Norton over Van der Mescht? Rassie says it’s about fit, not form
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has revealed that Riley Norton’s promotion to the national squad ahead of Northampton Saints lock JJ van der Mescht was less about experience and more about fit.
With South Africa’s second-row resources stretched by injuries, many expected the powerful Van der Mescht to be the next cab off the rank.
The burly lock came off the bench in the 53rd minute of the PREM final for Northampton and helped tighten things up as the Saints imposed their physical dominance on the Chiefs to clinch a 26-17 victory over Exeter.
Instead, Erasmus turned to the 20-year-old Junior Springbok captain, who has come through the South African system and immediately impressed in the Boks’ 80-31 victory over the Barbarians in Gqeberha.
While Erasmus didn’t want to discuss the two players’ strengths and weaknesses, he said the decision was never a case of one player being rated above the other.
“We all think JJ is a wonderful player,” Erasmus said.
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“It’s not to say that JJ is not going to play for us in the future, but what we feel we need at this stage is probably more like what Riley gives us.”
The Bok coach stressed that Norton and Van der Mescht offer completely different skill sets.
While Van der Mescht is renowned for his size, physicality and direct ball-carrying game, Norton brings mobility, lineout leadership and a strong understanding of the Springboks’ structures.
“It’s totally two different types of players,” Erasmus explained.
“One player is a lineout caller who is very athletic around the park. The other is a bruiser who plays very direct. It depends on what you need for a specific Test match.”
Norton’s familiarity with the Bok environment also counted heavily in his favour.
The towering lock has been part of the South African pathway system for years and already understands many of the systems employed at senior level, something Erasmus believes is invaluable when players are brought into a Test environment at short notice.
“Riley is obviously somebody who knows our systems really well because he comes through our structures,” said Erasmus.
“JJ has been away for a really long time. Our interaction with him has mainly been virtual or through monitoring his performances and speaking to his club.”
The Bok coach also pointed out that South Africa already have several physical lock options available despite the injury concerns.
“If you look at RG, you might think JJ is an immediate replacement, but there are other guys in the squad like Cobus Wiese. Jasper can even scrum at lock and Jan-Hendrik Wessels played there at school for a long time.”
Rather than bringing Van der Mescht into camp and potentially leaving him unused, Erasmus opted for a player whose profile more closely matched the immediate needs of the squad.
“We didn’t want to bring somebody in and then not utilise him,” he said.
“Hopefully in future, when we need somebody like JJ, we can press his number and get him into the squad.”
For now, Norton appears to have seized his opportunity. The Junior Bok captain delivered an assured 80-minute performance against the Barbarians and, with South Africa’s lock stocks under pressure, may have accelerated his rise from age-group star to genuine Springbok contender.
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