Desperate measures for desperate times. The Springboks, having lost all three games on tour, have made eight changes for Saturday’s Test against New Zealand in Soweto. There are untried combinations everywhere in a match that bears little resemblance to what was considered a settled and powerful side at the beginning of the international season.
Moreover, coach Peter de Villiers has made it clear that a number of senior players will not travel north for the end-of-season Grand Slam Tour. The 2011 World Cup looms — about 13 months distant — and all thoughts now turn to it, with the Tri-Nations trophy already surrendered.
And so the question must be asked: Is this week’s team one of string and sealing wax, a hastily assembled side of the best available players, or is it the future? And, more importantly, can it beat the All Blacks? With just one log point required to assure them of yet another trophy, New Zealand could have been forgiven for picking a second team to travel to the Republic. That they have not also bears reference to the World Cup.
Four years ago All Blacks coach Graham Henry was busy assembling two distinct squads of interchangeable ability. He had a lot of success with the policy, including a Grand Slam in Britain and Ireland, but when push came to shove at the 2007 World Cup he did not know what his best team was. Having been controversially reappointed in the wake of what was deemed a national disgrace, he is not about to make the same mistake again.
It has been rashly assumed that home soil and the altitude factor will be enough to galvanise the Springboks into a match-winning performance. A predominantly white crowd, in excess of 80 000, depending on the uptake of tickets among Ellis Park suite holders, descending on Soweto for the first game of rugby at Soccer City expects to be able to party. They may be in for a wake instead.
This is an outstanding New Zealand team, with a rich blend of youth and experience. It is short on mega-stars — flyhalf Dan Carter and captain Richie McCaw both have their best days behind them — but as a unit it punches well above its weight.
Raining rugby balls
One fears for the Springbok back three and centre combination in particular. Fullback Gio Aplon and wings JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana can expect the sky to rain rugby balls on Saturday, for none of the trio has the kind of kicking game that would persuade the All Blacks to keep ball in hand when attacking from deep.
Equally, the Western Province centre combination of Jean de Villiers and Juan de Jongh looks better as a concept than it does as a reality. A few seasons ago De Villiers was the best inside centre in world rugby and he may be again, but he is a long way short of his best form at the moment and hasn’t played his favourite position since returning from Ulster.
De Jongh is a force going forward, but on Saturday he has to tackle the elusive Conrad Smith and help De Villiers stop the charging runs of Ma’a Nonu. These two have been instrumental in raising the level of the All Blacks’ game this season and it is hard to understand why it took Henry so long to give the pair a concerted run together.
One man who may make a difference for South Africa is Juan Smith. Since losing his father to Rift Valley Fever earlier this year, the great blindside flanker has been unavailable for the national side. He is the kind of foursquare player the rest of the team looks up to and his reassuring presence has been missed. For one thing, Smith’s inclusion will free up Schalk Burger to play more like a genuine openside — and that can only be a good thing.
One man who needs a good game is Pierre Spies. The Bulls eighth man can look so astonishing at times that it is difficult to understand how he can be so anonymous at others. The harsh truth may be that he lacks the rugby brain of, say, Gary Teichmann or Bob Skinstad.
A wing and a prayer
There are a few selections that rely on a wing and a prayer. A slew of injuries and suspensions are responsible for Flip van der Merwe joining Victor Matfield at lock and he may be found wanting. But it will be fun to see how Francois Hougaard copes with the big time as the starting scrumhalf.
The Bulls player began life as a scrumhalf but has played most of the past two seasons on the wing. But when he came on at scrumhalf in the final quarter against Australia in Brisbane it was plain to see that he made a difference. His pace over the ground to link the phases was impressive and he betrayed the kind of youthful enthusiasm all too obviously absent from the elder statesmen of the side.
The likelihood is that the All Blacks will continue in their winning way, but if a few of the coaching team’s gambles come off it may yet be a significant staging post on the way to next year’s World Cup.