Johann van Graan to roll the dice with Bok tactic in Champions Cup semi?
SPOTLIGHT: Bath head coach Johann van Graan will have a lot to ponder before he announces his matchday squad on Friday ahead of his team’s Champions Cup semifinal against Bordeaux in France on Sunday.
The English club is dealing with a crisis in the No.9 position after injuries decimated their stocks.
First-choice scrumhalf Ben Spencer is “touch and go” for the play-off as he is still battling a shoulder injury, while his backup Bernard van der Linde is out of contention after undergoing ankle surgery.
It means that Tom Carr-Smith is the only fit senior scrumhalf left, and that could force Van Graan to include 18-year-old prospect Isaac Mears in the matchday squad.
Mears has some pedigree. He is the son of former Bath, England and British and Irish Lions hooker Lee.
However, there is another avenue that Van Graan could explore and that comes in the form of a famous Springbok tactic.
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For the 2023 World Cup Final against the All Blacks, Rassie Erasmus went with a seven-one bench split between backs and forwards. There was no like-for-like replacement for Faf de Klerk in the 12-11 win at the Stade de France.
“One bit that the group knows, but the outside world doesn’t, is we go through multiple situational plays in training sessions throughout the year,” Van Graan told the BBC.
“In a worst-case scenario, you might see somebody play at nine that’s never played at nine.
“But if you go back to the World Cup Final back in 2023, one team decided to go without a nine, so there’s many different things that we could do.
“We’ve got faith that Spenny [Spencer] will be fine on the weekend, and whether he or any other player is not, we’ll be fluid and adaptable.
“There are always two choices you can make with injuries – you can feel sorry for yourself, or you can make a plan. And this group is exceptional at making plans.”
The scrumhalves are not the only concern for Van Graan, with wing Joe Cokanasiga (leg) and centres Max Ojomoh (knee) and Cameron Redpath all in a race against time to be fit for the clash.
Source: BBC
