Jake White says the Springboks will make Saturday’s Test as difficult as possible for England, but is concerned about the age profile of Rassie Erasmus’ starting XV.
Writing for RugbyPass, White points out that 10 players over 30 feature in the run-on lineup for South Africa’s Nations Championship opener at Ellis Park.
The former Bok coach poses whether Erasmus’ troops can replicate their World Cup-winning formula for a third cycle, or whether reliance on power and experience will need to shift as that generation ages.
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“South Africa aren’t going to make anything easy,” White writes. “There’s no love lost between the teams historically, and the Springbok crowd would like nothing better than to start the Test season with a thumping victory over the men in white.
“Don’t get me wrong, the Springboks aren’t invincible. There are 10 players over 30 in that Springboks first XV this weekend, leaving a question mark over their endurance. Saying that, every side has something to prove.
“For the Boks, it’s: can they repeat the same formula for a third World Cup crusade, or are they going to have to change who they use for power and pace because it doesn’t last forever.”
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He singles out loose forward Henry Pollock as the player England must build around if they want to match the Boks’ physicality with tempo and broken-field threat.
The ex-Vodacom Bulls boss also compares the 21-year-old’s brashness and self-belief to that of serial winners he coached himself, including Bryan Habana and Schalk Burger, arguing that confidence at a young age often separates good players from exceptional ones.
White, though, stresses that history favours the hosts, and that the Boks’ historic dominance at altitude and their front-row physicality remain the platform any England victory must overcome.
Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
The post Jake: Boks aren’t invincible appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Jake White says the Springboks will make Saturday’s Test as difficult as possible for England, but is concerned about the age profile of Rassie Erasmus’ starting XV.
The post Jake: Boks aren’t invincible appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
