The Springboks are well covered across the park, despite not having obvious backups for a few positions against England.
Andre Esterhuizen, with ball, is a hybrid star for the Springboks and mixed it up with the forwards on numerous occasions last year. Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images
To the untrained eye some might think the Springboks are heading into their first Test of the season with a few holes in their system, but thanks to their utility stars they are completely covered and ready to do the business against England at Ellis Park on Saturday (kick-off 5:40pm).
At their team announcement for their Nations Championship opener earlier this week the Boks backed a 5-3 bench split of forwards to backs, rather than go for their regular forward heavy 6-2 split, and they also didn’t name a recognised lock among the replacements.
But thanks to Andre Esterhuizen and Pieter-Steph du Toit, the Boks can do whatever they need, depending on how the game is going in the latter stages.
Esterhuizen burst onto the scene last year as the world’s first hybrid star, and impressed when he was thrown on as a loose forward replacement, rather than coming on at his preferred inside centre position.
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick is excited to once again see what Esterhuizen can do, depending on what role he is given.
We don’t know where he will play
“It’s difficult for other teams to know or understand where Andre is going to make an impact on the field. We as coaches also get excited, we don’t know even which position he is going to play,” explained Stick at the team’s pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.
“If something happens, he can step up as a 12, he is one of the best 12s in the world. You saw the try he scored against the Baa-Baas. And then on the other side, there’s the impact that he had last year when he was playing as a six and as a four lock.
“I’ve seen players sometimes in the past, where they get frustrated with coaches moving them around. The thing about Andre that makes that move so successful is because he enjoys it.”
Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje are the Boks starting locks, and with neither of the Boks loose forward replacments, Marco van Staden or Cameron Hanekom able to step into the second row, if something happens or if they want to take someone off, Du Toit will have to shift from the side of the scrum.
“Pieter-Steph understands very well that if we need him to step up at lock, he will assist us there. We’re not worried at all. He has done the job for us in the past so I don’t think there’s a risk at all when it comes to that,” said Stick.
“Later on in the game, we’ll start to see it open up and having Pieter-Steph, with his pace, can even bring a massive positive impact in our system.”
Another position the Boks don’t have a straight replacement for is flyhalf, with Manie Libbok starting, and fullback Damian Willemse the likely cover.
