Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus made only one change to the matchday 23 for the fourth Test against the All Blacks from the side that won the third Test 29-24 last week.
It says everything about the Springboks’ depth in most positions that losing the brilliance of the generational talent Cheslin Kolbe for the fourth Test of the Greatest Rivalry series doesn’t feel like a crisis.
That’s because Damian Willemse, the classy utility back, brings equal brilliance to the squad, but in a slightly different way than Kolbe.
Kolbe sustained a broken jaw just six minutes into last Saturday’s epic third Test and has undergone surgery, while Willemse, who started the first two Tests, missed last week with a hamstring niggle.
He brings command of the aerial game as one of the best under a high ball in rugby, as well as excellent attacking and kicking skills.
There are not many players who could adequately fill the Kolbe void, but Willemse is comfortably capable.
Willemse is the only change to the match squad, although scrumhalf Morné van den Berg is set to make his fifth start in his tenth Test, with Cobus Reinach rotated on to the bench.
This is the third week in a row that coach Rassie Erasmus has sought to keep changes to a minimum as he seeks to retain momentum to finish the job by taking the series 3-1. He is rewarding form and consistency.
Van den Berg was excellent off the bench in Soweto, and at the age of 28, has both experience and relative youth on his side to lock down his place for years to come.
“Krappies [Van den Berg] is not a youngster, and we have been tracking him for a while. But he’s just been unfortunate with injuries at bad times,” said Erasmus.
“There have also been some really good scrumhalves ahead of him in the past few years. But with Grant Williams injured, Krappies got his chance. And whenever he’s been with us over the past few years, he’s always contributed with analysis. Last week, when he got his opportunity, he did really well, and we think he deserves a start.”
Despite his strong showing from the bench last week, flyhalf Manie Libbok will fulfil the same role this weekend with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who spent most of the third Test at fullback, starting in the No 10 shirt.
While the Boks cannot lose the series thanks to winning the second and third Tests in Cape Town and Soweto, respectively, after losing the opening clash at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Erasmus wants to finish the job with another victory to make it 3-1.
After last week’s emotional high at the FNB Stadium with a crowd of 85,976 fans baying for victory, the situation will be a little different in Baltimore, US, which is a neutral venue in front of a largely non-rugby crowd.
The big games are often decided on one or two key moments and sometimes those moments are manufactured through mentality, rather than skill.
So what triggers will Erasmus pull this week, and what emotional source will he tap into to motivate the players after such a high in Soweto, in an unfamiliar venue?
“People might get tired of hearing this, but you never stop playing,” said Erasmus. “We’ve played matches, such as the 2021 British & Irish Lions series, in front of no spectators [due to Covid], so we try to remind ourselves of that.
“We’ve played in neutral venues against New Zealand before. Obviously we play for ourselves, our families and our teammates. But we saw last weekend again how South Africa supports us.
“And we remember those things, and we are obviously going to play for them. Last week was really emotional. It would have been terrible to lose there, after the support we had.”
The Boks and the All Blacks left together on a charter flight, departing Johannesburg at 2am on Sunday, flying for nine hours to Spain and then on to Washington, DC.
Although the players shared the same plane, and Erasmus confirmed he had a beer with his counterpart, Dave Rennie, he said there wasn’t too much mingling as both squads tried to get some sleep.
Erasmus sagely predicted that the series would be decided in Tests three and four, and after splitting the first two, the Boks have the edge. Erasmus wants to complete the job, and not bring home half a trophy – it has been designed to split in two should the series be drawn.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we want to win, and I think they will give everything to win as well,” said Erasmus.
“I don’t agree with some of the comments that the series was decided in South Africa [when the Boks went 2-1 up]. We’ve all known for a long time that there is a fourth Test in Baltimore.
“Initially, we didn’t know how a winner would be decided if it finishes 2-2, but there was an agreement to share it in that case. We’ve all known the rules for months, so we are preparing to win the match. That is our only goal, as I’m sure it’s theirs.
“If we don’t win, then we have achieved nothing.” DM
Springbok squad for fourth Test
Team: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Reserves: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.
