Pat Lambie is expected to wear the No 10 jersey when the Springboks battle Scotland this Sunday, reports JON CARDINELLI in Edinburgh.
When the Boks landed in Cardiff last Monday, Heyneke Meyer outlined his player management plan in no uncertain terms. The Bok coach said he would pick his strongest side for the first tour match against Wales, and then use the second game against Scotland to experiment with different combinations.
PRE-DETERMINED PLAN
Meyer told the players before the tour who would start against Wales, and who would front Scotland. Lambie was told that the he would receive a start at No 10, and it was always likely that Scotland would present the ideal opportunity.
The most recent events at the Millennium Stadium should have no impact on Meyer's pre-tour plans. Morné Steyn sustained a back injury and was forced to leave the field 17 minutes into the contest. Lambie moved to flyhalf.
The Boks have arrived in Edinburgh and on Monday team doctor Craig Roberts said that he's confident Steyn would recover from the injury and be available for the Murrayfield match.
Roberts explained that injuries of this nature usually take two to three days to settle, and the long build-up to the game should give Steyn more time to rehabilitate. He said Steyn would not be risked if he was not ready.
Meyer said after the game on Saturday that he will be managing the squad with the final clash against France in mind, and so it would be foolish to risk Steyn against Scotland.
It all points to Lambie starting at flyhalf in a team that should see a number of changes.
Nevertheless, it would make sense for Meyer to favour some continuity in selection. Fourie du Preez was a key man in the victory in Cardiff, and will have a bearing on the result in Paris. But if Meyer wants to give Lambie the best possible chance at No 10 and assess his performance in a 2015 World Cup context, it may be better to pair him with the Boks' No 1 scrumhalf.
Du Preez and the other Japan-based players have not endured the same workload as their South Africa-based counterparts. It is thus the wisest course of action to retain the likes of Du Preez, JP Pietersen and Jaque Fourie. Pietersen and Fourie both took time to settle in the previous clash and should be allowed to build some momentum before the toughest Test of the tour in Paris. (ou maaaikie of course takes no account of settling in time)
DE VILLIERS NEEDS A REST
Meyer would do well to give his captain and first-choice centre a rest. Thanks to the backward South African system that allows Super Rugby franchises to use and abuse players with their own goals in mind, stars like De Villiers are overplayed even before they join the Test squad in June. Meyer is right when he says it's not the responsibility of the national coach to rest players, but the Boks need De Villiers's leadership for that final clash of the year against France more than they need it for a game against Scotland. To play De Villiers at Murrayfield would be a gamble, as he is already on borrowed time.
Jan Serfontein deserves a run at No 12, and the time is right for Meyer to see what he has in his other leadership options. Gurthrö Steenkamp and Adriaan Strauss could be rotated into the front row, and Strauss could be the man to wear the captain's armband.
The talk in the Bok camp on Monday was about the next set of loose forwards and how they have progressed over the course of the year. Again, Meyer would do well to pick a mix of youth and experience in the back row this weekend.
There has to be a plan for when Francois Louw breaks down with injury. If Siya Kolisi is a genuine alternative in that openside position, then he must be given an opportunity to start. Louw should be preserved for the French Test.
Meyer said last week that the plan is to start Bakkies Botha against Scotland. The Bok coach needs to be bold and pair Botha with Pieter-Steph du Toit in the second row.
He already knows what he has in Flip van der Merwe, which is a stop-gap measure until Victor Matfield becomes available next year (Oh NO!). Du Toit shouldn't be pushed too far too soon, but this game against Scotland will give Meyer a great chance to see exactly what the youngster can do. Some will see it as a risk, but it's one well worth taking.
Looks like we shall see a different side for sure
