Boks to unleash changed loose trio for first Test against Wales

The Springboks are set to unleash an interesting loose trio in the first Test match against Wales at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

Duane Vermeulen has already been ruled out of the series and it was revealed on Monday that Pieter-Steph du Toit would not be available for the opening Test, leaving Siya Kolisi as the only nailed-on starter among the loose forwards.

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“He (Du Toit) is busy with his rehab after his shoulder operation. I think he will be cleared in terms of that on Thursday, so obviously he will then be considered for the second Test going forward,” explained Bok assistant coach Deon Davids.

Both Vermeulen and Du Toit were unavailable at stages last year, with players such as Jasper Wiese, Kwagga Smith and Franco Mostert filling those starting berths.

However, this year sees in-form rookies such as Evan Roos, Deon Fourie and Elrigh Louw in the mix and it will be interesting to see who are backed by the Bok coaching staff.

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Wiese, who was named man-of-the-match in the Premiership final just over a week ago, is expected to fill the number eight position, but after joining up with the squad only on Monday, it remains to be seen if he will be cleared to slot straight in.

“The medical and conditioning staff had a discussion on all of those factors. We have our training session this afternoon and obviously the team will be officially announced tomorrow (Tuesday),” said Davids.

“But obviously those are things we definitely take into consideration and we will make the best decision for the player and for the team going into the Test match.”

Massive set-piece battle

The set-piece battle as a whole is expected to be a thrilling one, with the Boks aiming to gain early ascendancy over their Welsh counterparts and set the stage for a massive series.

“Set-pieces are always very important in Test matches. You want to have top quality delivery in order to get your attack going or to stop the opposition’s momentum, so the scrums, lineouts and mauls are going to be important,” said Davids.

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In recent times the Boks have backed two complete front rows, with the starting trio coming off around half-time, and it will be interesting to see if they continue with this going forward.

“The coaches have a better perception on that plan. One guy might still have more to give while the other two might need to go off because they have done their jobs,” said prop Ox Nche.

“So I think they will have a better plan on how they will conduct it this year.”