SA Rugby Mobi-Unit coach Duane Vermeulen was confident that Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus selected the right mix of experience and youth to fight back from last week’s defeat against the All Blacks.
The two teams clash again in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, and Vermeulen said he is looking forward to seeing what the exciting new backline would bring to the match.
Vermeulen brushed off concerns by the media that several experienced players would not feature in the match, and said this game marked the perfect opportunity for the Bok coaches to see what the younger players could deliver under pressure as they build toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
“I think we have a good pack that can hopefully give us good front-foot ball,” said Vermeulen.
“If we can achieve that, I believe it will allow the backs to showcase their skills and play to their potential, so the make-up of this team is good for us.
“Of course, experience counts to a degree, and I believe we have that up front, so it’s not a case of throwing (some of the senior) guys away.”
Vermeulen added that the Boks made a few mistakes in last week’s defeat in Auckland, some of them by the more experienced players.
“But the reality is that we have to look at the future as well,” he said. “There are a whole lot of young players who have put up their hands, and we have to give them an opportunity to show what they can do because if we don’t, when are we going to give them the chance to prove what they can do in tough situations.
“This is a great opportunity for them to work together and also for the coaches to see what they can do, and whether they are the right players to move forward with.”
As a former No. 8 himself, the double Rugby World Cup-winner was pleased to have Jasper Wiese back in the team after serving his four-match suspension: “It's great to have him back in the mix. He's one of the guys who really gives us go-forward, so we’ll see what he brings to the game.
“The No. 8 is the link between the forward pack and backline, and I believe we selected an exciting backline, so I'm looking forward to seeing what Jasper brings to the party.”
With Erasmus opting for the lock combination of Lood de Jager and Ruan Nortje, with RG Snyman set to make an impact off the replacements bench, Vermeulen said this option served many purposes for the coaching staff.
“You can’t play a guy like Eben (Etzebeth) every week because he’ll burn out, and we still want him to play for a few years, so one needs a little bit of rotation,” said Vermeulen.
“We have an experienced guy like RG on the bench, who has played in big matches, and Ruan did well last year when he got the chance at a time when we had a few injuries at lock.
“It may seem a little weird to have two No. 5 locks in the pack, but they’ve both played their part, and they know what they want to do. I also think it will be a good opportunity to see if these guys can make the step-up and play without Eben.”
Having faced New Zealand on several occasions, Vermeulen – who made the transition from a player to a coach after the 2023 RWC, said he preferred to leave it up to the other coaches to guide the younger players on what to expect from the All Blacks this weekend.
“I can probably just talk about the environment, but there are a couple of guys that are still playing when I played, and all the coaches also give their input, so I don't really work a lot with that side of things,” Vermeulen concluded.
