Mike Greenaway
Jordan Hendrikse, the youngest Springbok on tour, succinctly said what all of us know about coach Rassie Erasmus with his words “the coach is always five steps ahead of us.”
Hendrikse was speaking on the Boks’ arrival in Edinburgh after a week of training on Jersey and his words sum up the gift of the Springbok coach. It is telling that not even the players in the current squad know what is up the Erasmus’s sleeve, so good luck to the opposition.
That said, we can expect that the starting XV to play Scotland on Sunday will not depart too much from the combination that walloped Argentina in the Rugby Championship decider in Mbombela in late September, the last time the Boks played. Erasmus is famous for his left field selections and it is certain that he will have enjoyed the performance of Siya Kolisi at No 8 in the Sharks’ emphatic defeat of Munster in the recent United Rugby Championship match in Durban.
Kolisi played in that position for the Stormers shortly before his move to Durban in 2021 and Sharks coach John Plumtree believes it could be the Bok captain’s best position. Plumtree feels that the extra time given to Kolisi at No 8 allows him to better exhibit his ball-carrying and off-loading skills.
Kolisi was excellent in all of the above against Munster and Erasmus will be considering that a move to No 8 could prolong the career of the captain. Kolisi is 33 and the World Cup in Australia in 2027 is a distant dream for him as an openside flanker but at No 8, there is a better chance of him making it.
Bok legend Duane Vermeulen played in the position at age 36 for the Boks in the last World Cup and that will give Erasmus the belief that Kolisi can do something similar. At No 8, Erasmus currently prefers the hard-working Jasper Wiese and he has called up Bulls phenomenon Cameron Hanekom, but do not be shocked if the Bok coach gives his captain a shot at No8.
Vermeulen is in the Bok fold and he will be telling Erasmus that Kolisi has the skills to change position late in his career and that will keep alive Kolisi’s nation-binding leadership until 2027. Kolisi has said that it is never too late for him to learn and this tour of Scotland, England and Wales gives him yet more scope to evolve.