Irrespective of what happened in rural Argentina last night, the Springboks have the opportunity to parade more silverware when they clash with Los Pumas in Mbombela next Saturday.
Having secured the Rugby World Cup, the Mandela Trophy and the Freedom Cup, next weekend could be cause for much celebration in what Bok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick described as a homecoming, as they wrap up their Rugby Championship.
Captain Siya Kolisi is expected to be part of the action before his nose is reset to its original position, and he will no doubt lap up all the adulation at the ground where he made his Test debut 11 years ago. His selection back then put a few old noses out of joint, but Bok rugby has since evolved.
Head coach Rassie Erasmus has now presided over 61 Springbok Tests and few of those would have carried as many feelgood factors in its build-up as next week’s in the lowveld.
The last time the Boks played in Mbombela, they handsomely outplayed the All Blacks 26-10 in a scoreline that perhaps flattered the tourists.
That match, and the clash the following week against the same opposition at Ellis Park, points to the potential pitfalls of squad rotation, but the long-term benefits, as often espoused by Erasmus, cannot be disputed.
In this instance, the team assembled for Mbombela will likely draw a big thumbs up.
Lock Eben Etzebeth, who was on the bench for the clash in Santiago del Estero, will likely be in the starting line-up, and take sole possession of the title of most-capped Springbok.
There could also be returns for flank Pieter-Steph du Toit, wing Cheslin Kolbe, centre Damian de Allende, hooker Bongi Mbonambi, fullback Willie le Roux and prop Frans Malherbe, who were spared the away match against Argentina. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who was among those rested for the Test in Santiago del Estero, is actually injured, but is expected to be restored to fitness in time for the end-of-year tour to the UK.
Next week will also mark the potential return from injury of Damian Willemse, who has not played a Test this year. The utility back suffered finger ligament damage while playing for the Stormers away to Connacht in May. The last time he played a Test on home soil was against Argentina in last year’s 22-21 nail-biter that went in favour of the Springboks at Ellis Park.
Willemse, more or less settled at fullback for the Boks, could count among the substitutes, allowing Le Roux to edge towards centurion status. In his last 10 Tests, Willemse has started just one at flyhalf. That start was in the 76-0 romp against Romania in Bordeaux in the pool stages of last year’s Rugby World Cup, where the pressure was perhaps a little less intense.
Next week could also be a return to the starting team for flyhalf Manie Libbok. If, with the trophy already in the bag, the world champions need to turn it on, few are better equipped to pop the Bok cork and lend some fizz and sparkle to proceedings.
By now, Libbok — who last started against Portugal in July — must be ready to pop his own cork. According to Stick, it’s players like Libbok who have exemplified the Boks’ “all-for-one...” spirit. “A guy like Libbok, we’ve won the World Cup with him,” said the Bok assistant coach.
“Week in and week out, even when he’s not in the [match day] team, he supports Sacha and Handré [Pollard]. That’s one thing I enjoy about our environment.”
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