Among the oldest clichés in the rugby book are “it all starts in the front row” and “it is won and lost up front”, and an addendum to both would be that experienced hands are crucial in the murky underworld inhabited by props and hookers where an ambush lurks at each engagement.
In this department, the Springboks will certainly not lack gnarled veterans in New Zealand. In fact, four years on from the triumph in France, the only front row forward from the Jake White era not available for Rugby World Cup 2011 is Os du Randt.
The Boks finished their campaign in Paris with CJ van der Linde, John Smit and Du Randt as the front row, with the Du Plessis brothers providing back-up along with Gurthro Steenkamp and Gary Botha.
Jannie du Plessis, in his first year of international rugby, had joined the squad for the quarter-final against Fiji after BJ Botha had suffered a serious knee injury against the US while Bismarck was a replacement for Pierre Spies, who had withdrawn just before the squad’s departure to France because of a blood disorder.
Botha is technically still available, too, but the Ulster-based tighthead will be out of favour with the national selectors unless there are serious injuries to home-based players.
Interestingly, it was captain John Smit who had convinced White to replace the No8 with Bismarck, who he had been grooming at the Sharks, and four years on there is a raging debate as to whether Smit’s leadership should be preferred in the No 2 jersey to Du Plessis’s muscular presence.
Smit played well at hooker for the Sharks when Bismarck was injured midway through the current Super Rugby season but latterly has been moved to loosehead prop by John Plumtree.
However, Peter de Villiers has made it clear that Smit will play hooker at the World Cup, finish and klaar, whether the critics like it or not, although it has also been suggested by some that Smit may be a “travelling captain” for some matches, with Bismarck starting.
But it is doubtful that De Villiers will undermine Smit in that way.
After Smit and Bismarck, there are a number of in-form hookers queuing up. Chiliboy Ralepelle has been playing well for the Bulls when Gary Botha has been injured (the veteran has also been in vintage form) and on top of their games are Deon Fourie of the Stormers and Adriaan Strauss (Cheetahs).
In Super Rugby this year, Springbok-quality tighthead props have been thin on the ground. Werner Kruger has done well for the Bulls and WP Nel is certainly one for the future and has excelled in an excellent Cheetahs front row alongside Strauss and Coenie Oosthuizen, but De Villiers will not look past Jannie du Plessis and Van der Linde, and will choose to overlook the impressive claims of Brian Mujati, who has been the talk of the English Premiership.
There has been no such shortage of loosehead props playing well in Super Rugby. Steenkamp has been injured and in his absence, Beast Mtawarira – Steenkamp’s chief rival for the Test starting spot – has been exceptional. So, too, has Oosthuizen, but again the Bok coach will regard the Free Stater as one for the future.
The Bulls’ Dean Greyling is another relative newcomer at loosehead to put up his hand.
The front row compliment for the RWC opener against Wales in September is likely to feature, Smit (102 caps), Jannie du Plessis (24), Bismarck du Plessis (36), Van der Linde (69), and Mtawarira (26), and possibly Steenkamp (31). There is not a greenhorn amidst those 288 caps.
Once more, there will be arguments as to whether Super Rugby has produced better players on current form, but De Villiers has made it clear he will go with the tried and tested, and this core group would be the envy of most competing nations.