DANIEL GALLAN talks to a World Cup-winning duo to get the lowdown on how the Boks are shaping up
Two of the major advantages offered to the host nations of Lions tours is continuity and familiarity. Continuity in team selection and strategy, and familiarity among those who don the black, gold or green of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
The Springboks have been denied both by the pandemic. The last time the leaping antelope graced a rugby field was in November 2019 when Siya Kolisi's men trounced England to lift the Rugby World Cup in Yokohama, Japan.
“I'd be lying if I said that won't be a factor,” says Tendai ‘Beast' Mtawariwa, the now retired Springboks prop with 117 Test appearances including all three of the 2009 Lions series. “Of course (Springboks coach) Jacques Nienaber and (director of rugby) Rassie Erasmus would have hoped to get the boys together to train and work out what they want to achieve as a group. But they'll be fired up. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. No one will need extra motivation. They'll all be hungry and desperate to put in a shift.”
Mtawarira is the only member of the Springboks' final match-day 23 no longer in contention for selection. He dominated Dan Cole in the scrum, just as he did England's veteran Phil Vickery in the 2009 series. The man himself downplays his absence.
“I'm not worried,” Mtawariwa says. “Look at the final. When me and Frans Malherbe came off, Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch came on. No other country can match South Africa at prop.”
Koch has returned to form for Saracens after an inept performance against Cornish Pirates in the opening round of the Greene King IPA Championship. Two tries against Ealing, as well as a strong showing at set-piece, should alleviate any concerns about his sharpness. The same is true for the Stormers duo of Malherbe and Kitshoff, who are fine tuning their game at home in the PRO14 Rainbow Cup.
There are concerns directly behind Kitshoff and company in the scrum. Ordinarily, Test level second rowers cascade off an endless production line in South Africa. However, injury clouds hang over Lood de Jager (torn meniscus), RG Snyman (ACL) and Eben Etzebeth (finger). That means that Franco Mostert, with the Honda Heat in the Japanese Top League, is the only fit lock of the four that featured in the World Cup final.
“It's strange to think that the lineout might be a weakness, but unless two of the three injured guys can turn it around, that could be the case,” says Victor Matfield, the mostcapped Springbok with 127 Test appearances.
“When I was playing, you had myself and Bakkies Botha, but there were also guys like Danie Roussow, Andries Bekker and Johan Muller. Eben gives so much around the park, that aggression and dominance in the collision. Franco is a lineout general and I think Lood could be one of the best locks on the planet right now. But without them, I'm a little worried. The Lions have such strength in this position. I hope things can come right for those guys. Franco can't carry that responsibility on his own.”
According to Matfield, an obvious gulf in class exists between the incumbent quartet and the rest of South Africa's locks. He singles out the 22-year-old Ruan Nortje who has impressed this season for the Blue Bulls. “He ticks a lot of boxes,” Matfield says. “But I wonder if a Lions tour might come too soon for him.”
Among the lesser known names that Matfield mentions is Jason Jenkins, now plying his trade in Japan with Toyota Verblitz but who will join Snyman at Munster next season. The 25-year-old stands 6ft 7in and tips the scale at 19st 2lbs. He may be short of match practice at the highest level, but he at least looks like a Springbok second rower.
If it comes to it, Nienaber could place one of his loose forwards in the tight five. The 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter Steph du Toit began his professional career at lock. His all-round abilities are not too dissimilar to Maro Itoje – “if Maro was South African, someone would have turned him into a flanker,” Matfield says – and is an option at the lineout.
That Du Toit is in any rugby conversation is a minor miracle. His 80 minutes for the Stormers against the Sharks last week were his first in 435 days since suffering a haematoma in his leg in a Super Rugby match in February 2020. The injury developed into acute compartment syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that blocks blood supply from one area of the body to another as a result of the inflamed muscle. He required multiple surgeries and almost lost his leg in the process.
“He's a warrior,” Matfield says. “Very few guys in world rugby could come back from something like that,” echoes Mtawarira.
But sentiment will count for little when Warren Gatland and his Lions touch down at Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Is Du Toit ready for the challenge?
“I'll be honest, he's still a work in progress,” says Labeeb Levy, skills coach with the Stormers who has worked intimately with Du Toit as he has made his recovery. “There are a few things that aren't quite there. But what's incredible is his engine. That hasn't gone. Nor has his desire. He's been flying into tack-les and into breakdowns. In training, when the coach blows his whistle, he's the first one to react. Don't worry. We'll get him to where he needs to be.”
Levy is no longer working with Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, who traded Cape Town for Durban by joining the Sharks. Like du Toit, Kolisi is short of match practice having picked up a grade one hamstring tear back in October.
“In a way, this Covid break has been a blessing for guys like Siya and Pieter Steph,” Levy suggests. “It's allowed them to take the breathing space they need. Of course there is no substitute for game preparation. But I wonder how many of them would have pushed themselves too far if there was a lot of rugby on. Look at the boys who have injured themselves. Most of them are playing overseas. It can be a double-edged sword.”
Amid the bad news is a ray of light. Fly-half Handre Pollard played 22 minutes against Bath in Montpellier's Rugby Challenge Cup semi-final win last week. By all accounts he is close to 100 per cent fitness following a serious knee injury which forced him off the field on a stretcher in a Top 14 clash against Racing 92 in September.
The rest of the backline appears in rude health. Faf de Klerk is having another fine season for Sale Sharks at scrum-half and his deputy Herchel Jantjies, according to Levy, “has been brilliant” for the Stormers.
Damian de Allende is arguably the best inside centre on the planet right now, scything holes through defences for Munster. There was a time when his inclusion in the Springbok side raised eyebrows, with critics citing an apparent reluctance to pass and an inability to offer variety in attack. Now he is one of the first names on the team sheet.
Outside him, Lukhanyo Am is also assured of his place for the first Test. The recently appointed Sharks captain has tightened his defence and is blessed with a deft touch off either shoulder. His ability to bring others into play is unrivalled among South Africa centres.
Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi will stroll into the Lions series at the peak of their powers. Kolbe's reputation as the most electric stepper in the game has been further entrenched as he has helped bring French giants Toulouse to the cusp of a domestic and continental double. As for Mapimpi, four tries in five appearances for NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in the Japanese Top League is a testament to his finishing prowess. Both try scorers in the World Cup final will prove a handful for the Lions back three.
Full-back is less secure. Willie le Roux has been getting regular game time with Toyota Verblitz in Japan and remains a favourite of Erasmus. If he can stay fit, he'll likely start the first Test.
The form of three veterans of the 2009 series have complicated matters. At the Cheetahs, Ruan Pienaar and Francois Steyn, 37 and 33 respectively, are proving that age is an irrelevance. Between them they cover 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15 which could prove invaluable if the Boks stack their bench with forwards. Then there's Morne Steyn, the 36-year-old sharp-shooter whose 80th minute 55m penalty secured the series 12 years ago. He has lost none of his accuracy with the boot and has kicked the Blue Bulls back to the summit of South African rugby.
They may not have played a Test for 18 months, but the Springboks are world champions for a reason.
