OPINION: Kurt-Lee Arendse continues to change the narrative for the Springboks

The Springboks’ decision to back Kurt-Lee Arendse as Cheslin Kolbe’s replacement for the first Test of the Rugby Championship against the All Blacks this weekend shows a significant change from their previous mentality.

Not too long ago, before Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber took over the reins, the Boks had a pretty strict policy on not picking small players, with a number of extremely talented players missing out on selection because of their size.

Some famous examples include Brent Russell, Gio Aplon and Kolbe (previously), who were deemed too small, while the supremely talented Heinrich Brussow was backed by Peter de Villiers despite his size, but not by Heyneke Meyer, stalling what should have been a long Bok career.

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But the arrival of Erasmus followed by the backing of Kolbe in 2018, turning a player who had been ignored up until that point, into a global superstar and one of the best players on the planet, seems to have started to shift the size based narrative that the Boks have stubbornly stuck to over too many years.

Arendse, who enjoyed a fantastic season for the Bulls, was rewarded by the Boks for his impressive form over the past season with a first ever call-up and then gave him his first ever start in the second Test against Wales.

Attacking prowess

Known primarily for his incredible attacking prowess, Arendse then proved that size doesn’t matter by putting in a huge defensive shift in the match, with his tackling outshining his attack, as he brought down any Welsh player that had the ball, no matter their size, all match long.

With Kolbe then ruled out until September at the earliest, it was debated whether the Boks would go back to Jesse Kriel, who had played on the wing before, or if Willie le Roux would be deployed out wide.

However, the management was suitably impressed by Arendse’s Welsh outing and have now made a massive statement in backing him to front up to the attacking might of the All Blacks.

It is a brilliant opportunity for him to prove that he deserves to play at this level and to hopefully continue changing the narrative for the Boks.