Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber admits he and his co selectors face some tough choices before they unveil their squad for the Rugby World Cup on Tuesday.
Their decisions were made trickier after the Springboks rallied in the second half to beat Argentina 24-13 in Buenos Aires on Saturday night, which will make narrowing down the squad even more difficult.
The Boks have 42 players in their group and the squad needs to be trimmed down to 33 ahead of Tuesday’s unveiling in Johannesburg.
“It is going to be a very difficult meeting,” Nienaber admitted. “A lot of players raised a hand. In the group of 38 that played [across four Tests this year], because there were a few guys who didn’t play because of injury, everyone raised a hand.”
The Boks who were 10-3 down at the break rebounded splendidly early in the second half as tries by wings Makazole Mapimpi and Canan Moodie not just got them back on track but paved the path to another win.
Both wings showed they are deserving of a ticket to France, with the latter in particular delivering another performance full of verve and vigour. Both also jumped with conviction against spring heeled opponents under the high ball. They are likely to join Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse on the plane to France.
Damian Willemse, operating at fullback, underlined his credentials, not that there was doubt about his candidacy, while Manie Libbok, another shoo-in, showed great character by banishing a difficult first half with a performance of authority in the second.
André Esterhuizen ran with familiar gainline-busting thrust and will be unlucky should he be left out, while substitute scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies brought fluidity once he replaced Cobus Reinach at scrumhalf.
Up front Deon Fourie gave the selectors something to digest by making a telling contribution in the back row. Should he be considered for his all round ability, even at the age of 36, he will be difficult to leave behind.
He can, of course, also be considered as the third hooker ahead of Joseph Dweba instead of being weighed up as candidate in a congested field of loose forwards. Limited time in that position however makes that a long shot.
Marvin Orie again delivered a solid performance in the second row. His consistency might well earn him a spot.
Jean-Luc du Preez brought verve and vigour from the bench, but whether he did enough in a very small display window is moot.
“It is almost impossible to give everyone a chance over four games,” Nienaber explained. “We are a bit different to the rest of the southern hemisphere. France did not play their strongest team [against Scotland on Saturday] because they have the same issue — they need to give guys playing opportunity before they go into the World Cup.
“I think New Zealand for the first time this year rotated their squad this weekend. Everyone has their own approach to this. Our guys got some game time under their belt, some more than others. That was our plan from the start. We want to perform and win but it was important that we spread the load,” said Nienaber.
On that score, the players who earn a living in Japan got preference because of the relative recent inactivity.
“We were keen to get game minutes into certain players because of when their season ended, 10, 12 weeks ago. They probably need more game time than guys who played in the Top 14 that finished six weeks ago,” Nienaber explained.
Injuries, of course, will also help shape how Nienaber and co assemble their squad. Captain Siya Kolisi, Handré Pollard and Jaden Hendrikse have had no time to test their battle readiness for the Boks this year and the selectors may have to build some contingencies. Worryingly, the irrepressible Lukhanyo Am was forced from the field with injury in Buenos Aires. Nienaber could not explain the nature or severity of Am’s injury.
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