Bok bench curious yet conventional for Test against Wallabies

The makeup of the Springbok bench for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against Australia has raised eyebrows, but to be fair, it is perhaps in keeping with coach Jacques Nienaber’s selection policy this year.

Nienaber is desperate to broaden his player base by increasing game time to a cross-section of the players in his squad. It means players who have little by way of form as a result of inactivity due to injury can quickly find themselves back in the cauldron of Test combat.

Perhaps the best example on the Bok bench this weekend is Frans Steyn, who cracked the nod at the expense of Willie le Roux, who is a highly valued member of the squad. Though he has played well for the Cheetahs, Steyn's season has been severely disrupted by injury. The last time he played was in May, partly because of injury.

Steyn, however, is not your conventional operator. The 35-year-old doesn’t need much to summon the extraordinary from his bag of tricks.

Steyn played in seven Tests last season, starting at inside centre against Georgia and Argentina before coming off the bench for the remainder of his tally.

His versatility affords the Boks the luxury of selecting six forwards and just two backs but over the last while he has been part of a more conventional five/three split on the bench.

With Steyn in the mix the Boks went with that configuration in all three Tests on their end of year tour last year against Wales, Scotland and England.

The points he contributes are handy as they usually come from a range beyond most kickers’ compass.

He kicked a penalty each in of those three matches but his value to the team is much deeper than the occasional advance to the score board. He is robust in defence and his big right boot brings favourable field position.

Steyn and Elton Jantjies owe their selection on the bench due to the need as the coach described it, for “some vital game time”.

Jantjies has found himself on the Bok periphery since he was substituted at halftime after a torrid opening half against Wales at Loftus.

The Bok brains trust is not prepared to divest in Jantjies, who has played in 45 Tests, just yet. The Boks have lost just three of the last 15 Tests Jantjies has featured in. It is not clear what the team management has done for the restoration of his confidence but Jantjies clearly faces a big Test this weekend.

Jantjies has been Handré Pollard’s longtime understudy and the team hasn’t groomed another flyhalf. They do, however, have versatile players who can slot into that position when the need arises. They also have the prodigious talent of Johan Goosen to fall back on but the Bulls' pivot has been a longtime casualty through injury.

Either way, Jantjies will attract much interest on Saturday. Almost as much as Nienaber’s timing to deploy him.