Os worried, as Boks gamble
Legendary former Springbok prop Os du Randt says that having just one fit specialist tighthead in their tour group could haunt the Springboks.
The Boks face the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations opener in Sydney on Saturday with an experimental side.
Peter de Villiers has justified the decision to rest senior players, but various question marks still exist around the composition of the squad.
The Aussies aren’t the strongest scrum, but have given the Boks problems in the past.
Now they’ll start debutants Werner Kruger and Dean Greyling, and little tighthead cover on the bench.
For a leading nation, it’s a compromising and embarrassing situation. Starting Kruger in such a tough position shows faith in the 26-year-old, but former Bok scrum coach Du Randt – a winner of two World Cup gold medals – feels there will be problems for the entire side if Kruger gets injured.
Coenie Oosthuizen is likely to be on the bench but hasn’t played tighthead since school, while De Villiers has labelled captain John Smit as the intended tighthead cover.
Smit’s move to tighthead in the past has been deemed a failure, while the player himself has said he didn’t enjoy the move.
CJ van der Linde was also called up as late cover last week, but hasn’t played since May when the Stormers returned from their Australasian tour. Van der Linde hasn’t been on form this year, while playing him in such a crucial position would be another risk.
“It’s a matter of opinion at the end of the day to say whether Coenie or John could be a success if they have to replace Werner,” Du Rand said.
To read more of what Os du Randt thinks of the Boks, CLICK HERE, or visit RugbyXV
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