VIDEO: Is Bok foundation still solid?

VIDEO: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus needs to ensure the World Champions have the same DNA as last year when they won the World Cup.

That is the main focus for Erasmus and his coaching team as they prepare to face Wales at Twickenham this weekend.

But to do so he had to include four uncapped players – with Jordan Hendrikse and Edwill van der Merwe in the starting line-up, as well as Ben-Jason Dixon (lock) and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (utility back) as the two new faces on the replacement bench.

“We are trying to make sure we are still where we were last year in terms of our core and how we are playing the game,” the Bok boss said.

“We must be able to do those things still.

“That’s the most important thing.

“We definitely won’t know if we’ve lost our foundation.

“So I think we picked based on where we are, where we were, and let’s start building on top of that.”

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Erasmus spoke about the rookies in the team this weekend and heaped praise on both wing Van der Merwe and No.8 Roos on the work they put in this past week.

“The benefit of Evan [Roos] is he has played Test matches for us,” the coach said.

“Edwill [van der Merwe] had the opportunity to train with us for a full week.

“We had the opportunity to see things we wanted to see.

“And then the other debutants – Sacha was with us at the SA A tour last year, he got a bit of an injury there, he played the SA A games but he trained with the Springbok team.

“Jordan – we’ve always rated him on how he has come through the ranks.

“Again I would say [he has been] in the fortunate position to have trained with us a full week,” Erasmus commented.

He explained that the blend of youth and experience was ideal to bleed the first-timers in the Bok jersey.

“We felt putting them in the mix with experienced guys around them, which we didn’t have the luxury of in the past just because of COVID, has given us the opportunity not to introduce seven or eight new guys because sometimes you throw them to the wolves.

“The first target on Saturday is, is the base still there? Are the things that we do well and can do well – is that still there?

“Because we want to build on that.”

Erasmus explained how he always approaches the preparation of new recruits as they get ready for the biggest game of their lives.

“Let’s do the thinking and the hard work and the fundamentals things that we want to get right, let that come automatically by training.

“You shouldn’t have a list of 30 things on Saturday that I want to tick off and get right. You learn as much as you can through the week but on Saturday you go and do what you are picked for.

“Edwill is picked for a reason. He always goes flat out, he chases lost causes, he is good at communication, he runs hard, he works hard and he probably has to adapt to a new defense system.

“But when he goes on the field on Saturday there shouldn’t be a lot of thinking. Be Edwill on Saturday but work hard through the week.

“If you can get that kind of mindset right, then every week we can build a little.”

@rugby365com

Edwill Van Der Merwe reflects on the opportunity to make his #Springbok debut against Wales this weekend💥🚀#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/g5gbA8Lxya

— Springboks (@Springboks) June 18, 2024