Old wise heads Vermeulen and Le Roux expected to play crucial roles for Boks against France

The experience and game management skills of No 8 Duane Vermeulen and fullback Willie le Roux helped get them the nod in the Springbok match day squad for Sunday's Rugby World Cup (RWC) quarterfinal against France at Stade de France. 

Vermeulen, who has had to yield to Jasper Wiese in matches of real consequence over the past two years, gets a start with the younger buck not featuring in the match-day 23. 

To be fair, Vermeulen, 37, has been in superb form this year and has ticked just about every box required of him. 

However, the failure of the loose trio to fully assert themselves against Ireland perhaps weighed heavier in this selection than head coach Jacques Nienaber would care to admit. 

Wiese's form has fluctuated, but Nienaber was quick to nip in the bud any suggestion the younger No 8 is out of the reckoning. 

Le Roux got the nod on the bench as the Boks again went with a pair of eyes that has seen it all before. More importantly, perhaps, he also has a tactical boot that can challenge France and their heavy reliance on aerial ping-pong. 

On that score the Boks have opted for the variety Manie Libbok brings. His ability to deftly probe space or launch raking touch finders will be key in the tactical battle of wills on Sunday. 

Handré Pollard, however, offers the Boks insurance on the bench that almost oddly features three backline players, the third leg of the tripod being scrumhalf Faf de Klerk. 

That means Cobus Reinach earns a start, which perhaps further underlines that the Boks are prepared to make a fast start and place a higher premium on scoring tries. 

When they kick tactically, France have the ball on a string.  

Failure to match them means you get strangled in your own half or cut to shreds from the back. 

The defending champions, however, have assembled a team far happier in possession than any other Springbok team that has run out at a RWC. 

In De Klerk and Le Roux, the Boks will have calm, steady heads on the field in what is likely to be a cauldron inside the Stade de France deep in the game on Sunday. 

“If we select Cobus [Reinach] or Faf [de Klerk], I don’t think there would be a lot of raised eyebrows,” said Nienaber.  

“France have got an interesting kicking game and we feel using those two guys will give us the best opportunity.

“For this specific game, we feel Duane is the guy we will need, but that doesn’t mean Jasper won’t play in the semifinal.  

“It is based on what we feel we need to get a victory on Sunday. Cobus is playing exceptional rugby, and Faf for that matter.

“It’s the same with Manie. Handré is a bit different, when you look at the cumulative number of minutes he has played for us this year. It is probably one game altogether, so he is slowly building up his minutes. And Manie is probably our in-form flyhalf. I think we have lost one game this year when he has started at 10. The team performs when he starts at 10, it is as simple as that.” 

Nienaber conceded had Pollard not spent the time he had on the sidelines over the past year, he would probably have been the starting flyhalf. 

Eight of Sunday’s starting XV performed the same role in the last RWC final against England four years ago. 

“The whole team selection was tough. If you look at the squad and the way we have managed the load over the past few games and the 10 Tests we have played this season, the majority of our group has had between four and six games of exposure.  

“The World Cup is spread over two months, so we need to manage the squad so they go into knockout stages as fresh as possible.”

Clearly the Boks see the horizon a little beyond Sunday. 

Springbok team to play France — Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain); Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth; Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff.  

Substitutes: Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith; Faf de Klerk, Handré Pollard, Willie le Roux.