Franco Mostert has been one of the Springboks’ unsung heroes in 2018, and South Africa may end up missing his ability in the lineout and his workrate against England on Saturday. But his absence may have freed coach Rassie Erasmus to pick his best loose-forward combination.
Erasmus selected different combos in the back-row through the Rugby Championship to try to get the balance right in the absence of the valuable Duane Vermeulen, who brings more than just his ball-carrying ability and physicality to the party.
That necessitated moving Pieter-Steph du Toit to the side of the scrum to be the grafter in a back row that mostly featured captain Siya Kolisi and Warren Whiteley, who are superb ball players and have other strengths but are not the kind to often get their hands dirty.
But with Mostert missing Saturday’s clash at Twickenham, Du Toit, one of the heroes of the Boks’ win over the All Blacks, has moved back to lock with Vermeulen taking the No. 7 jersey.
Vermeulen has played No. 8 in all his previous 42 Test matches for the Springboks, but blindside flank is not an unfamiliar position as he has played many Super Rugby matches in the No. 7 jersey.
A loose trio containing Kolisi and Vermeulen on the sides of the scrum and Whiteley at No. 8 not only gives the Boks good balance but also allows each individual’s strength to complement the trio as a unit.
Vermeulen is a wonderful ball-carrier and strong defender, but, next to Malcolm Marx, he is also great on the ground at the breakdown. He really gets down low at the tackle for such a big guy, and it takes a tank to get him off the ball. This will reduce the pressure on Kolisi to play towards the ball, and allow him to focus his power on defence in the vacuum between the breakdown and the flyhalf.
But Kolisi has been key in protecting the Boks’ ball on attack, as he has a lot of first arrivals and cleanouts at the breakdown. He’s also one of the Boks key ball-carriers, as he broke a lot of tackles during the Rugby Championship and even scored and set up tries.
Whiteley adds the finesse to the loose trio, with his skill and ability to link up with backs and forwards. But his workrate is also right up there with the best, and he showed against the All Blacks in Wellington that he can create tries and also make try-saving tackles.
Du Toit’s workrate at lock won’t change, and he is arguably a better ball-carrier than Mostert.
The former Lions man’s ability in the lineout will be missed, as he has been the Springboks’ best source of ball throughout the year. When he hasn’t played, the Boks have generally struggled in this department. But they will have an abundance of lineout options, with Vermeulen and Whiteley top operators at the back. It’s just a case of execution for the Boks.
If this loose-forward combination of Whiteley, Vermeulen and Kolisi does perform well against England, Erasmus may be able to tick another box ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup.