By Brenden Nel.
Photo Credit: Steve Haag.
Springbok hooker Joseph Dweba has been given an ideal opportunity to stake a claim in the larger Bok squad after Bongi Mbonambi was withdrawn after taking a knock to his knee during training on Tuesday afternoon.
Mbonambi’s withdrawal is seen more as a precaution, especially with a tough tour of Australia and Argentina ahead of the Boks and it was obviously decided that last weekend’s man of the match Malcolm Marx would stay part of the bomb squad rather than move into the starting XV.
Dweba has played twice – in the second test against Wales in Bloemfontein and last year against Argentina in Nelson Mandela Bay – and put in impressive performances on both occasions. His explosiveness with the ball could be crucial on the attack against an All Black pack that is hurting.
Dweba will scrum alongside his long-time friend and teammate Ox Nche, who was also elevated to the starting lineup. The two players have played together from their school days, as well as for the SA Schools and Junior Springboks.
Alongside them, they will have Frans Malherbe, who will run on for his milestone 50th cap for the Springboks.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said Mbonambi would go for scans to his knee, but with limited training time left before Saturday’s test, with one field session scheduled for Wednesday and the captains run on Friday, and an important three-match tour to Australia and Argentina ahead, as well as the year-end tour, the coaches opted to withdraw Mbonambi for this clash.
“We have an important Castle Lager Rugby Championship tour coming up and a year-end tour later this year, so we don’t want to take any risks with Bongi,” said Nienaber.
“Joseph has been working hard at training and he’s been waiting patiently for his chance, and we feel that it doesn’t get better than facing the All Blacks, who are one of the best teams in the world.
“We have a big squad and a large part of the logic around that decision was to ensure that all the players are familiar with our structures and systems, and to expose them to test rugby to build our squad depth with an eye on next year’s Rugby World Cup. So, this will be a fantastic opportunity for Joseph.”
Nienaber said Dweba’s strong combination with Nche also played a role in his leap straight into the starting lineup: “Joseph and Ox come a long way together. They’ve played close to 100 first-class games together, and they know each other well on and off the field, having played together since school level at HTS Louis Botha.
“They progressed through the SA Rugby junior rugby ranks together before forming a strong combination at the Toyota Cheetahs in the Carling Currie Cup and Guinness Pro14 competitions, and we believe their familiarity will give us the best chance in this match,” added Nienaber.