VIDEO: Rassie looks at the bigger picture
JUNE SPOTLIGHT: The remaining two Tests against England in June will be about experimentation for the Springboks as Rassie Erasmus looks ahead to this year’s Rugby Championship and the World Cup in 2019.
The Boks kicked off their three-Test series against the English with a 42-39 win in a pulsating clash at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
While there are still areas of concern, the victory was a major confidence booster for the Boks going forward and continuity in selection would be the obvious route to follow.
However, Erasmus is looking at the bigger picture and new combinations in the Bok team will be expected over the next two weeks.
“It is very tempting to just stick with the same guys and giving us the best chance of winning on Saturday,” Erasmus said.
“Obviously we will want to win but we will have to try a few things. There are only 16 matches left until the World Cup so when you get to New Zealand to Australia you are not going to take chances.
“Against Argentina away you are not going to take chances so week by week we will have to try a few things. There won’t be major changes [this week] but there will be one or two or three subtle changes to see how the guys perform.”
Experienced hooker Schalk Brits had his first training run with the Springboks on Monday afternoon at Shima Park. @MTNza #LoveRugby #RSAVENG pic.twitter.com/yPA3uTwtS9
— South African Rugby (@Springboks) June 11, 2018
After the first Test last weekend, Erasmus told reporters that losing matches will be part of the process in getting the Boks ready for next year’s World Cup.
“If we had lost, it would’ve created doubt, but it will be a bit easier now to get consistency in selection.
“Still, we will have to try a few things next week and we will have to make big calls going forward, which probably means we’ll lose some matches, but we have to get players exposed to Test rugby and see if they have what it takes to make it at this level,” Erasmus said at the time.
The Boks face England in the second Test at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The third and final Test will be at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town a week later.
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Springbok scrum half @fafdeklerk and the rest of the squad resumed training on Monday at Shimla Park in Bloemfontein. @MTNza #LoveRugby #RSAVENG pic.twitter.com/is8DxS1KYO
— South African Rugby (@Springboks) June 11, 2018
