By Brenden Nel.
The Springboks face several selection posers ahead of the second test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
For one, it is certain that Kurt-Lee Arendse won’t be available, and will need to face a Sanzaar disciplinary committee this week after getting his challenge on Beauden Barrett horribly wrong and receiving a red card.
While Arendse faces an inevitable ban of a few weeks, he was also stretchered off the field after coming off second best in the challenge and could be unavailable in any case due to concussion protocols, depending on how bad he is injured.
That means the Boks are likely to look for a new winger for the second outing against the All Blacks, and it means that it is unlikely they will go outside their current group to find that player.
While it may be a good idea to bring back Aphelele Fassi into the group, it is doubtful that this will be done to give him a chance of starting the test, and is likely to fill a training gap that Arendse left.
Jesse Kriel played on the wing in the 2018 win over the All Blacks and on last year’s European tour and is clearly seen by the Springboks as an option with his strong aerial game and defensive qualities. He is the favourite to replace Arendse for this coming weekend.
The Boks can also toy with the idea of bringing back Willie le Roux off the bench and playing Damian Willemse on the wing, while Warrick Gelant is also with the squad and could be an option for them as they look to claim a third consecutive win against the old foe.
The Boks also need to count their injured after the weekend, but Faf de Klerk’s head clash after 40 seconds of the game might mean that unless the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) has a positive result, they may need to bring in a backup scrumhalf into the match day 23.
De Klerk received a rousing cheer from the crowd when he returned to the field after being stretchered off, but it remains to be seen if he will be cleared for this weekend.
The positive is that Jaden Hendricks’ performance in stepping into the role so early in the game was top notch and the Boks will be more than comfortable if he has to start again.
The question then rises to who will go onto the bench, with Herschel Jantjies likely after falling behind Hendricks in the pecking order, while Grant Williams is also an option and with the group.
Cobus Reinach has only returned to non-contact training and is likely only to be in action again in Australia when the team tours there later this month, so won’t feature in any plans for the match.
While there aren’t many changes to the winning side expected, it will be interesting to see if Duane Vermeulen does return to the starting lineup as well.
Vermeulen rejoined the side before the Mbombela test and needed to slot himself into training after a knee op. All indications are that he has done so and should be available for selection.
But the Boks may be wary of trotting him out too early and with Jasper Wiese playing well in the position, may decide to keep him back another week.
More clarity is expected on the injuries later on Monday, with the Bok mantra that if a player is not available to train on Monday, he is not considered for selection, likely to hold firm in the decisions for the coming weekend.