SPOTLIGHT: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus is keen to see how his squad deals with different scenarios after he revealed a seven-one bench split between forwards and backs for Sunday’s clash against Scotland.
The last time the Boks used that tactic was in last year’s World Cup Final against the All Blacks.
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Grant Williams is the solitary backline player on the bench this time with Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese providing the forward cover.
With Kolisi on the bench, veteran lock Eben Etzebeth will captain the side.
Erasmus also has an eye on the England clash at Twickenham next Saturday and the six-day turnaround was a factor when he selected his matchday squad for the Murrayfield clash.
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“At the World Cup we also had a six-day turnaround before we played England and we relied heavily on our forwards,” said Erasmus.
“Our forwards really struggled, and we almost didn’t pull that game through.
“We thought that if we go seven-one, we can split the load between the two packs.
Erasmus added: “It’s a big burden on the backline.
“Kwagga [Smith] will be covering one or two positions in the backline just because he is a Sevens player and he can do that.
“It’s not that we think the Scottish pack is weak. The way they contest and the way [assistant coach] Pieter de Villiers coached them, they are going to be really competitive.
“With this specific backline, we feel there is not a lot of old men, except for Willie [le Roux], who is two Test matches away from 100.
“We all know we’ve got [Aphelele] Fassi and Damian Willemse, who will go to the next World Cup.
“I told the backs, ‘Please don’ t tell me you are cramping on Saturday. I am not going to listen’.”
