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Why Nienaber is convinced picking Smith for Vermeulen isn't risky
Jacques Nienaber would have you believe that it is no big deal picking Kwagga Smith as the Springboks No8 to face the Lions next Saturday in Cape Town in place of the injured Duane Vermeulen, who damaged his ankle in a June Rainbow Cup match and hasn’t been able to make a Lazarus-like return similar to Alun Wyn Jones, the Lions skipper who had a shoulder dislocation on June 26.
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The talk this past month had been about the uncapped Jasper Wiese and the rich “knocking down the door” form he had shown this past year Leicester. However, rather than go with a player who packed down at No8 in the midweek win for South Africa A last week over the Lions, Nienaber has gone with Smith who featured in that position for the first time in the early July win over Georgia.
The inclusion of Smith, a 28-year-old with seven caps who stands at 180cms and weighs 95kgs, certainly isn’t a like-for-like swap for Vermeulen, the 35-year-old with 54 caps who is 193cms and 117kgs. There is a seven-year age gap, a 13cm difference in height, a 22kg difference in weight and 47 caps of a difference in experience.
And yet Springboks boss Nienaber has every confidence that Smith won’t be found wanting coming into the jersey for Vermeulen, the man of the match at the 2019 World Cup final. “Duane is a guy that can get and stop momentum. He is a big boy, a heavy guy, and he gets and stops momentum in a specific way but a guy like Kwagga does exactly the same for us but just maybe a little bit different,” insisted the new head coach.
“Kwagga comes from a sevens background, probably gets momentum with his evasion, with his evasive skillset which he learned in sevens where they have to handle big players, Fijian players. He has had to develop that skill set over the years.
A six/two forwards/backs bench split played a major part in the 2019 World Cup success but this divvy up has now been shelved by the Springboks#LionsSA2021 #LionsRugby #CastleLionsSerieshttps://t.co/XHihTLWtgL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2021
“People will look at it and go, ‘How can you say that?’ But it gives us the same. There is a different style in a different way. If you think about Duane defensively, he is a good reader of the game, he has got a good poaching ability to slow down the ball and Kwagga possesses the same skillset, just a little bit different. It is a little bit of a different look than we normally have in the back row but we were comfortable with Kwagga.
“He filled that role for us in the World Cup as well and I’m looking forward to seeing him play there. In 2019 when we played away to New Zealand, Kwagga was also in that team, partnered up with Duane. Siya (Kolisi) was injured at that stage. That is the nice thing about Kwagga – he covers us at six, seven and eight.”
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Springboks roll out their RWC stars to face the Lions in Cape Town this Saturday
#LionsRugby #CastleLionsSeries #LionsSA2021https://t.co/V1dBOCptOP— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Results 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.
1 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?
1 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 commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to comments