Springboks Make Late Front-Row Switch As Rassie Erasmus Explains Decision Before France Clash
- Rassie Erasmus changed his Springbok front row just before the Nations Championship Test against France in Paris on Friday
- The Springbok coach revealed the decision had been debated throughout the week, with no certainty until the captain's run
- Erasmus admitted the World Cup was partly on his mind when making the late call to reshuffle his starting front row
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Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has opened up about his decision to make a late alteration to his front row ahead of Friday's Nations Championship Test against France in Paris, South Africa going down 21-19 in the process.
Erasmus had originally named Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw to start when he announced the team on Monday. By Thursday, however, he had reversed course, handing starting berths to Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Thomas du Toit instead. The original trio took to the field off the bench in the 35th minute.
A week of indecision before the final call
The coach said the debate over which combination to start ran throughout the entire week leading up to the match.
"The whole week we were mulling over what we should do, and we announced [the team] on Monday and then on Thursday we thought, 'Let's give it the other way around,'" Erasmus said after the final whistle.
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"It was late in the week that we made that call, and up until the captain's practice yesterday we weren't quite sure."
It was not the first time Erasmus had used this approach during the season. Ahead of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town, he overhauled his entire starting front row just an hour before kick-off, citing weather forecasts that had predicted wet and heavy conditions.
Erasmus eyes World Cup combinations
Despite the defeat, Erasmus spoke positively about how the starting three performed during their time on the field, singling out hooker Wessels for particular praise.
"I really thought Jan-Hendrik and Gerhard and Thomas really played well. It was actually tough to put Malcolm and the guys on because these guys were really doing it," he said.
"Jan-Hendrik is really growing into the hooker role. It was good to see him start under pressure against a good scrum, against a good lineout. He didn't miss a lineout ball."
The coach also acknowledged that planning for the 2027 Rugby World Cup influenced the selection thinking, though the outcome tempered any satisfaction.
"It was a little bit of an eye on the World Cup, looking at how that combination went. But as we sit here, it didn't work because we lost," Erasmus conceded.
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Source: Briefly News
