Rassie Erasmus says Zach Porthen justified the faith shown in him after making a powerful impact for the Springboks against England, despite limited rugby in the Vodacom URC this past season.
In just his fourth Test, the Stormers tighthead prop caught the eye with an energetic display off the bench at Ellis Park, where his contributions around the field backed up what the Bok coaches had already seen behind the scenes.
“We would’ve loved Zach to play more games in the United Rugby Championship,” Erasmus said.
“He would’ve been roughed up as a tighthead, and we want him to go through tough times. That has happened in the last three weeks where he’s been scrumming against Ox Nché, Gerhard Steenekamp and Ntuthuko Mchunu.”
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Erasmus admitted the Springboks had limited match evidence to judge Porthen on but said the 23-year-old consistently impressed during the national team’s training camps.
“We saw what he did there and there’s no doubt regarding his open play, but he’s a fantastic player.
“I guess we didn’t see a lot of him in the URC and didn’t have a lot of evidence, but we were happy with what we saw in training.”
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Porthen’s performance against England is likely to strengthen his case for further opportunities as the Springboks continue their Nations Championship campaign, with Scotland up next at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The post Rassie reveals how Zach earned his chance appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Rassie Erasmus says Zach Porthen justified the faith shown in him after making a powerful impact for the Springboks against England.
The post Rassie reveals how Zach earned his chance appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
