Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids said on Monday that South Africa may have to face New Zealand in Johannesburg on Saturday without their most-capped player, Eben Etzebeth, while RG Snyman and Salmaan Moerat are not yet ready to return to Test action.
Davids delivered the news on the lock front when he faced the media in Johannesburg on Monday, ahead of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship Test at Emirates Airline Park. Etzebeth has a knee niggle, Snyman continues to nurse the foot niggle that ruled him out of the two Wallaby Tests, and Moerat would continue his return-to-play protocols after suffering a concussion in Perth.
Davids said: “Yes, we have a few injuries amongst our locks, but it’s part of the game and Pieter-Steph (du Toit) and Ruan (Nortje) had good games in our last outing. It’s never nice to lose experience, but this will open up opportunities for other players to put up their hands and show what they can do at the highest level.
“Franco (Mostert), Lood (de Jager) and Jean (Kleyn) are also out and while it may seem like a crisis, we see it as an opportunity to increase our depth at lock and we want the next players to show us what they can do.”
Davids reiterated that the Springboks are expecting a massive onslaught from New Zealand in the first of two Tests, and said it would take a big effort to build on their recent victories in Australia and in the Rugby World Cup final last year, when the Boks defeated the All Blacks 12-11 to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for a second time in a row.
“We will never underestimate an All Black team,” said Davids. “There is a massive respect between the sides, and they showed what they can do when they have their backs against the wall (by bouncing back strongly against Argentina).
“They are mostly close games when we play against them if one looks back, and they always present a good match-up in all departments, so this week will be no different.”
When quizzed about the difference between facing New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final and again this week in Johannesburg, Davids said their goal in France was to prove that South Africa can be the best in the world.
“We achieved that and we’re proud of it, but our goal now is to see how we can get better in each Test and obviously we’d like to win each one, so we’ll enter this match with that mindset,” said Davids.
“As a team we are very excited about the challenge ahead and we know that another good performance will give us a chance to take a step further to possibly winning the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, so we are not only excited about the match but also the young generation of players that are coming through the ranks.”