Suffering defeat in their third game in the Rugby World Cup, and not the first, as was the case in Japan in 2019, has left the Springboks with several ponderables ahead of their clash on Sunday against Tonga in Marseille.
The Boks’ priority is obviously to exit pool B, but their defeat to Ireland has complicated matters slightly in that they may now rotate less in their selections.
Had they won on Saturday evening in Paris there would have been less head-scratching.
The Boks have healthy respect for Tonga, with scrum coach Daan Human talking up the virtues of the Tongan heavies, particularly in the scrum. Winning, securing a bonus point and improving their points difference in that order will be their priority when they take the field for the second time in this tournament at Stade Veldrome over the weekend.
They may have made wholesale changes had they won in Paris but now they will have to retain more players from last weekend's defeat than they perhaps hoped for.
To be fair, this was always going to be a tricky selection week as the Boks will have a 13-day break before their quarterfinal in Paris on October 14. That is an uncomfortably long intermission. Sure there will be time for some rest and recovery after the Tonga game but they will not want to be caught devoid of momentum when they go into the knock-out stages.
Some of their leading lights will have to feature on Sunday evening but they also need to be fair to the rest of the group who were perhaps promised a game this weekend.
If they base it on workloads then some decisions are easier to make. Hooker and occasional captain Bongi Mbonambi is in need of a break. He has played in the Boks’ last 14 Tests.
The last Test he missed was against Argentina in Buenos Aires last year.
He has racked up the minutes but it is perhaps time he be wrapped in cotton wool for a clash against the combative Tongans.
With Malcolm Marx ruled out of the competition, Mbonambi’s fitness for the business end of the tournament is non-negotiable.
Besides, Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden need as much game time as they can muster as the backup hookers. It’s one thing training in that position months on end, quite another in the cauldron of active combat.
Eben Etzebeth, who had just recovered from a shoulder injury, may also be spared further potential misadventure against the Tongans. Marvin Orie and Jean Kleyn look the likely starting locks.
The go-to Bok back row wasn’t in sync against Ireland. There will be scratching of heads about which combination to deploy against Tonga, especially when the spread of game time is factored into the equation. Duane Vermeulen will surely be allowed to state his case on Sunday in the No. 8 jersey.
The Boks missed his to-the-ball nous against Ireland, while Marx has a similar nose for breakdown.
Scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse has only two Tests under the belt this year. He played against Wales and Romania, in both cases runaway victories. He needs more game time before the quarterfinals, though Cobus Reinach is now in the queue behind Faf de Klerk.
De Klerk can perhaps also do with a breather. He has featured in the last four Tests but missed the earlier matches against Argentina in Buenos Aires, Wales in Cardiff and Australia at Loftus.
His halfback partner from last weekend Manie Libbok perhaps also needs time to refresh and recharge.
Handré Pollard is back in the squad and he will most likely spend some time at first receiver on Sunday. Pollard has only played one half of rugby since his return from injury. Starting him against Tonga may be seen as too much of a risk and he may see game time after coming off the bench.
André Esterhuizen will almost certainly see game time at inside centre with Canan Moodie outside him.
The Bok brains trust may be open to some experimentation in their back three.
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