Johannesburg – The Springboks will feel the loss of Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am for what appears to be the remainder of the season, and certainly for the entirety of the Rugby Championship, if Trevor Nyakane’s lament is to be believed.
Wednesday, from Sydney, Australia, Nyakane addressed the media after the double blow: “Those are two of our leaders. They are two skilled and seasoned players of the highest caliber.
“However,” Nyakane said on a more upbeat note, “with the Springbok squad, we live on aiding each other and making everyone better. The individuals who will assume their jobs are just as experienced, skilled, and capable as their predecessors.
“It is unfortunate to lose Handre and Lukhanyo, but Jesse,” Nyakane remarked, referring to this weekend’s outside-centre – Kriel, who sat next to him during the briefing, “and the other men coming in have a lot of experience.”
This is a setback for us, but we have faith in our skilled team members.
Both Pollard and Am have been released back to their respective teams, the Leicester Tigers and the Shark, with knee ailments that will be further evaluated. Kriel and Damian Willemse have been named in the No. 13 and No. 10 jerseys for Saturday’s Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies.
Deon Fourie is on the bench as a back-up hooker for Malcolm Marx, who will start at No. 2 for head coach Jacques Nienaber and company in the must-win matchup.
Fourie has not played in this position regularly since at least 2018, instead enjoying a successful run on the side of the scrum. Nienaber said on Tuesday that the 35-year-old has been training in the position since Bongi Mbonambi’s injury earlier this year, and Nyakane verified this information.
This Saturday, the 33-year-old will win his 58th Test cap. “We have only worked together with him as a hooker on the training field,” he remarked. “Deon is a very seasoned athlete.
“I recall observing him at school, when he was a hooker who always played. When he began playing flanker for (Western) Province, I was frightened.
“He was in tune when I worked with him (this week). He understands precisely what our group’s goals are, and he fits in well.
I have collaborated with him more during the week, and things are shaping up to be excellent. I am confident that he will face (the task) head on, and that we will be there alongside him, doing everything we can to emerge triumphant as a Springbok pack.”
Nyakane will also be on the bench, so Fourie and he might have a significant impact on the game later on. Despite losing by a score of 25-17, the Boks dominated the Wallabies in the set-pieces and were particularly effective at stealing the line-out ball.
In this set piece, they gained about half of the Australians’ throw-ins and held the bulk of momentum during scrums. During the match, the Australians conceded 16 penalties, with a significant chunk coming from the South African pack.
Unfortunately, the Boks were unable to translate their dominance into scoreboard pressure or points, so Nyakane and company will need to avoid repeating this failure on Saturday.
The game at Allianz Stadium begins at 11.30am.
@FreemanZAR