Rassie Erasmus accused of playing mind games with All Blacks ahead of second Test
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Mind games.
Rassie Erasmus has been accused of playing mind games with the All Blacks following a remarkable week of Springbok selection changes ahead of Saturday’s second Test in Cape Town.
The Springboks head into the clash looking to level Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series following their 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park, but much of the build-up has been dominated by uncertainty surrounding Erasmus’ team.
Writing in The Times, Will Kelleher has questioned the Springbok coach’s approach and suggested the sequence of selection changes risks undermining Erasmus’ repeated insistence that he values honesty and transparency.
South Africa initially named Handre Pollard to start at fly-half, with Cheslin Kolbe unavailable after picking up a niggle in the opening Test.
Captain Siya Kolisi was also bracketed alongside Paul de Villiers at flanker, with Pieter-Steph du Toit initially named captain while the Springboks waited to see whether Kolisi could prove his fitness.
Kolisi subsequently came through training and was confirmed to start and captain the side.
The changes did not stop there.
On Friday, South Africa confirmed that Pollard had suffered a calf injury in training and would miss the Test, promoting Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu from the bench to start at No.10.
Manie Libbok was subsequently brought into the matchday 23.
Kolbe was then declared fit and restored to the starting XV, with Kurt-Lee Arendse dropping out of the squad altogether.
Kelleher questioned the timing of the changes, which were confirmed after the All Blacks had named their team on Thursday.
He also pointed out that Erasmus had named his original side considerably earlier than required, while Feinberg-Mngomezulu replacing Pollard represents a significant change to how the Springboks could approach the Test.
He raised the possibility that Erasmus’ handling of the situation could be viewed as another example of the Springbok coach attempting to keep his opposition guessing.
There is no suggestion that South Africa have broken any rules with their changes, and Pollard’s injury has been confirmed by the Springbok camp.
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick revealed on Friday that Pollard was visibly emotional after suffering the setback in training, while Kolbe had recovered sufficiently to return to the starting XV.
Nevertheless, the unusual sequence of events has added another layer of intrigue ahead of a crucial second Test.
The All Blacks lead the four-match series 1-0 following their victory in Johannesburg, meaning South Africa need a response in Cape Town to avoid falling two Tests behind.
