Durban - It may have cost him a valued Test match record for South Africa, but Jacques Nienaber is certainly the wiser for his controversial plan of using all 42 members of his squad for the three-test series against Wales.
And let’s be fair to the coach — if that vastly revamped team for the second Test had won in Bloemfontein — they led for 78 minutes of the match — Nienaber would have been hailed as a bold strategist who had preserved the Springboks’ unbeaten record against Wales on home soil while asking questions — and getting answers — of his greater squad as he escalated his pre-World Cup preparations.
In his first media interaction of the year, in March, Nienaber stressed that the World Cup can’t be won with an inexperienced squad and that he would prefer to take only players with at least 10 caps behind them, to stack up against his tried and tested, all of whom have upwards of 20 caps.
Well, that process of blooding the players who will back up his first-choice stalwarts began against Wales, and with the World Cup now 13 months — and about 15 Test matches — away, a foundation has been laid, plus some questions have been answered, and that is what Nienaber said he wanted when he made 14 changes to the side that had won the first Test.
Here are three things that we know at the end of July that we did not know at the beginning of it: Damian Willemse is ready to take over from Willie le Roux at fullback; young Jaden Hendrikse has the talent and poise to have a long career in the Springbok No 9 jersey; and Kurt-lee Arendse is cut from the same cloth as Cheslin Kolbe and is the man to fill Kolbe’s boots when he is injured and then take over from him one day.
Of the newcomers, I reckon those three were the big winners. Their stock has risen considerably and they surely will be part of Nienaber’s Rugby Championship plans.
Willemse started the Wales series with a suggestion that he is a jack of all trades but a master of none. He had played fullback, centre and flyhalf for the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and in one game had even moved to wing. Before that first Test in Pretoria, he told the media that he was comfortable with the utility back role and happy to be hailed as the new Frans Steyn, the Bomb Squad veteran who missed this series because of injury.
But after a heroic performance in the 32-29 win and an impressive game in the third Test, Willemse has proved that he can be more than an impact player. At age 24 and with 18 caps already, Willemse could have a major role to play in France 2023.
Even with Herschel Jantjies carrying an injury from his substitute role in Pretoria, Hendrikse was a surprise starter in Bloemfontein. Faf de Klerk had looked rusty at Loftus and many thought he would be given another game to find his best form, but in came the 22-year-old Shark, and while I felt he was slow with his clearing from the base, he did make good decisions.
Maybe his deliberated clearing was more to do with a conservative game based largely on box kicking because he was much slicker when he continued in Cape Town, where the Boks were more adventurous.
We should not forget that the excellent Cobus Reinach is just about over a long-term injury, but in such a vital position as scrumhalf, the longer the queue of accomplished players, the better.
Arendse was given his opportunity in Bloemfontein and although he had few attacking opportunities, he looked threatening when he did get the ball, while on defence he was tenacious and also safe under the high ball.
He is a gutsy player and is from the same mould as Kolbe himself. In fact, there is a Youtube video doing the rounds showing Arendse’s brilliant tries for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship and it is aptly titled, “The new Cheslin Kolbe”.
There were also URC stars blooded in Evan Roos and Elrigh Louw, and neither disappointed.
Louw was used in the first and third Tests as a substitute flanker and looked home at the highest level, while Roos had just the opening 40 minutes of the second Test.
If anything, it is reassuring for Bok fans to know that the gifted Roos has been capped and now cannot play for another country, but, of course, there is way more to it than that. I still think he will be the long-term successor to Duane Vermeulen, who missed this series because of injury, but is still Nienaber’s first choice for France.
Jasper Wiese began the Wales series as the first-choice No 8 in the absence of Vermeulen, but after his limited performances in the first and third Tests, this might have changed. Also, in the No 8 debate, Kwagga Smith can hardly be discounted after strong cameos in the position across the series.
IOL Sport