Team Talk: Rassie's risky picks will yield long-term reward

OPINION: The experimental Springbok 23 selected for the showdown against Scotland is stacked with inexperienced yet potentially explosive combinations.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made 10 changes to the side that beat England in Johannesburg this past Saturday.

A couple of injuries have forced Erasmus’ hand, after prop Ox Nché and hybrid André Esterhuizen went down in the 45-21 victory at Ellis Park.

Captain Siya Kolisi and lock Eben Etzebeth – who both withdrew ahead of the game against England – have also been omitted from the side named to front Scotland in Pretoria this Saturday.

In fact, the Bok injury list is particularly long at this stage of the season.

Forwards such as Frans Malherbe, Trevor Nyakane, Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Jean Kleyn, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Ruan Venter, Jean-Luc du Preez and Kwagga Smith are all unavailable for selection.

Meanwhile, backline stars such as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Morné van den Berg, as well as Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse are recovering from their respective ailments.

In spite of the situation, Erasmus has resisted the urge to back the same team that hammered England last Saturday – and has pushed forward with his long-term plans to experiment with the Greatest Rivalry Series against the All Blacks and the 2027 World Cup in mind.

Should we be surprised by the recent selections?

Yes and no.

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Erasmus was always going to experiment over the course of the three Nations Championship Tests in July, and it was always a matter of when rather than if.

Most fans and pundits may have expected an experimental side to front Wales in the third game of the series.

The Dragons have had their problems on and off the field over the past few seasons, and recently finished the Six Nations in last place.

The fact that Erasmus has made these selections ahead of a more challenging fixture against Scotland – who beat France 50-40 in the Six Nations and thumped Argentina 47-38 in Cordoba last Saturday – is the big surprise.

Clearly Erasmus wants some answers regarding certain individuals and combinations sooner rather than later.

With all due respect to Wales, Scotland are the stronger team at present, and should provide the Boks with a sterner examination of their abilities.

Whatever the outcome at Loftus this weekend, Erasmus will tick the development box.

Here’s it’s worth noting that the Bok coach has used as many as 64 players across matches against the Barbarians, Zimbabwe, England and Scotland in recent weeks.

The result will remain a priority, of course, and a closer look at the line-up suggests there is a method to Erasmus’s supposed madness.

Overall, there are a lot of players in the 23 who have played together at club level.

Embrose Papier will win his first Test cap since 2018, and will start alongside double World Cup-winner Handré Pollard in the halfbacks.

Papier has been in great form for the Bulls in recent months, and starting alongside Pollard should ease his transition back into international rugby.

Pollard will be out to make a statement after dropping down the flyhalf pecking order in 2025.

While attack has been a priority for the Boks in recent seasons, Pollard could give the team an edge on defence when the South Africans line up against a dangerous Scotland side.

The veteran’s game-management and goal-kicking strengths could also be a factor.

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After winning the man of the match award from the fullback position last week, Damian Willemse has been shifted to No.12.

While Willemse starts regularly at inside centre for the Stormers, he hasn’t started in this position for the Boks since the big win against New Zealand in Wellington last year.

On that occasion, he was forced to move to fullback after Aphelele Fassi and Feinberg-Mngomezulu both sustained injuries in the first half.

It will be interesting to see how Pollard and Willemse gel in that 10-12 combination on Saturday, and how they bring an exciting backline into the game.

The selection of Jesse Kriel – one of Erasmus’ go-to men in recent seasons – will provide stability and leadership on both attack and defence.

Edwill van der Merwe, Canan Moodie and Fassi will give the Boks excellent aerial-contesting options, and all three are in fine attacking form.

Erasmus has favoured a six-two split on the bench, with Grant Williams covering scrumhalf and wing, and Quan Horn providing options at flyhalf and fullback.

Could we see Williams moving to the wing late in the game, or will he come in as a straight swap for Papier at scrumhalf?

Will Horn replace Fassi at the back, or will he step in for Pollard at first-receiver?

Much will depend on the injury situation as well as the scoreline when the subs are made in the second half.

While Erasmus wants answers with the future in mind, one cannot see him subbing Pollard – the team’s premier goal-kicker – if the match is in the balance at the death.

Development is important, but the Boks should be desperate to maintain their unbeaten record against Scotland on home soil.

As was the case in the recent battle against England, the forwards will have a key role to play in terms of laying the platform.

Erasmus has retained first-choice players such as Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ruan Nortjé, and Wilco Louw makes a welcome return at tighthead prop.

Du Toit will continue to lead the side in the absence of Kolisi, and will have the chance to play in his preferred position of blindside flank after starting at lock last week.

Nortje will continue to manage the line-out and maul – which was at the heart of the Boks’ second-half success against England.

It’s important to highlight these three first-choice players before looking at the other forward selections.

Erasmus has a record of balancing his squads and selecting younger players alongside veterans.

It’s also worth noting that many of the following players play together at club level – and we can expect some level of synergy in the respective combinations, in spite of the relative lack of caps.

Evan Roos and Paul de Villiers have excelled in the back row for the Stormers this season, and Ben-Jason Dixon has proved that he can contribute at flank as well as lock for club and country.

Another two Stormers forwards in Ntuthuko Mchunu and Zach Porthern will be unleashed in the second stanza this weekend.

Both have made an impact at the set-pieces and around the park – and Porthen was one of the best on show for the Bok Bomb Squad last week.

Nortje and Cobus Wiese have started together in the second row for the Bulls, while Johan Grobbelaar and Louw have packed down in the front row for the Pretoria-based side.

Utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels, another Bull, continues to add value as a loosehead or hooker late in the game.

Boan Venter recently returned to South Africa after a long club stint with Edinburgh.

While the loosehead hasn’t played any club rugby for a local team in some time, he’s featured alongside the likes of Louw, Wessels, Grobbelaar and Porthen for the Boks over the past 12 months.

Vincent Tshituka has impressed the Bok coaches with his work ethic and technical expertise, and if things are going to plan against Scotland, the Sharks utility forward may get another run at lock rather than flank.

The Boks could use another second-row option, with Erasmus stating that Etzebeth and Mostert are unlikely to return until the Test against Argentina next month.

Last but certainly not least is the selection of Elrigh Louw, a player who was omitted from the initial Nations Championship squad.

Louw was one of the standouts for the Boks across the 2024 season, before missing the entire 2025 Test campaign due to a serious injury.

It’s tempting to label this match 23 as experimental, but there was a time when Louw was considered a squad regular – and more specifically, a key member of the Bomb Squad.

Playing in front of his home crowd on Saturday, the powerful loose forward will have the opportunity to show the coaches that he’s lost none of his edge.