Boks have several wing options, says upbeat assistant Davids
With Cheslin Kolbe and Sbu Nkosi ruled out, the big question is who'll play on the right wing against Wales?
Will Aphelele Fassi, above, be the man to play on the wing against Wales, or will Jesse Kriel or Lukhanyo Am be tasked with the job? Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
Sbu Nkosi’s visa troubles look set to see the Springbok right wing miss out on selection for the first end of year tour Test against Wales on Saturday with coach Jacques Nienaber set to name his squad on Tuesday.
Despite the blow, Bok assistant coach Deon Davids believes that the team, and particularly the backline, is very versatile and will be able to adapt to the situation, while also hinting that Aphelele Fassi may get the nod for selection.
“In terms of Sbu there are still some logistical issues that they are clarifying and he will join us soon, he’s not currently yet with the squad,” explained Davids.
“In the backline we’ve got a guy like Aphelele Fassi, we’ve also got a lot of versatile players, guys like Jesse (Kriel) that can play wing and centre, we’ve got Lukhanyo Am who at times in games has bailed us out in that specific position.
“So we are fortunate in that we can look at what the opposition offers and in terms of where we are as a team and what we want to achieve and make a selection from it.”
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Scrumhalf is another hotly contested position in the team, with Herschel Jantjies and Cobus Reinach battling it out for the starting berth.
“We are in a privileged position that we have quality scrumhalves like Herschel Jantjies who I think is ready to make the step up,” admitted Davids.
“We also have an experienced campaigner in Cobus Reinach who is playing very well at the moment and then we’ve also got a youngster like Grant Williams who is in this environment to learn, but is someone we trust on any day any time to step up into a game and execute. So we are fortunate in terms of that.”
Looking to the match against Wales the Springboks will be hoping to take some of the momentum built up in their final Rugby Championship match win against New Zealand into the coming weekend’s clash.
This while Wales, who were under strength for the past weekend’s match, will themselves be smarting from a heavy defeat against the All Blacks.
“We are happy with the way we performed in our last game. Obviously it (the Rugby Championship) is a very tough competition and New Zealand is always a very tough competitor,” said Davids.
“So it’s important for us that we carry some of that momentum into our next game, but our focus entirely is on Wales and we are going to take it match by match as it is always tough coming here at the end of the year. “
