The Springboks will look to battle-hardened and seasoned flanker Deon Fourie as a crutch for the injury-prone Siya Kolisi in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tests, writes DEVIN HERMANUS.
Kolisi’s latest hamstring injury is a concern for his participation in the series. However, within the Springbok camp, they seem comfortable that he will play, and Rassie Erasmus felt the openside flanker’s 24-minute shift in Argentina last Saturday showed a lot.
Given that Kolisi’s minutes are becoming fewer, and his role that of a high-impact player from the opening whistle, his position in the matchday 23 and wider squad requires adequate back-up and support.
Fourie, who has linked up with the squad for the series, is further along in his career at 39 years old. His 13-Test Bok career was seemingly over given the injury setbacks he’s had, and yet the utility forward’s come into the Bok mix.
His call-up looks like an answer to Kolisi’s injury, a back-up or support player to prop up Siya — someone who has been in the wars with the All Blacks. Fourie is that man, his last match in the green and gold was the 2023 World Cup final.
Some might ask: what does Rassie hope to achieve from Fourie, barely held together by duct tape and plasters given his injury history?
Maybe the Boks don’t need more than 20 or 30 minutes from a player of Kolisi or Fourie’s calibre. They just need that impact, that experience, and Rassie is willing to accommodate that.
There is Paul de Villiers, who has impressed in his debut season with the Springboks. Perhaps the 23-year-old should be the man to succeed Siya or back him up, given that he started all three of his Tests this year so far in the No 6 jersey.
But we are seeing that Rassie is looking for a player who has been at the coalface, and despite De Villiers proving himself in the Test arena, this is the kind of battle that Erasmus wants to entrust to the old guard: someone who will lay his body on the line and leave it all out there, bloodied, broken and carried off the field.
The legendary Ma’a Nonu has shown what an impact a powerhouse veteran can have within a limited time. Shortly after coming on at Kings Park on Tuesday night for his Sharks debut, the 44-year-old centre ran straight at All Blacks flyhalf Ruben Love.
Nonu’s take on his 20-minute cameo? “They needed someone on the bench, so I thought it would be rude to say no.”
The film franchise, The Expendables, follows the story of ageing mercenaries wrestling with their place in the world and competing with younger men, while trying to survive in the face of some of the toughest challenges, and being a dispensable option for those looking to get the job done.
Brannas can be Rassie’s ‘Mr Expendable’.
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Photo: @Springboks/X
