Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus have revealed why the Springboks decided to take four scrum-halves to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
It was one of the standout calls when the 33-man squad was announced in August ahead of the global tournament in France.
South Africa selected Faf de Klerk, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams and Jaden Hendrikse for the World Cup in a move which surprised many.
Supporters were confused by the decision as it meant they lacked cover in other areas, especially hooker and fly-half, but the coaches explained their reasoning in the new documentary, Chasing the Sun 2.
Versatility
According to Nienamber, the Boks coaches value adaptability in their players, and that is what the most of that quartet provided.
In a Betway segment from the documentary, the current Leinster senior coach stated, “We knew that a guy like Grant Williams actually played wing at school, we knew Cobus could stand up at wing, we knew Faf played fly-half and played fly-half in big games.”
There was no experiment going on with it. We, the four scrum-halves, always found a method within the mayhem.
When South Africa played Romania in their second Pool B encounter, they did end up selecting all four scrum-halves in a matchday squad.
Reinach started at number nine with the lighting quick Williams on the wing, while Hendrikse and De Klerk were among the replacements.
The starting duo touched down five times between them with Reinach scoring a hat-trick and Williams going over twice.
Both Hendrikse and De Klerk entered the game in the second half, combining at half-back as the latter took over kicking duties and converted two tries.
Felix Jones, who succeeded Nienaber as England’s assistant coach following the World Cup, also expressed the necessity for players to be versatile in their roles.
We believed that having players cover numerous positions gives us the flexibility to replace a fallen player with another player, according to Jones.
“Yes, they would have a primary role in which they had to be exceptionally skilled, but we also needed them to be able to function in a different capacity in case the need arose.”
Box-kicking use
Erasmus also stated that it benefited the Springboks in training, with the four scrum-halves allowing them to be “much more productive” during their sessions.
“Your practice sessions become so much more productive because you can have four stations where there is a nine available. Suddenly, you have 33 players. If you have two extra nines, then you can practice box-kicks,” he stated.
The coaches in South Africa are known for their ability to think creatively, and Nienaber is adamant that there should be no set method for selecting an international team.
“When choosing your squad, you should aim to include your top 33 players.” Three fly halves, two fly halves, or three scrum halves don’t have to be the standard configuration. “Those guys were the best,” he continued.
