Rassie Erasmus has explained when the six uncapped players in the Springbok squad could get game time during the European leg of the Nations Championship.
The Bok coach has opted for experience in his match 23 for Saturday’s Test against Italy in Turin, with lock Salmaan Moerat the only player set to make his first appearance in the green and gold this season.
However, Erasmus hopes to give lock Riley Norton, loose forward Emmanuel Tshituka, flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, centre Markus Muller, winger Sebastian de Klerk and utility back Luan Giliomee an opportunity later on tour.
“They all joined us in camp today and are excited about the tour ahead, so we’ll expose them to our structures this week and monitor how they progress and hopefully we’ll be able to give them a chance to show what they can do at this level against top opposition in the next few weeks,” Erasmus explained.
“They are special players, who all bring something different to the team, and we have full faith in their talent and skillsets.”
The Springboks face France in Paris on 13 November and Ireland in Dublin on 21 November, with a place in the Nations Championship final at stake.
“We have three challenging matches ahead if we want to advance to the last game of the finals weekend, so our next three matches are going to be vital to lay a strong foundation for the tour,” Erasmus said. “All our energy is focused on the match against Italy for now.”
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Erasmus believes the combination of fresh players and those who have recently been involved in club rugby will serve the Boks well.
“Fortunately, some of the Japan-based players were able to travel to Italy earlier than the rest of the squad, so they have been working with some of the coaching staff for a few days already and are fully in the swing of things, while we had our first training session on Monday afternoon, so everyone is now on the same page,” he said.
“With the majority of the squad having played together for most of the season, we are confident that the players who participated in the United Rugby Championship and French Top 14 will ease into things seamlessly this week at training.
“The fact that they are battled hardened after a few tough matches, will offer us a good balance with fresh players raring to go and others who come off a few challenging matches for their franchises and clubs.”
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The Bok coach also warned against underestimating the Azzurri, who are ranked 11th in the world.
“Italy are a quality team who will enter this match with immense motivation with an eye on trying to start their home leg on a positive note in front of their home crowd, and they have challenged us well before, so we have no doubt they will come out passionate and driven as ever,” he said.
“The vital factors for us, however, will be to be accurate in our execution and to play for the full 80 minutes, especially given the high stakes at the end of these three matches.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
The post Erasmus has ‘full faith’ in Bok youngsters appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Rassie Erasmus has explained when the six uncapped players in the Springbok squad could get game time during the European leg of the Nations Championship.
The post Erasmus has ‘full faith’ in Bok youngsters appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
