Bok boss Nienaber says there are still places available in World Cup squad

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber says the race for spots in the squad that will go to France for the upcoming Rugby World Cup is wide open.

The Boks are currently in camp with a 41-man squad which will be trimmed to 33 on August 8 when the team that’s going to the global showpiece is announced.

The first two games of the Rugby Championship have given players the chance to put their hands up for selection. Many who played in the win against Australia in Pretoria got a tick behind their names while others who were involved in the loss to New Zealand in Auckland last weekend did not cover themselves in glory.

‘Give everybody a chance’

With the deadline for the squad selection looming, Nienaber confirmed on Thursday that he has an idea of who will make up the core of the squad but that there are still places available.

“I think we have a good idea but it’s open,” said Nienaber when speaking to the media in Pretoria.

“I mean that’s why we want to spread the load between all the players, to give everybody a chance. It won’t always work that everybody will get the same chance … but I think it’s still full-on to play, there’s good competition within this group.

“It’s not settled at all, but we have got a clear idea, as we’ve been building with this group since 2018. So there are some clear ideas but performance will be the key factor.”

Los Pumas match

Nienaber also reflected on the 35-20 defeat by the All Blacks, which was largely due to a woeful start to the match.

“The start wasn’t electric, and you never go out to start a game like that. It happens sometimes and you must look at why it happened,” said the Leinster-bound coach.

“We made handling errors, missed tackles, knocked balls in the air … which is out of character. I don’t think we have done that before as much as we did in those first 20 minutes (last weekend).”

The Boks have gathered in their base in Pretoria and have started with preparations for their encounter against Los Pumas at Ellis Park next weekend.

The likes of Trevor Nyakane, Jean-Luc du Preez, Herschel Jantjies, Jesse Kriel and Jaden Hendrikse will all be hoping for game time as they have not featured in the Rugby Championship this year.

The matchday-23 will be named next Tuesday.