As ever with South Africa, this tour is about winning and, ideally, wining four games
Jacques Nienaber is now the head coach, with Rassie Erasmus a very hands-on director of rugby who has just completed a six-month ban
Furthermore, all but the retired Mtawarira and Louw of that dozen, along with the injured Pollard, are in their 33-man squad and could well feature next Saturday. Erasmus is also back in Ireland for the first time since his 18 months at the helm in Munster, since which, of course, we learned that he believes the Irish are “f**king soft” compared to the Welsh. This was revealed in the Chasing The Sun documentary, a comment that one presumes he could have had edited out if he’d been so inclined.
There will be some significant, injury-enforced adjustments though, most notably at outside centre and outhalf in the absence of the Am and Pollard. The brilliant and hugely influential Am was the creator in chief among the Boks’ backline, whereas Jesse Kriel is more physical and a stronger defensive presence.
Having returned to the most basic of Boks’ rugby in that ugly, fanless series against the Lions there were clear signs of a more developed game during the Rugby Championship, when they finished second by a point to New Zealand. Mbonambi and Marx remain the only two specialist hookers in the squad, as Joseph Dweba’s throwing issues have seen him named in the A squad
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