Former All Blacks boss Steve Hansen has praised Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus for his selection strategy ahead of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, Hansen described the 43-man Springbok squad (since increased to 44) named by Erasmus last week as “very, very strong”.
“There’s not too many weaknesses there,” he said. “It’s a big squad, so I’m not sure if he is going to be looking to use all those players or whether he’s just wanting to reward everybody that he has had in the system and keep them in the system and keep growing them, but a very, very strong squad.”
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Erasmus rotated extensively during the recent Nations Championship, handing game time to 43 players, including five debutants, across three Tests.
Hansen believes there is a clear method behind the Bok coach’s approach.
“He has built cohesion. When he adds these young guys in, he doesn’t throw them in ad hoc. He surrounds them with a core of people that are the cohesive unit.
“So, if we just looked at it selection-wise, you might say he is taking some risk, but he’s clever.”
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Hansen insisted the praise should extend beyond Erasmus alone.
“The coaching group are clever. It’s not just Rassie; the whole group need to be given credit.
“They are good at making sure, OK, we’ve got a solid block here of people that know what we want, how we want to do it … and we’ll just drip-feed in some more people.”
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Asked to predict the outcome of the series, Hansen said: “Four Tests, could be 2-2.
“It’s going to be fantastic to sit back and watch because there are contrasting styles.
“We’ll learn a little bit more about the All Blacks team and about the South African team because they’re going to have to front up against each other four times.”
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
The post Hansen: Rassie takes clever risks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former All Blacks boss Steve Hansen has praised Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus for his selection strategy ahead of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The post Hansen: Rassie takes clever risks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
