Lood knocks harder on WC door

The Springboks have now completed four Test matches without a victory and have subsequently slipped from second to fifth place on the International Rugby Board’s World Rankings behind England, Australia and Ireland with New Zealand still top of the pile.

 

This sequence of losses is the most the Boks have experienced since the Jake White era – White’s team lost five on-a-trot in 2006 before going on to win the World Cup the following year.

 

On the positive side of a rather dull picture, De Jager grabbed his chance with both hands and cemented his place in the team.

 

The 22-year-old was handed the responsibility of calling South Africa’s line-outs after veteran Victor Matfield picked up a hamstring injury during the opening exchanges of the team’s 24-20 loss to Australia at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

 

Matfield was also unable to compete in the defeats the team suffered against New Zealand and Argentina – leaving the 22-year-old with a golden opportunity to prove his worth.

 

In a twist that the player would never have imagined, De Jager was likely to be second-choice behind Sharks lock Pieter-Steph du Toit, but the latter also had to watch most of the Rugby Championship from the sidelines due to injury.

 

Du Toit only featured briefly in the 37-25 defeat to the Pumas at the weekend.

 

But what the Springboks lost in the Matfield’s experience, they gained in the physicality De Jager brought to the pitch.

 

Although better known for his exploits as a No 4, or an enforcing lock, De Jager not only adapted well locking down in a different position, he was one of the team’s star players in each of their last three matches.

 

Due to his omnipresence and willingness to take the ball into contact, he came within inches of scoring against the mighty All Blacks.

 

Against the Pumas, he managed to stretch that extra centimeter and has now scored four tries in only 12 Tests.

 

To put this into perspective, Matfield only has seven tries to show in 122 outings which means that the unexpected rise to the top of young De Jager is bound to give coach Heyneke Meyer few selection headaches during the World Cup.

 

While De Jager is arguably the only player who rose to the occasion in each Rugby Championship matches, Schalk Burger and, to a lesser extent, Bismarck du Plessis showed their master class in at least two of team’s last three games.

 

Burger did exceptionally well when considering that he was played out of position and Du Plessis again highlighted his value as both a classic hooker and a player who can turn over possession.

 

In the backline Damien de Allende, like De Jager, is the only player who delivered in each of the last three matches.

 

De Allende is gaining confidence each time he starts and has proven that he can take on the best the world has to offer.

 

Although Newcomer Jesse Kriel passed the test in the number 13 jersey, he was slightly out of his depth playing at the wing.

 

Fullback Willie le Roux showed great improvement, but his defensive game might contribute to another headache or two for Meyer.

 

Likewise, Bryan Habana did enough to retain his place in the team going forward, although most Springbok fans would like him to reproduce the magic that once made him count among the world’s best.

 

One of the first tactical switches Meyer is likely to make as his team prepares for their last dress rehearsal ahead of the World Cup is in his halfback pairing.

 

Meyer retained Handrè Pollard and Ruan Pienaar as his starting pair throughout the tournament and although both players were brilliant at times, it was the times where they struggled that is of greater concern.

 

The big positive for Meyer is that many of his natural first choice players are almost ready to return from lengthy injury lay-offs.

 

But whether they will match ready in time, remains to be seen. -- Michael Mentz

 

ANA