Nelspruit - There would have been a number of hurdles Springbok coach Allister Coetzee would have had to jump in selecting his team to play Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday (5.05pm).
Coetzee, though, is confident he has struck the right balance of youth and experience in his team to contain and subdue the bravado of the Pumas.
There were obvious vacancies that needed to be filled at fullback, prop and flank, and Coetzee made the obvious choices with the sentiments that he’d shared openly about Johan Goosen, Julian Redelinghuys and Teboho Mohoje.
Coetzee’s choices would have struck the right cord with the general public sentiment, especially that of Goosen and Redelinghuys, but there will be some who differ about Mohoje, Lood de Jager and the return of Bryan Habana.
Goosen will make a return to the Springbok team after a two-year hiatus and will duly start at fullback, while Redelinghuys will earn his first start with injuries to Frans Malherbe and Trevor Nyakane.
Mohoje also finds himself the beneficiary of the way Coetzee wants the Springboks to play and he will be tasked with a lot of the ball-carrying duties, while his line-out skills will also come in handy.
Mohoje will form a new loose trio combination with openside flank Francois Louw and Warren Whiteley at No 8.
With the Springboks expecting a physical onslaught from Argentina, Coetzee had to apply his mind and not be driven by emotion, and that is why the brute force of De Jager got the nod ahead of Pieter-Steph du Toit at lock and Habana coming in to lend his experience and leadership qualities to an inexperienced backline.
Coetzee would have mulled over his decision to break up the Stormers lock combination of Du Toit and Eben Etzebeth but it was the brutality with which De Jager approaches the game that Coetzee will seek in the early exchanges against Los Pumas.
De Jager has not played since the first Test against Ireland in June but Coetzee will look to the lanky Cheetahs man to give them plenty of grunt up front against an equally confrontational Argentinian side who thrive off set-piece dominance.
It was more a case of horses for courses but also with the hope that the game will open up later for the athleticism of Du Toit to be fully exploited by the Springboks.
“It worked for the Stormers but us as an international team we looked at what we are facing for this weekend. I know their challenge will be up front. Lood hasn’t played Test rugby in a while and I think it is better to start with him where we will try to get set-piece dominance. We’ve got a plan with our impact coming off the bench and Pieter-Steph fits that bill coming off the bench with his athleticism and when the game opens up, he will be the right guy,” said Coetzee yesterday.
Habana, who has been named as vice-captain, also seems to be the right guy in making sure that everyone keeps cool heads among the backs, and all of his 117 caps and decade-long service to the Springboks' cause will surely be of great value to a backline.
“If you look at the backs and the number of caps, there are 153 in total and you take Bryan’s 117 caps away, we are only left with 36. It shows how young the backline division is and we experienced that in the Test series against Ireland. It’s imperative Bryan’s role here and he knows he has to perform and play well. But secondly, he’s got to ensure that he shares and imparts his knowledge to that young group of backline players. I think it is invaluable, you don’t buy experience somewhere else. It makes life easier, it gives direction and clarity in the team, and that is why Bryan is here. He has a job to perform, not just on the field but also off the field,” Coetzee said.
With a team closer to the game he wants to play, Coetzee wants big improvements to the way in which they played in the series against Ireland and has warned of the onslaught that awaits them from a teamwho have now joined the elite nations as a rugby powerhouse.
“We’ve got to improve in a big way, not just little improvements. If you want to improve in small batches then a team like Argentina will put you to the sword. They are a world force in rugby and not just a team that is growing. They are a quality side and a rugby powerhouse and we will be facing a massive forward onslaught. It starts with the scrummaging and we need to have dominance or parity and have it on our terms.
“I still believe that it will be a massive set-piece battle and we have quality backs who we need to give good possession to and they will finish,” said Coetzee.
TEAMS
South Africa: Johan Goosen, Ruan Combrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Damian de Allende, Bryan Habana, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley, Oupa Mohoje, Francois Louw, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Julian Redelinghuys, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jaco Kriel, Rudy Paige, Juan de Jongh, Jesse Kriel
Argentina: Joaquín Tuculet, Santiago Cordero, Matas Orlando, Juan Martín Hernández, Manuel Montero, Nicolás Sánchez, Martín Landajo, Facundo Isa, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Matías Alemanno, Ramiro Herrera, Agustín Creevy (captain), Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: Julián Montoya, Felipe Arregui, Enrique Pieretto, Guido Petti, Javier Ortega Desio, Tomas Cubelli, Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, Ramiro Moyano
The Star