EXCLUSIVE: Rassie explains why Reinach got the nod over Williams
INTERVIEW: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus revealed why Cobus Reinach got the nod over Grant Williams on the bench to face France in their Nations Championship encounter this weekend.
Williams featured off the bench against Italy for Morne van den Berg at scrumhalf before being deployed to wing later in the 66-7 victory over the Azzurri.
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This week, Reinach will fill a similar role as Erasmus opted for a six-two forward-heavy bench once more, and the Bok coach explained his reasoning for the selection.
He also spoke about what it’s like playing France at home compared to other nations the Boks play on a more regular basis.
“We have several players close to 100 and over a century of Test caps, so there’s a lot of experience,” Erasmus told Rugby365.
“If you talk to all of those guys, they’ll tell you it’s wonderful to play against New Zealand, Australia and other countries in general.
“But there’s something a bit different about the French vibe; I wouldn’t call it electric but more [tense], as if you can cut it with a knife.
“I remember in 2022 when I was a water carrier, and we lost that Test, but we still enjoyed the game.
“Even when that final whistle went, we all experienced that, and we had a good chat about it today [Monday] as well.
“We know they’ll come out firing, be physical, and the crowd will be on top of us. Sometimes you don’t even know if they’re supporting or just whistling, but the atmosphere is intense.
“It’s not intimidating; it’s wonderful to experience, so all of us are looking forward to that.”
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Erasmus added on his selection of Reinach over Williams: “Obviously, a guy like Cobus understands this environment.
“If I’m not mistaken, out of the matchday squad we selected, just four players haven’t experienced playing in France before.
“Not that it would make our task easier, but it definitely had an influence on Cobus Reinach being selected ahead of Grant Williams.”
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