Mohoje: All part of the plan
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer says that the selection of Teboho Mohoje in the starting line-up this weekend was part of his plan for the young flank.
Mohoje has come a long way in a short space of time having started the year in the Shimlas Varsity Cup side and playing only a handful of Super Rugby games for the Cheetahs, but his presence in the Bok squad has nonetheless been a talking point as more experienced players such as Juan Smith and Marcell Coetzee were preferred to start at blindside flank in the absence of the injured Willem Alberts.
This led to speculation that he was in the squad as political window-dressing due to the colour of his skin, which is something that Meyer was quick to refute after naming him in the team to face the Wallabies at Newlands on Saturday.
"Oupa has come on in leaps and bounds since the beginning of this year. I got him involved in our first camp and I was really impressed with his physicality and athleticism so it was always a process working with him and I am really impressed with how he has progressed.
"He deserves to start and he has really improved. He is in the same mould as Willem, he is big, strong and a good ball-carrier," he said.
The Bok coach explained that he had a long-term plan with Mohoje who has still not even played a Super Rugby game overseas, and did not want to throw him in the deep end too soon.
"I really believe he can be a great Springbok, he has got all the attributes. This was his first season in Super Rugby, he has never played a Super Rugby game away from home so this was a big ask to throw a guy in who hasn't played at this level," he said.
Meyer prides himself on letting every player know exactly where they stand, and it was no different with Mohoje who made his Test debut off the bench against Scotland in June and gained valuable experience with the squad on their tour.
"I have always had a plan with Oupa since day one, in the beginning when I called him into the squad he was probably not that well-known, but we always had a long-term goal with him and a plan.
"Even last week in our one-on-ones I told him that he is probably going to start this game. There is no pressure, I pick the guys I believe are the best and he has really proved in training that he can deliver the goods," he explained.
The Bok coach sees Mohoje as a physical blindside flank in the mould of Alberts and expects him to give the loose trio a bit more balance after he picked two openside flanks in Francois Louw and Marcell Coetzee against the All Blacks in Wellington.
"There was a thought that we should go with two opensides like in the last game when we were really effective on the ground and didn't give New Zealand any quick ball. So it was a thought to go with two opensides, but then you always lack the one big ball-carrier at home.
"Oupa is a lot like Willem because he can also play lock. With Marcell and Duane you have two guys who can steal and with Schalk there who can play eight, seven and six I think it is the right balance for this game," he said.
There is a slight concern that he lacks match-fitness, with his last game some 10 weeks ago, but Meyer has been impressed with his growth in the time he has spent in the Bok fold.
"He has really been training hard with us and improving a lot, he is really good in the line-outs and he is a good ball-carrier which we need.
"He had a few goals which he had to work on and he really worked hard in the off-time on his ball steals and line-outs so I really have a good feeling about him and think he is going to have a great game.
"I have always liked a big ball-carrier on the blindside and we have always been struggling to find someone that can fill in for Willem," he said.
The presence of the experienced Schalk Burger on the bench means that Mohoje will likely to be told to go at full tilt for the first hour to make as much impact as possible.
"He has really worked hard on his fitness levels and conditioning, so he is in superb running form but he hasn't played for quite some time which is why it is great to have someone like Schalk on the bench who can go for the last 30 minutes.
"I am really excited to see him go, I think he can add some value especially in the wide channels as a big ball-carrier, but it is also great to have a guy like Schalk who you know can go on whenever you need it," said Meyer.
For all the cynicism surrounding Meyer's treatment of Mohoje, the fact remains that he is still very inexperienced and now gets a chance to show what he is capable of having had a chance to settle into the squad.
This was made clear to the player from the start and Meyer has made good on his promise that he would get an opportunity when the time was right. That time is now and Mohoje has a chance to show what he has learned in the last few weeks secure in the knowledge that the coach backed him from the start.
By Michael de Vries
