Rassie responds: We aren’t ‘cheapening’ Springbok jersey

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus largely opted for tried and test personnel during the final three Tests against the All Blacks, and ultimately it worked like a charm as South Africa claimed a 3-1 series win.

However, there have been many occasions during his tenure that Erasmus has been more than happy to mix and match with his selections, often splitting the squad and handing debuts to young players who he has been keen to see performing in pressure situations.

Most recently, former Springbok coach Jake White said too many players are getting capped too quickly by Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks.

It is something that has been mentioned in the past by other critics as well, but Erasmus has insisted there are clear reasons behind this strategy.

“I know some people criticise us or do not 100 percent understand when we, in some games, change the team by 12, by 11 or 13 players for the next game,” he said.

“We hope it’s a calculated risk. But the team we played (against the All Blacks in Baltimore), the average age was 31. So it’s not a young team.

“Not to say we’re clever or we do it the right way, but our experience from playing a series against a team like the British and Irish Lions or a World Cup, you have to have your guys that you know are experiences and can still manage the pace of the game.

”What we’ve tried to do for the last four, five years, is chopping and changing teams, and sometimes we get a lot of flak for that when we lose the game here or there. But then, as the young guys come in, it’s not the first time and they’re next to an older guy with a wise head, maybe not as fast anymore, maybe not as energetic anymore, but a calm head and then you’ve got the youngster that you bring in.

“So, that’s always been the thought process behind that. It’s not for us to make a jersey cheap or just give caps away.”

Springboks are expected to make big changes for one-off Test against Australia

The Springboks are currently preparing for a one-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth next Sunday, and Erasmus admitted there would need to be team changes.

“There’s certainly six or seven guys, some of the older guys, they wouldn’t have been able to play (straight after the gruelling series against the All Blacks.

“Their bodies are just too tired. So, we try and get that balance right.”

Kick off next Sunday is at 11:30 (SA time).

HOW THE BOKS COULD LINE UP AGAINST WALLABIES

SPRINGBOKS (possible selection) – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter.

Subs: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Quan Horn.