Springboks coach Allister Coetzee spoilt for choice at lock
Quality strength in depth is a necessity for any outfit that wants to compete for World Cup honours.
Lock has always been a position the Springboks have been well stocked in but coach Allister Coetzee now has the conundrum of whether to retain Stormers lock Pieter-Steph du Toit for Saturday's mouthwatering encounter against New Zealand in Albany.
With Franco Mostert being at the heart of everything good the Lions have produced over the past two seasons, it was only fair he received a fair crack in the No5 jersey.
That meant incumbents Du Toit and Lood de Jager had to watch from the sidelines.
Mostert was rested for the Australia match yesterday and may find himself in an almighty battle to retain his starting place.
Such internal competition is a good thing. Players can't afford to rest on their laurels.
One bad game in an intensely competitive and unforgiving tournament like the Rugby Championship means you can open the door for a teammate to slam it firmly shut.That's the cut-throat nature of the lock competition within the Springboks.
Captain Eben Etzebeth may be the most experienced of the lot but De Jager's versatility means he will forever be looking over his shoulder even though he dons the No4 "enforcer" jersey.
Etzebeth was aware of the collective forward effort that made Australia's life at the collisions almost unbearable.
The Boks punched holes from first-phase ball, reduced Adam Coleman's stock as a Test-class lock in front of his home crowd and nearly pushed the Wallaby scrum into the nearby Swan River.There was also the all-action impact Jaco Kriel had for the entire match as the Lions flank continues his recent crusade of proving he's more than a loose forward who relies on a dominant pack to influence proceedings.
"Franco Mostert didn't play this weekend and he was very good in Super Rugby," said Etzebeth.
"Then we had a guy like Pieter-Steph du Toit who has been coming off the bench for most of the matches and has been performing really well.
"He started now and he was outstanding. You still have Lood de Jager and he was outstanding at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
"We've got nice depth at lock.
"Jaco is an unbelievable player for the Lions and this year he's got the opportunity."..
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