carter) as well as a three-time Super Rugby champion and the latter, a double World Cup winner.
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Moreover, both Steyns, as Lions fans will remember, featured in the memorable 2009 test series, with Morné in particular playing a major role in breaking the travelling fans’ hearts, in the dying seconds of the second test stepping up to land an ice-cold 50m penalty and take the Springboks to an unassailable two-nil series lead.
On Morné’s selection in 2021, Hall could see clear positives behind the decision. “I think Morné Steyn coming back adds a bit of experience and he’ll add depth to Handré Pollard and Elton Jantjies…it’s always good to have him.”
“It’s warranted on form,” Hall added of the ex-Stade Français playmaker Morné, who at the time of writing is top points scorer in the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA. “I think any time you can get a guy that’s that experienced, it only gives you confidence within your group… Jantjies and Pollard have been there probably the last three, four years, but any time you can bring a guy that’s experienced big moments and give them [Jantjies and Pollard] even just a conversation throughout the week they might need to hear… Having a calibre of player that has a pretty good understanding around big moments and big games and what it takes, I think you can’t buy those kinds of traits.”
A story from Bloemfontein that should spice up the already intriguing Premiership title race https://t.co/YpkUDEBPjB
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 9, 2021
Ex-Blues hooker James Parsons, who captained the Blues to a memorable victory over the Lions on their 2017 New Zealand tour also identified the selection of both Steyns as key to retaining a confident squad in light of retirees from the World Cup-winning group.
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“In terms of experience, these older guys … almost become extra coaches in the environment,” said Parsons. “They are so vital to have around in terms of helping out coaches and the group throughout the week, but also in the big moments in test matches. Lions test series are normally tight and it’s about having the ability of these guys to come on, kick long-range penalties, understand pressure moments and have a cool, calm head. They’re both confident guys with the boot, but also confident guys in their game, they know how they play, they’ve got a certain style, everyone around them knows how they play and they’ve done it for so long so everyone’s just confident around them.”
Kicking a winning penalty is an asset seemingly made for the high-pressure environment that Lions tests create. Think New Zealand back in 2017, where the Lions’ second test margin of victory was just three points, or the Australia tour of 2013 where two of the three tests were decided by two points or fewer and of course Morné Steyn’s winning kick back in 2009.
As Hall commented, “You can’t buy experience and you can’t buy guys that have had massive moments and are able to give it to those young players coming through, especially in a Lions series where there’s so much pressure and the margin for error is so small, when you’ve got guys like that who have a good understanding and can help you through that, they’re worth their weight in gold.”
That experience to bring people together might indeed prove priceless given the global flavour to the Springbok’s squad. Nienaber’s selection contains 24 South African-based players, five currently playing in Japan, eight based in France and nine from the UK and Ireland. But as Hall and Parsons reasoned, the bulk of experience is to be found in the pivotal areas.
“I think they’ve got a lot of experience in their loose forward trio and their midfielders,” said Hall. “They’ve got a lot of test caps in that kind of area so it’s pretty strong around those areas and pretty settled…They [Nienaber and Erasmus] have shown a lot of loyalty to a lot of those [World Cup winning] guys but they have got eight new caps as well who have been given an opportunity due to their form … so I think it’s pretty good.”
The likes of Aphelele Fassi, halfback Sanele Nohamba and sevens flyer Rosko Specman will all be relishing a chance to display their talent on such a big stage with the 32-year-old Specman, in particular, hoping to continue the form that saw him near the top of the scoring charts in last year’s brief Super Rugby Unlocked competition.
For Parsons, experience and Springbok success might come crucially from cohesion developed at club level, seen particularly in the selection of five Sale Sharks players who currently sit third in the Premiership table.
Wednesday is D-Day for Vermeulen and his Lions tour chances #Springboks #LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/f6GTTei9Dp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 9, 2021
“We had Ben Darwin on the ARP speaking about having that cohesion factor,” commented Parsons, “and it was interesting to hear Erasmus talk about the World Cup cohesion and guys that know each other really well, know the style of play really well.
“He [Erasmus] honed in on Sale Sharks and how there were a couple of players in there that he’s brought in because of the time they’ve spent with Faf de Klerk, how they know how he plays and how they regularly play with him. It just shows that one, he’s clearly going to be a key part of the South African gameplan, and two, that it clearly is a big factor in their squad selection for cohesion and squad connection in terms of being able to come together.
“They haven’t played test rugby for so long so he wants a group that knows each other, knows how to play and knows how to come together quickly and perform at a high level off a short run up.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Beaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
2 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
2 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
14 Go to comments