The Springboks’ Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Port Elizabeth today is going to be special.
The Boks haven’t lost a Test at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and it’s also a chance for them to secure back-to-back Championship wins for the first time this season.
Wynona Louw looks at five SA players who could light up PE...
Cheslin Kolbe
Kolbe’s inclusion is one that cannot help but excite.
His stint in the No 14 jumper will be his first starting berth for the Boks, and if his contributions in that stunning 36-34 victory over the All Blacks in Wellington is anything to go by, then we can most probably expect to see more fine play on attack.
In the build-up to today’s match, Kolbe said that playing against bigger opposition excites him, so there shouldn’t be too much skepticism when it comes to his willingness to play a role in defence as well (and, after all, he’s showed he can do that).
Cheslin Kolbe will looking to make an exciting impact for the Boks. Photo: Deryck Foster/BackpagePix
Aphiwe Dyantyi
Not much of an explanation needed here. Vivid images of his performance against the All Blacks should still be in the mind of many a Bok fan, especially if that fan wants to visualise exactly what coach Rassie Erasmus’s men can do on attack.
He’s potent when his strides hit 100 percent, and we’ve seen it. The All Blacks have seen it. So can there really be any surprise as to why Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete singled him out as the man his side are going to have to watch?
Dyantyi, along with Willie le Roux and Kolbe, just have to make sure they grab those high balls the Aussies might be booting their way.
Aphiwe Dyantyi has been one of the standout performers for the Springboks so far. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Sikhumbuzo Notshe
Western Province coach John Dobson has spoken about Notshe’s growth in the physicality department more than once.
We all know about his feet, his skill and his linking play, but he’s also backed up Dobson’s statements a number of times. He can mix that up with his typically exciting contributions.
The Stormers loosie has been impressive as an impact player, but his starting chance with the Boks is well-deserved, and perhaps overdue.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe has the physicality that the Springboks will need against Australia. Photo: Steve Haag/BackpagePix
Malcolm Marx
There’s probably not a lot that can still be said about Marx. His destructive ways in the loose with ball-in-hand have seen him cause his opposition all sorts of problems.
And if ever there was a time the Boks are going to need his breakdown brawn, it’s today. He can be immovable there.
And as long as he helps the Bok line-out function today, he doesn’t have too much else to worry about.
Malcolm Marx is the one player the Boks can rely on if they find themselves in trouble against Australia. Photo: Deryck Foster/BackpagePix
Steven Kitshoff
He was massive against New Zealand, and no one can say that he didn’t make proper use of his second start in a row in the place of Tendai Mtawarira.
This week, though, he’ll be expected to add some fuel in the second half, and given his last performance – one in which he did what he had to when it came to the basics, carried like a man on a mission and just produced an overall menacing performance (against the Kiwis of course) – we probably have a fairly good idea of what to expect from him today.
He sure has a lot to add in Nelson Mandela Bay.
