OPINION: Bok boss is taking big gamble picking World Cup players now

With rising young talents Elrigh Louw and Evan Roos unlikely to get a serious look in for the Springboks before the 2023 World Cup, coach Jacques Nienaber risks leaving out potential match winners for the showpiece event.

With 18 months still to go before the World Cup, there is a lot of time to blood new players and get them up to speed in the Bok environment.

When Nienaber explained his reasoning behind the fact that Louw and Roos would struggle to get into the Bok loose forward mix, he said that just five loose forwards would be able to go to the World Cup.

He then highlighted the Bok loose forward stocks, with Siya Kolisi, Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kwagga Smith all expected to take up four of those places.

He then mentioned the other players who had featured or had been in the mix such as Jasper Wiese, Marco van Staden, Rynhardt Elstadt and the Du Preez brothers, Jean-Luc and Dan, hinting that the last place would probably go to one of them.

Form versus experience

Nienaber did admit that these players would only make it based on them continuing their good form into the World Cup year, but that is where the problem comes up.

What if a player like Vermeulen, who is 35 now and will be 37 at the start of the 2023 event, loses some of his spark over the next year and a half?

What if the injury prone Du Toit suffers a big injury ahead of the World Cup, and we haven’t blooded the current form youngsters to let them step in?

With the Boks set to play at least 17, possibly 18, matches before the World Cup, Nienaber made a good point in saying that bringing Louw and Roos into the mix and then splitting those games between the other loosies wouldn’t make sense as it would rob them of momentum.

But if Louw and Roos are in better form than some of the other more highly regarded men, should they not be able to step in ahead of them?

Although Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez have been a part of the Bok set-up for a number of years, they have never been able to break into the main squad and get in a decent run of games.

If they haven’t managed to impress enough to do that yet wouldn’t it make sense to give the youngsters who look like they will eventually replace the old guard, a chance to stamp their authority?

Elstadt is another in the mix who hasn’t exactly lived up to his potential, while even a player who did play regularly last year, Wiese, didn’t exactly impress other than in a solid showing against Argentina.

Dangerous tightrope

In the end the Bok management should decide who is the more in-form player and select them on their merits, rather than on their experience and caps.

If Louw and Roos are currently outperforming the current crop of back up loosies they should be included in the Springbok mix.

With the experienced players of Kolisi, Vermeulen and Du Toit in the side, they would easily be able to mentor and guide the youngsters and have them ready for the World Cup next year.

But maybe the coaching staff doesn’t particularly rate Louw and Roos and believe that the current crop of back-ups are better.

If that is the case then fair enough, but if it is due to their age and inexperience that is a dangerous tightrope to be walking and could end up costing them.