ALTHOUGH THE Springboks’ team to play the Lions in the first Test here on Saturday features eight Sharks, as against only five from the Super 14-winning Blue Bulls, the initial reaction appears to be giddily positive. Falling largely along predictable lines, the most eye-catching selection is that of Heinrich Brüssow at openside flanker in the absence of the injured Schalk Burger.
Openside hereabouts wear number six, but it seems all of them are made of rubber as they swiftly position themselves onto a tackled ball-carrier and execute steals at the breakdown. Brüssow, who was outstanding in this department for the Cheetahs against the Lions 10 days ago, when he was the primary cause of the 19 turnovers the tourists conceded, was added to the 28-man squad only on Sunday. But by picking him to make his first Test start, coach Peter de Villiers has upped the ante further at the breakdown.
Brüssow’s only appearance to date was in the last five minutes of their season-ending win over England at Twickenham last November and, for all the claims to the contrary by the Boks’ management, the Cheetahs flanker clearly gave them a strong nudge last Saturday week.
“His inclusion in the game in Windhoek (against Namibia three weeks ago) was prior to that,” maintained assistant coach Dick Muir, who captained the Sharks against the Lions in 1997. “So he’s been highly regarded. He had a good Super 14, and it is just encouraging to see the amount of ball he was able to pinch against the Lions.”
Brüssow was sitting the final-year exams of his economics degree last week and is under no illusions about how decisive his success in the role will be to securing victory. “I definitely feel the weight of expectation from the coaching staff and players. It’s massive. They have a lot of really good backline players, like Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts, who have had a really good tour to date. So if they are allowed to get their phase play going they have the firepower to take advantage of a quick recycle when it counts. Also, if I can turnover ball, we have a superb backline who are dangerous on the counter-attack.”
It will be interesting to see if Ian McGeechan and his Lions’ think tank respond by accommodating both David Wallace and Martyn Williams in the backrow when they unveil their hand tomorrow.
True to his word, de Villiers has named captain John Smit, the Boks’ most capped hooker, at tight-head in an all-Sharks frontrow, with Ruan Pienaar also continuing his conversion from scrumhalf to outhalf, and Frans Steyn at full-back.
“I wonder how much longer it (tighthead) is going to be a new position for me considering I’ve been playing there for more than a year now,” Smit commented wryly.
“But it’s very comforting to have Beasty (Tendai Mtawarira) and Bizzy (Bismarck du Plessis) to my left, Bakkies (Botha) behind me and Juan Smith on my outside.
“It (the scrum) is a really big part of the game but only one of many areas that it’s going to take for us to win a Test match.”
Indeed, Smit and Pienaar continue where they left off on the world champions’ end-of-season tour, with 10 of the starting XV and 16 of the 22 remaining from their record 42-6 thrashing of England. All told, the squad has 707 caps.
The Bulls’ drop goal-kicking phenomenon, outhalf Morné Steyn, is the only uncapped player, and is joined on the bench by Jaque Fourie.
Smit’s ability to revert to hooker allows the Boks to name two props on the bench.
Neither Pienaar nor Frans Steyn are renowned Test place-kickers, though the former did land 15 points and a try at Twickenham, and Muir envisaged he would be the first-choice kicker, although the decision would be left up to kicking coach Percy Montgomery.
In a rugby fraternity not noted for self-doubt, former World Cup final match-winner Joel Stransky enthused: “On paper, that’s a magnificent starting XV, there’s no doubt about it”.
There remain issues regarding match hardness, with the Bulls players not having played for three weeks, and the Sharks for five.
However, Muir toed the party line by declaring that “there is an up side and a down side” to the contrasting build-ups, in that the Lions have picked up injuries whereas the home side trained against the Emerging Boks last week and have the momentum from the Bulls’ Super 14 success “to carry us through”.
SOUTH AFRICA XV
15Frans Steyn (Sharks)
14JP Pietersen (Sharks)
13Adi Jacobs (Sharks)
12Jean de Villiers (Stormers)
11Bryan Habana (Bulls)
10Ruan Pienaar (Sharks)
9Fourie du Preez (Bulls)
1Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks)
2Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks)
3John Smit (Sharks)
4Bakkies Botha (Bulls)
5Victor Matfield (Bulls)
6Heinrich Brussow (Cheetahs)
7Juan Smith (Cheetahs)
8Pierre Spies (Bulls).
Replacements: Guthro Steenkamp(Bulls), Deon Carstens(Sharks), Andries Bekker(Stormers), Danie Rossouw(Bulls), Ricky Januarie(Stormers), Jaque Fourie(Lions), Morne Steyn(Bulls).
