The Springbok team announcement has been delayed for a second week in a row. The decision around Lood de Jager coupled with the physical nature of the match against France has probably forced the management’s hand.
This gives NovaNews another opportunity to predict who will be in the starting XV come Saturday against Italy. Don’t be surprised if the squad is rotated quite a bit. Rassie will be keeping one eye on the Irish the week after.
The Italians beat the Wallabies at the weekend, so maybe the rotation will not be as much as anticipated. Let’s have a crack at trying to predict who Rassie will select.
1. Boan Venter – Rassie has backed Boan against a strong French pack, after the injury to Ox Nché. He performed admirably in the pressure cooker. He was taken off early, but we believe the management will back him again.
2. Johan Grobbelaar – While the amount of adjectives for how well Marx has been playing are running low, we believe he is in for a rest. He might be selected on the bench as an insurance policy. I would keep him fresh for the Irish who would want to make a statement against the Boks.
3. Thomas du Toit – Who can pick between Wilco Louw and Thomas du Toit. Both are monstrous front rowers. Du Toit might just be that little more versatile in open play than Wilco, while Wilco’s ability to close out matches with his raw power has no equal.
4. Eben Etzebeth – Resting Etzebeth for Ireland might be something that Rassie would consider, but given his lukewarm outing against the French it is probably best to give him another go. He wasn’t as commanding as he is known to be. Another go at another physical side might boost his confidence for a tough match against the Irish.
5. Ruan Nortje – Nortje has been a rock for the Boks. He has always been solid when called upon doing his job in the lineouts and around the rucks with teutonic efficiency.
6. Siya Kolisi – The red card against Lood de Jager robbed Siya of the full experience of his 100th test match. He came off to make way for Ruan Nortje to shore up the pack. He might deserve another outing. His leadership is also something to consider, with many possible changes, Kolisi will bring that on-field calm and cohesion.
7. Franco Mostert – Although we want to see the Malmesbury missile play every minute of every match until eternity, he might be rested so he can put in another shift at 130% against the Irish.
8. Ben-Jason Dixon – Jasper Wiese has been as good as Malcolm Marx for the Boks. He is a phenomenal player. He does however deserve a rest so he can be firing at all cylinders for the Irish. Dixon deserves a chance and this could be a good match to ease him into the setup with the experience of Siya and Mostert around him.
9. Grant Williams – Williams was electric from the bench against the Japanese and the French and his eagle eyes will be a threat for the Italians.
10. Handré Pollard – Which other team can boast almost the type of depth as the Boks. Whether Manie Libbok or Pollard starts the game, supporters would be happy. Once again an experienced campaigner with ice in his veins is a good choice. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed a few kicks early on against the French, when he moved to fullback he looked much better. Very few flyhalves can dictate the tempo of a game like Pollard, which will be something the Boks need if they pick less experienced players.
11. Ethan Hooker – There has been talk that Hooker might be used as an inside centre, but for our money he would be great at 11, very good under a high ball, which is something the Italians did against the Wallabies.
12. André Esterhuizen – He is known now as a hybrid player, which is why he gets the nod for 12, just to give De Allende a rest. This also opens up options on the bench for the Boks.
13. Jesse Kriel – The more he plays the better Kriel gets. His defensive decision-making in the midfield is unmatched. This skill was a big reason the Boks survived while being down to 14 men against France.
14. Canan Moodie – Would love to see him play more in the 14 jersey, he is one of the best under the high ball, and finishes chances with the best of them. The Italians employed a kicking game against the Wallabies which they will try against the Boks. Moodie is best placed to deal with this threat.
15. Damian Willemse – Wasn’t terrible against France but caught out of position a few times. He deserves another go as his quality is something special.
In the previous prediction Nova News selected 10 out of the 15 players that eventually started against France. For this match Rassie might play around a bit more and give some players a chance while not sacrificing team cohesion. the competitive edge of the Boks. The official team announcement will take place on Thursday.
The match kicks off at 14:40, local time.
