Former Springbok captain Corné Krige says Rassie Erasmus must pick a fetcher to counter the threat of Wallabies flanks David Pocock and Michael Hooper. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Bok loose trio of Francois Louw, Siya Kolisi and Warren Whiteley produced underwhelming performances in the Rugby Championship matches against Argentina in Durban and Mendoza. Krige says the Boks were desperate for someone who played to the breakdown as they struggled to keep possession.
‘You need to get the Pumas off the ball,’ Krige told SARugbymag.co.za. ‘The Argentinians get on to the ball quickly and they either slow your ball down or turn it over because they commit so many numbers to the rucks.
‘We did not manage that well. We did not get quick ball and we had a lot of turnovers against us. The general performance was OK, but it wasn’t outstanding.’
Krige believes Bulls flank Marco van Staden, who came off the bench against Argentina in Durban, could disrupt the Wallabies at the breakdown in Brisbane on Saturday.
‘My feeling is that Rassie will pick a genuine opensider for this Test and Van Staden might be in the mix to start, so we can counter Hooper and Pocock.
‘Otherwise, Rassie may pick a biggish pack that would be able to put them under pressure. It would be interesting to see if he does go for Marco, because lineout technicalities are not among his strengths.
‘Our lineouts were not great against Argentina either and that always provides a solid base to attack from. Australia launch a lot of their attacks from good lineout play.
‘Rassie may want to get Pieter-Steph [du Toit] on the flank to give him that extra lineout option. If the lineouts had gone well against Argentina, I think he would keep the current three but they did not, so that might give him something to think about.’
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Krige said Van Staden could even start at No 8, with Kolisi shifting back to openside to accommodate Du Toit at blindside.
‘I would keep Kolisi at 6 as that is where he looks most comfortable. I would be wary of chopping and changing him too much as he has enough to worry about as the captain.’
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
