Christchurch – Springbok #876 ... it’s got a nice ring to it, hasn’t it? Well, that’s what Malcolm Marx will become if he gets game-time for the Boks in Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks at AMI Stadium.
The 22-year-old Lions rookie was on Wednesday included in the matchday 23 by coach Allister Coetzee, coming in for Bongi Mbonambi.
Marx’s inclusion in the squad comes as no surprise after first catching the attention playing for the SA U-20 team and then shining for the Lions in Super Rugby. He was at one stage labelled “the next Bismarck du Plessis” by his provincial coach Johan Ackermann, who in fact said Marx could be an even better player.
“He’s got all the physical attributes you want in a hooker ... he’s got a real presence at ruck time, he attacks the breakdown, and he plays like another loose-forward. In my view he can be the next Bismarck du Plessis. He’s also very mobile which is a big asset,” said Ackermann a year ago when Marx burst on the scene.
Like Du Plessis, Marx is big and powerful, standing 1.88m tall and tipping the scales at 116kg, but he’s also got a real turn of speed.
Coetzee said it was important to give Marx a run now, especially because current hooker and captain Adriaan Strauss will retire from Test rugby at the end of the year.
“Malcolm has huge potential and we have a plan for him and Bongi Mbonambi because of Adriaan’s retirement. Malcolm now gets a chance on the bench and it would be great to see him in action, should he get the chance to go onto the park,” said Coetzee when he named his team.
Also included on the bench is 32-year-old Willem Alberts, who joined the squad only on Tuesday after replacing the injured Lood de Jager (knee). The Stade Francais man, also known as “The Bone Collector” because of his crushing tackles, is in superb form after recently playing back-to-back games for his French club.
“I have decided on a six two split on the bench again as I believe Willem and Jaco (Kriel) will each make a big impact when they enter the field of play,” explained Coetzee. The Bok boss is keen to get a big and powerful ball-carrier into his squad following the non-availability of Duane Vermeulen, who is injured and Alberts could fulfil that role.
Also back on the bench is centre Damian de Allende, who replaces Lionel Mapoe, because he covers 12 and 13.
The big changes in the starting team are in the front row and at lock where Vincent Koch comes in for his fifth Test start, replacing Lourens Adriaanse, while Pieter-Steph du Toit will make feature in his first match against the All Blacks, alongside his Stormers partner Eben Etzebeth.
The rest of the side that played against and lost to the Wallabies last weekend is unchanged.
Boks: Johan Goosen, Bryan Habana, Jesse Kriel, Juan de Jongh, Francois Hougaard, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley, Oupa Mohoje, Francois Louw, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Adriaan Strauss, Beast Mtawarira. Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Lourens Adriaanse, Franco Mostert, Willem Alberts, Jaco Kriel, Morne Steyn, Damian de Allende
Independent Media