Rassie Erasmus, the World Cup champion, is expected to oppose a contentious strategy for the All Blacks Tests. Rassie Erasmus, according to Springboks forward Deon Fourie, won’t support the same strategy that helped South Africa overcome the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final.
In the Rugby Championship’s third round, South Africa and New Zealand square off at Ellis Park. This is their first encounter since the Springboks defeated the Kiwis 12–11 in the World Cup final in Paris last year.
After Bongi Mbonambi was injured, Fourie entered the game as a substitute and played 77 minutes at hooker. Fourie was on the bench for the championship game.
The 37-year-old was one of the seven forward substitutes that former Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber placed on the bench for the match. Nienaber selected just one backline player for the match.
In the match against the All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium prior to the World Cup, South Africa triumphed handily 35-7, marking the third occasion the Springboks had employed the strategy of choosing a 7-1 bench. News for The Daily Rugby
The Springboks’ methods drew harsh criticism from former Scotland head coach Matt Williams, who said that they were “abusing the bench” and “against the spirit of the game.”
Deon Fourie predicts a 6-2 split for the Springboks
Rassie Erasmus is accused of “discriminating against backs” and the Springboks of “abusing rugby traditions.”
Fourie thinks Erasmus won’t employ the strategy when the teams play at Ellis Park, even if it helped the Springboks defeat the All Blacks in their last two encounters.
Fourie said to Rapport, “I doubt it will be used in the Test match at Ellis Park, but it (the 7-1 bench) can be considered again.” “With a 7-1 bench, you will not be able to replace many of the backline players who will get tired in such games. It’s going to be a fast Test match on the highveld with good weather.”
The seasoned forward predicts that the Springboks’ bench will be strong on forwards even though he thinks Erasmus will not support the contentious strategy. World Cup players skip the All Blacks match, and Rassie Erasmus is ready for another shocking selection to the Springboks. “I anticipate a 6-2 split, particularly now that Jasper [Wiese] is back and maybe RG as well,” he continued.
Reports state that Ox Nche will start for the Springboks off the bench. Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch, and Kwagga Smith are expected to join him, with Snyman, Wiese, and Marco van Staden probably occupying the other two forward positions. The backup positions for the backline will probably be filled by Grant Williams and Handre Pollard.
Fourie, who made his Springboks debut in 2022 at the age of the oldest, is recovering from a knee injury he had while playing for the Stormers. The 37-year-old said that he hopes to start playing again before the year is up. He remarked, “I’m already jogging again, but I probably won’t play until November.”
