Evan Roos should have been given a go against Australia. Picture: Shaun Roy, BackpagePix
Cape Town – Rugby, like any sport, is about results, but at some point, the juggling act between winning games and getting World Cup-ready needs to be more true to the goal of building depth.
It’s a tough one, no doubt.
The Springboks want to win games – scratch that, they need to. Anything less simply won’t be accepted by the rugby-mad public, that much we know for sure.
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As the Springboks prepare to gear up for a historic clash against the Wallabies in Adelaide, Bok coach Jacques Nienaber has kept his starting XV largely the same, with only two changes in Faf de Klerk returning after completing his return-to-play protocols and Warrick Gelant coming in for Jesse Kriel (concussion) on the wing.
They have also ditched the favoured Bomb Squad tactic in favour of the more traditional 5-3 split, and while there are a number of selections that stand out, that of veteran Duane Vermeulen again getting the nod is one of the tallest.
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That is mainly due to his performance last week, which saw him hit the bench before the 30-minute mark.
Granted, he lacks match fitness – the Ellis Park game was his first since completing his rehab after knee surgery. Nonetheless, as Nienaber said, we all know Vermeulen’s quality, so how much damage could have been done by starting with Jasper Wiese and playing the 36-year-old off the bench?
Speaking during the team announcement, the Bok coach said that they are expecting the World Cup-winner to play deeper into the match, while he also explained that there are reasons behind their selections, not just in Vermeulen, but the front row as well. It’s about combinations, not just the individual.
"We are expecting more minutes from Duane this weekend. He has been training well and we are looking forward to playing him. We all know his quality, and he has been training well.
"There are technical reasons why we select our players the way we do. We see the starting from row and the one on the bench as a unit. It’s not that we see the one (player) as No.1 and the other as No.2. There are technical reasons for it."
All of that is fair, but as Nienaber himself said – we know what to expect from Vermeulen when he’s at his best, why not give another player the opportunity to get to that point?
A name that cannot be left out of the loose-forward discussion is Evan Roos, and while there are talks of the Stormers superstar forming part of the Boks’ Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina, why not involve him earlier? Or are the Boks planning on boosting his ‘appearances made’ column during the End of Year Tour, where tough competition lie in wait?
Again, the Boks need to break that Australia hoodoo.
They need to break from the erratic form that’s plagued them this season. But is it really either-or? Can winning not be done at the same time as rewarding outstanding youngsters?
Again, the Boks haven’t won Down Under since 2013, they are also desperate to bounce back from that All Blacks defeat.
Winning is a must.
But so is giving future greats a chance to grow and show.
@WynonaLouw