Springbok No 8 Elrigh Louw trains ahead of their Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies. Springbok No 8 Elrigh Louw trains ahead of their Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies. Picture: Tertius Pickard / AFP
The Springboks’ have had three different players at the back of the scrum in 2024 following the retirement of the great Duane Vermeulen.
While Jasper Wiese - who deputised for Vermeulen over the last few years - has been serving a suspension, Evan Roos has featured at No 8 twice in the Test matches against Wales and Portugal, while Kwagga Smith was given the responsibility in the two-Test series against Ireland.
This Saturday, in the Springboks’ second Rugby Championship match against the Wallabies in Perth, Elrigh Louw will have his second crack at the position after a fine showing on the 33-7 win in the first match in Brisbane.
Louw is one of the few survivors from the first match match after coach Rassie Erasmus made 10 changes for the match, giving some of the fringe players an opportunity to have a crack at a Tier 1 team.
It’s on brand for Erasmus’ Springboks to chop and change to give players a taste of Test rugby in between World Cups. He did it before the 2019 event in Japan and again leading up to the 2023 showpiece tournament in France.
Rassie 𝘰![CDATA[]]>𝘯 𝘈![CDATA[]]>𝘭![CDATA[]]>𝘭![CDATA[]]>𝘦![CDATA[]]>𝘴
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 14, 2024
Episode 7: Rassie on the perfect player.
Enjoy!🍿![CDATA[]]>🔊#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks pic.twitter.com/4xhVapuAbt
These matches give players the opportunities to catch the eye and put themselves in contention for the 2027 tournament, which will be played on Australia.
Wiese will be back in the mix for the remaining matches against the All Blacks and Argentina’s Los Pumas, and is likely to feature in at least one of the matches at home against the Kiwis.
However, Louw can give Erasmus another selection headache with a powerful performance in Perth.
Louw carried strongly against the Aussies in the first ever start for the Boks, and tackled everything that moved with plenty of venom. It’s the sort of bruiser performance Erasmus loves from his No 8s.
“I got a bit of confidence last week, getting my first start. I know what to expect now,” said Louw.
“I don’t think there is a lot more I can adjust or add to my game at the moment. I just want to go out there and do my best and stick to the team’s gameplan.
“Coach Rassie is trying to build squad depth and build our experience. I just want to put my hand up, grab the opportunity and play well for the team.”
However, Louw expects the Australians to come back firing in Perth, especially after they were outgunned in the physical stakes.
It’s the only way they can compete with the Springboks, because if you lose the battle upfront, you’re likely to lose the war all over the field against the South Africans.
“They are going to come back better than what they were last week. They will fix a few things, sharpen up the different areas of their game,” Louw said.
“But it’s expected and we are ready for that. We are preparing as best we can, not to be caught out by any tactics or plans.”
@JohnGoliath82