Erasmus confident with inside-backs option

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has placed his faith in the inside-back pairing of halfback Grant Williams and first five-eighths Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for the first Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on Sunday (NZT).

Feinberg-Mngomezulu returned from an ankle injury in the Springboks’ last outing a fortnight ago against Argentina.

Erasmus said choosing between Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard was difficult. The same problem of choice occurred at halfback with Morne van den Berg, Cobus Reinach and Herschel Jantjies also in the hunt for Williams’ job.

But in choosing Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Erasmus went for the experience that saw him score nine tries last year, and a 37-point haul against Argentina.

“Sacha has done wonderful things for us when he’s played. He was flyhalf last year when we beat them in Wellington.

“Cobus and Grant are our first and second choice scrumhalves at this stage. We don’t always select combinations simply because Cobus and Sache play together at the Stormers.

“We look at which players understand what we’re trying to do and which players have trained the best.”

Erasmus handed the captaincy to flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit in the absence of Siya Kolisi.

Erasmus said Kolisi had trained well during the week, but they took a cautious approach to his return.

“We could have selected him for this clash; we thought it would be best to select Paul [de Villiers] for this weekend’s game.

“We are playing four Tests against the All Blacks and Paul has been playing well, so we are excited to give him a chance this weekend in what will be his first Test match against New Zealand, while taking a precautionary approach to Siya’s return.”

Erasmus also acknowledged second five-eighths Damian de Allende’s 100th Test match.

“He’s a great team man, and servant to the game, so we hope we can make it a memorable day for him. That said, his focus all week has only been this match, and he will not let the occasion shadow what he has to do on the field.”

The selection of the side was based on what the selectors felt was the best team for the weekend’s challenge.

“The All Blacks are a quality team, and we selected combinations we think would be best suited. They are a quality team, and they’re very well coached, so we are preparing for an 80-minute grind.

“Many of the matches between the sides have come down to the wire, so it’s important that we use the chances we create and ensure our discipline is on point.

“The squad is well balanced with players who remained in South Africa to train for this series and some of the players who featured against Argentina. The whole group has now been together for over a week, and we are aligned regarding the way we want to play this weekend.”

Fullback Damian Willemse is well aware of the role All Blacks first five-eighths Ruben Love could play in the outcome.

“He’s a great player. He can kick, he can pass, he can step, he’s really got everything.

“He’s had a tremendous Super Rugby [season] and he’s playing with Cam Roigard that he plays with. We’ve been following him and tracking his development. He’sa player who can spark anything for the All Blacks. He’s got an accurate book and looks like a player with a steady head on his shoulders.”

The team is:

Springboks: 1.Ox Nche, 2.Malcolm Marx, 3.Wilco Louw, 4.Eben Etzebeth, 5.Ruan Nortje, 6.Paul de Villiers, 7.Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain), 8.Jasper Wiese, 9.Grant Williams, 10.Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 11.Kurt-Lee Arendse, 12.Damian de Allende, 13.Jesse Kriel, 14.Cheslin Kolbe, 15.Damian Willemse.

Substitutes: 16.Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17.Gerhard Steenekamp, 18.Zachary Porthen, 19.Cobus Wiese, 20.Andre Esterhuizen, 21.Marco van Staden, 22.Cobus Reinach, 23.Manie Libbok.