While the All Blacks have opted for a fairly settled selection, the Springboks have rolled the dice with a 7-1 bench split, perhaps casting one eye backwards as well as forwards to Saturday night’s Rugby World Cup final given the forecast for rain.
Ian Foster has recalled Brodie Retallick in place of long-time sidekick Sam Whitelock, who drops to the bench as he seeks to become the first man to win three World Cup finals. Tighthead Nepo Laulala replaces Fletcher Newell in an attempt to counter the threat of Ox Nche.
But, in addition to recalling Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard at half-back, it is the Boks’ reconfigured 7-1 split – meaning a recall for Jean Kleyn alongside Munster secondrow partner RG Snyman – which stands out.
It was a split first used for the 35-7 win over the All Blacks at Twickenham in their last warm-up match, and again in the pool stage defeat to Ireland.
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“I’m not going to say what the strengths and weaknesses of the All Blacks are, that would be stupid,” said Nienaber. “But a lot of analysis went into it and at the end we went with a squad of 23. It could have been 6/2, 5/3, it doesn’t matter. You select a team that you think can get a result. The ‘23′ we selected for a reason, and the reason is we think they can deliver and win us a back-to-back World Cup.”
Admitting that the All Blacks’ bench was in part designed to technically counter the Boks, Foster said: “It’s what I love about the game. People try different tactics. They’ve got their way of playing and we’ve got ours. It doesn’t change the way we prepare. Their strategy suits them, ours suits us and it makes it interesting on Saturday night.”
De Klerk and Pollard start together for the 25th time, moving past Joost van der Westhuizen and Henry Honiball as the most experienced halfbacks in Springbok history.
Pollard scored 22 points in the 2019 final, and after his match-winning exploits against England, he assuredly offers the Springboks comfort. The halfback’s reinstatement also signals even more of a kicking game.
“There is a 60 per cent chance there will be rain either just before the game or in the game,” said Nienaber. “We had a semi-final where we were exposed to that. The kicking game will be important, like it is in any final or semi-final, and gaining territory will be important.”
It’s certainly a gamble to only have one back, Willie le Roux, on the bench in a World Cup final, but Nienaber explained that as “a sweeper” in 7s, Cheslin Kolbe can cover scrumhalf, as he does in the event of a yellow card.
Siya Kolisi, who confirmed he had been in touch with Tom Curry to offer his sympathies in light of reported death threats to the English flanker in a curious twist to this week’s unpleasant and distracting off-field saga, said the players were all content with the coaches’ explanation behind the 7-1 split.
“Handre [Pollard] covers ‘12′. Something happens to Doogz (Damian de Allende), Handre can shift in. Those decisions get made because Damian Willemse can cover ‘10′ and ‘12′ and ‘15′. And Cheslin [Kolbe] can play scrumhalf, fullback and wing.
“When they pick the team they don’t just announce it, they explain to us all the situation. We make peace with it.”
In addition to Kleyn, Jasper Wiese and Trevor Nyakane, who replaces Vincent Koch, are also recalled to the bench, with the semi-final halfbacks, Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok, missing out. The team features ten of the starting XV from the 2019 World Cup final, with a further four on the bench.
This is the most experienced team in Springbok history with a combined total of 987 caps (eclipsing the record of 895 set a week ago against England), with 639 among the starting pack.
Whether or not it remains a last dance for Nienaber before he joins Leinster remains to be seen, and it would be no surprise to see him return to the Boks’ fold, akin to himself and Erasmus doing likewise after a season and a half with Munster in 2017, after two seasons.
“It’s funny. I went for a run this morning and I was thinking about it,” said Nienaber. “I thought when I left for Munster that’s it, then we came back to 2018. The point is, you don’t know the future.
“That’s how I see it. I’m not emotional. I don’t know if this is my last Test match with the Boks or not. You can plan life as much as you want but life has its own ways.
“As Siya said, this will never happen in our lifetime again. Rather than thinking this might be the end or not, just stay in the moment. It’s probably the biggest occasion that we will ever be part and probably the biggest rugby game there has ever been. One and two playing each other in the World Cup final and whoever wins will be the first country to win four World Cups. It’s massive.
“I’ve twice been in positions where I’ve thought this is the end, I’ll never be here again, and look where we are now.”
It’s the same starting backline that suffered against South Africa at Twickenham, and with just three changes up front.
Underlining how this is a Last Dance for both teams, there are 981 caps in the All Blacks starting XV and four Test centurions in the match-day 23. There are just five survivors from 2015 final victory against Australia at Twickenham, namely Beauden Barrett, Retallick, Whitelock, Aaron Smith and Sam Cane, who is now captain.
As an aside, it is the seventh time the three Barrett brothers will start against the Springboks, but they have won two and lost four of the previous six.
SOUTH AFRICA: D Willemse; K-L Arendse, J Kriel, D de Allende, C Kolbe; H Pollard, F du Klerk; S Kitshoff, B Mbonambi, F Malherbe, E Etzebeth, F Mostert, S Kolisi (capt), P-S du Toit, D Vermeulen. Replacements: D Fourie, O Nche, T Nyakane, J Kleyn, RG Snyman, K Smith, J Wiese, W le Roux.
NEW ZEALAND: B Barrett; W Jordan, R Ioane, J Barrett, M Telea; R Mo’unga, A Smith; E de Groot, C Taylor, T Lomax, B Retallick, S Barrett, S Frizell, S Cane (capt), A Savea. Replacements: S Taukei’aho, T Williams, N Laulala, S Whitelock, D Papali’i, F Christie, D McKenzie, A Lienert-Brown.
