By Brenden Nel.
Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am scored South Africa’s only try against Australia last week. Picture: Gallo Images.
Springbok midfielder Lukhanyo Am is likely to miss the November tour and is unlikely to play rugby again this year.
On top of that Handre Pollard’s knee injury could keep him out for at least six weeks and Bongi Mbonambi is behind schedule to return from the knock to his knee he had three weeks ago.
With all this bad news on the injury front it has meant that the Boks will need a rethink as they aim to win their last two matches in this year’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship against Argentina and give themselves a chance for the title.
Am’s knee surgery this past week should keep him out for between eight and 12 weeks, meaning it is highly unlikely he will be available for the November tour. That in itself is a massive setback as Am has been one of the stars for the Springboks this season.
Pollard’s knee injury is still to be assessed but the news thus far from England is that he is expected to be out for six weeks, giving him a chance to make the November tour.
Mbonambi, on the other hand, is still in a brace three weeks into his recovery from a knock to the knee which he took in training ahead of the match against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
While he is expected back before the November tour, the Boks are likely going to have to do without him for the tests against Argentina.
Couple this with the likelihood that the Boks would have brought in some reinforcements for the tests against Los Pumas, the fact that the Rugby Championship is neck and neck at the moment would raise the stakes for Jacques Nienaber and his management team.
Before the tour began, there was every indication that the Boks would be flying over Evan Roos, Thomas du Toit, Rynhardt Elstad and Grant Williams to Buenos Aires to join the group and that they would have a chance to play somewhere in the two tests.
At the moment Elrigh Louw hasn’t been given an opportunity despite being with the team and the likelihood now is that strategy may need to be rethought ahead of two tough tests against the Pumas.
The Boks will want to win both to have a chance of claiming the Rugby Championship and to do that while blooding new talent is always a tough call for a coach.
But the injuries to Pollard and Am have meant they have had to think out of the box a bit and may look to bring in a reinforcement in the backline as well.
Damian Willemse did well at flyhalf after both Pollard and Jantjies were injured and ruled out of the Sydney game against Australia, but he did struggle with his goalkicking. That would be a concern to the Boks, as in a close game it could become costly.
But the positive side of playing both Willemse and Willie le Roux in the same backline was clear to see in Sydney, while Canan Moodie’s superb debut has given the Boks even more options in the backline.
Moodie can also play at centre, which he did at school, so it may be a thought to keep him as well for the 13 slot if the Boks need him.
Either way it will be interesting to see what the Bok plans are, as traditionally they have blooded players against the Pumas, but with the stakes higher now with the Rugby Championship on the line it may see a rethink.
The injuries and new players were part of the reason Bok coach Jacques Nienaber said the team was struggling for consistency, especially as they have already used 32 players in this year’s tournament alone.
Nienaber said that Canan Moodie’s dream debut had at least ticked one box for them but said the constant changing of players meant that continuity was lost.
“We’re very happy and proud of him. He’s been good for the Bulls and we followed him for a long time. To be fair, we have been unfortunate with injuries to our right wings and Canan probably started as our fourth or fifth choice this season,” Nienaber said on Saturday
“We’ve used 32 players in the last few weeks, which is quite tough on the team in terms of continuity. That said, there are certain answers that we wanted and still want within this year and Canan is one of them.”
“While trying to be competitive and win the Rugby Championship, we are also looking to get some answers in some positions. So that is probably the challenge for us as a team — to be creative in squad selection and get some answers in the squad.
“With using 32 players, the sacrifice you make in terms of team selection is continuity. I would say the nice thing about tonight is that the team never lost belief, which is something that can happen if there is not consistency in team selection.”
While the Boks may be criticised from outside, inside the team, the plan has been briefed to the players and while performances have been a bit up and down, the team has known all along what the management expect from them before each game.
Now the next phase means they need to win in Argentina and in Durban to stand a chance of winning the Rugby Championship, and it would be foolish not to do everything in their power to try and achieve that.
The juggling act while giving young players a chance will be very interesting to watch over the next two weeks.