The true elasticity of the Springbok squad will be put to the test when they try to snap the Wallabies’ week of wonder in Cape Town on Saturday.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus mostly stuck to his guns in spreading game time across his group.
Last week’s setback at least didn’t cause Erasmus to blink after their 38-22 defeat at Ellis Park.
He tends to have his selections formulated well in advance, with squad rotation remaining one of the drivers in his thought process.
The presence of the vastly experienced Eben Etzebeth on the bench, and that of lock partner Lood de Jager and tighthead prop Wilco Louw, partly explains that.
Etzebeth was one of their most influential forwards in last week’s lost cause.
There might have been the temptation to again deploy the team’s talisman and most experienced player to turn things around as a starter against the Wallabies, but Erasmus resisted.
Clearly, as coach of the back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions, Erasmus does not want the word “panic” to be attached to his decisions.
Moreover, despite the need to right the ship, the Boks will set sail for New Zealand clear in their collective mind that they have bigger fish to fry.
The Boks have won their last four Tests against the All Blacks, but the Kiwis are expecting their team to prise loose the RWC holders headlock.
That red letter day has been writ large on the Boks’ calendar and its significance remains undiminished despite the events at Ellis Park.
Of course, Erasmus’ hand has also been partly forced by the injuries suffered by skipper Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit. Jean-Luc du Preez will bring his tough-as-teak approach, while Franco Mostert’s work rate and ability in the line-out should provide the Boks with a much-needed spring in their step.
That is not the only Ellis Park error due to be addressed.
The steady hand of Handre Pollard is back at flyhalf with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu earning a spot on the bench. He was a starter against Georgia in Mbombela.
Willie le Roux adds to the 100 Tests he has chalked up for the Boks.
His tactical awareness and kicking game could prove invaluable as the Boks try to stage a turn around.
In midfield Damian de Allende returns, having overcome his niggle, and it is not a moment too soon.
Pollard, De Allende and Jesse Kriel provide steel in midfield and the Boks need to reassert their strength in that area.
To be fair, the Boks need that all-round after last weekend’s fiasco.
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