Rassie Erasmus selected Fidelity SecureDrive Lions fullback Quan Horn to start at flyhalf against the Barbarians to protect front-line pivots from injury and test Horn's utility value for tactical flexibility in the future.
The decision was forced by a long-term ankle injury to primary flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, coupled with tactical management of other veteran flyhalves. Erasmus detailed his strategic thinking behind this surprise experimental selection through several core points.
Erasmus admitted that previous campaigns were derailed by picking key players in non-cap friendlies, causing depth crises early in the Test season.
Manie Libbok is said to be set to start the upcoming Test against England. Meanwhile, Handré Pollard is still finishing club commitments with the Bulls, meaning Erasmus preferred not to risk either player unnecessarily.
“Manie has played a lot of rugby in Japan recently, and we want to manage him properly. We must also see Handré get through the URC final without injury, while Sacha is currently injured. So it creates an opportunity for us to have a look at Quan,” said Erasmus.
Erasmus specifically wants to see if Horn can comfortably cover both No. 10 (flyhalf) and No. 15 (fullback). If Horn successfully proves he can play flyhalf, fullback, and wing, it unlocks the ability for the Springboks to confidently run a 6-2 or 7-1 forward-heavy bench split in major upcoming Tests.
“We know he can play 15, but if he can play 10 and 15, hopefully in future that will help with a 6-2 bench split. The other assistant coaches, all of us, really see something in him when it comes to 10.”
The Springboks' management team will use the non-cap exhibition match in Gqeberha to evaluate how Horn adjusts to the positional shift before finalising their squad for the formal international Test matches.
“What he does for the Lions, maybe he doesn’t have a 10 on his back, but he certainly comes into the mix a lot as first receiver. We’ve worked with him for three years now in training sessions, and we really like the way he takes the ball to the line.”
“He’s an awesome defender; he’s got a really great pass, and he’s not bang if someone runs into that channel, and that’s important for us.”
Erasmus also pointed to Junior Boks flyhalf Vusi Moyo as an outstanding prospect.
“Vusi, who is on the bench, is one of the guys who really caught the eye in these two weeks. He’s a very calm guy, physical, and kicks without effort. So we think the two of them can do the job for us.”