VIDEO: Hendrikse brothers should forget about 'warm fuzzy feelings'
SPOTLIGHT: Rassie Erasmus does not want emotions to get the better of brothers Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse in Saturday’s clash against Wales in Cardiff.
They will be the halfback pairing for the match and it will be a memorable occasion for the Hendrikse family.
However, Erasmus doesn’t want all the hype to be one big distraction on game day.
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“Hopefully, it will go well for them,” Erasmus told @rugby365com.
“More importantly, they deserve this chance.
“We have really been chopping and changing and testing combinations.
“We could’ve played Cobus [Reinach] and then there are guys like Herschel Jantjies and Morne [van den Berg] at home, but fortunately it worked out for the two brothers.
“I think they deserve a chance together.
“Jordan only had one chance and then Jaden is pretty settled.
“We are glad for them. The whole family thing is a warm fuzzy feeling, but the performance is very important.”
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Jordan’s only Test cap came in a 41-13 win over Wales at Twickenham in June and he got called into the Bok squad for the end-of-year tour as a replacement for Frans Malherbe.
With Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu all getting good game time this year, Jordan will want to grab the opportunity with both hands.
“He is certainly a guy that brings something different,” said Erasmus.
“He has got a big boot and he is a more physical flyhalf.
“There is a guy called Siya Masuku who hasn’t even got a look in yet. Sacha is back home and Damian [Willemse] is back home.
“It’s nice that he has come through our ranks.
“Maybe he hasn’t got the fine skills like Manie has, but he can certainly kick the ball a mile and he stands his ground in his channel. He is not afraid to take it on there
“There are very few guys who are up there with Manie when it comes to handling skills, but let’s see, maybe he surprises us with that.”
@rugby365com
