The Springbok coach said Franco Mostert's hearing 'buggered up training' and impacted selection, but welcomed the result.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said the timing of Franco Mostert’s hearing affected his team selection, though he is happy the lock was vindicated in having his red card rescinded.
Erasmus named a tried-and-tested team to face Ireland in Dublin on Saturday night, though he selected only one specialist lock on the bench – RG Snyman, who will reach his 50th Test cap playing against several of his Leinster teammates representing Ireland.
The sides clash at Aviva Stadium at 7.40pm, where the Boks last won back in 2012. They have never beaten Ireland with Erasmus as head coach (three defeats), and have won just four of the last 10 clashes between the sides.
‘Buggered up the training’
Erasmus said Mostert’s hearing – for a dangerous tackle during their 32–14 win over Italy in Turin last week – disrupted training, as he did not know before Tuesday night whether the lock would be available.
So Erasmus picked the experienced Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortjé to pair up once again. Flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit can also cover for lock.
“Until this morning, I was waking up thinking shouldn’t we go 7-1?” Erasmus told media on Thursday afternoon.
“But with Tuesday night Franco’s [hearing], last night Lood de Jager’s [hearing] – it’s buggered up the training sessions if you try bracket this lock with this lock. So we decided to rather keep it clean and the guys who could train the whole week, pick them.”
The Springbok coach said he sat in the online hearings for Mostert and De Jager and “totally understands” how they reached their decisions.
“We are confident in the protocols and processes that are followed and will follow. If somewhere a mistake was made it can be rectified, then fantastic we will believe in the system.”
Springboks would feel proud after beating Ireland at home
Erasmus said beating Ireland in Dublin was not a matter of getting revenge after many defeats.
“It is a nice, competitive environment with a team that has been in the top one to four in the world in the last few years. There’s excitement about something we haven’t done. Let’s go and do it. If we don’t get it right we’ll get a lot of flak.”
He referred to how this year the Springboks lost their first match to the Wallabies at Ellis Park since 1963, but then bounced back a few weeks later to inflict the All Blacks’ heaviest ever defeat, and successfully defend the Freedom Cup and Rugby Championship for the first time.
“When you dwell too much on [records] you tend to stand still a bit. But we will be grateful, all of us, to say ‘hey, we managed to get one in Dublin,’ because they’ve certainly had our number in the last couple of games.”
