The versatile Sharks player will feature from off the bench against the All Blacks, but it is disappointment for Jean-Luc du Preez, who misses out again.
Rising Springbok talent Ethan Hooker will get a wonderful opportunity to show what he can do on one of the biggest stages in world rugby when he plays off the bench in the Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Hooker has just one Bok cap to his name, when he replaced Canan Moodie at outside centre in the second half of the second Italian Test in Gqeberha in July.
It was thus a major surprise to see him named in the match 23 on Thursday for what is arguably the Boks’ biggest game of the last two years, especially with a host of players, such as Damian Willemse, André Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi and Manie Libbok available, among others.
Covering midfield
Hooker is a versatile player, and has featured at wing, centre and fullback for the Sharks, but Bok coach Rassie Erasmus explained that he would be focusing on just one role for this match, as they give him an opportunity to impress.
“With the way we have been building squad depth, a guy like Fassi has had a few starts now, Damian Willemse knows what he must work on as a 28-year-old who has won two World Cups, and we know we have him as a banker and when we will unleash him,” said Erasmus on Thursday.
“We just felt with Willie (le Roux) helping Canan (on the wing), who didn’t have a great game last time (against the Wallabies in Cape Town), having that calmer hand at the back helps a lot.
“We then have Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu, on the bench) who covers 10, 12 and 15. So with Ethan, we didn’t have a specialist centre on the bench, and he will only be covering that position for us.”
Pace and physicality
Erasmus continued: “With the team we picked we felt that we would have to match their (the All Blacks) pace, while also bringing the physicality, and we thought that they were going to go with a 5-3 (bench) split.
“We are trying to pick a team that we think can squeeze a win against the best team in the world currently, and sometimes we try to put in guys under real pressure for them to understand what it is like.
“So that when we press on their button a little bit later in the year against Ireland, France, and next year, they kind of get used to the environment with senior players around them.”
Unlucky Du Preez
On the other side of the scale it is disappointment for loose forward Jean-Luc du Preez, who again must be cursing his luck as his Bok season may have come to an end.
For the second match in a row the 30-year-old was set to start at eighthman, but after he came down with an illness before the Wallabies game in Cape Town, this time he picked up a knee injury in training on Wednesday, which has led to Siya Kolisi slotting in at eighthman instead.
Kolisi, who was injured in the first Aussie Test at Ellis Park, was passed fit to play, but Erasmus admitted that they had wanted to give him a bit more time off, before Du Preez was ruled out, for what could be a significant spell on the sidelines, according to the Bok coach.
Due to Kolisi being picked late for the side, and Jesse Kriel having already been named captain for the match internally, Kolisi selflessly suggested that Kriel continue as captain.
