Four things we want to see from the Springboks in Bloem

The Springboks take on Wales in the second Test of their three-match series at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 5.05pm) looking to seal the series, while the visitors want to keep it alive.

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Here are four things we would like to see from the hosts in the match.

Selection vindication

Much has been made of the Springbok management’s decision to make 14 changes to the run on team and 19 to the match-23.

Local pundits have defended the decision, pointing to the Boks’ massive squad depth, while foreign pundits have claimed the decision waters down the series and is disrespectful to Wales.

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The proof will be in the result at the end of the day, but the Bok fringe players will be desperate to vindicate the faith shown in the by the management team, and reward that with a positive result.

Thrilling loose trio

The Boks named a very exciting loose trio for the game against Wales, with up and coming star Evan Roos making his debut, Marcell Coetzee making a well-deserved return to the national fold, and Pieter-Steph du Toit back from injury.

Each of the three will be eager to put in a solid performance for very different reasons and Bok fans will be keen to see what they can do together.

It is a formidable loose trio and with a player like Deon Fourie on the bench, Wales could be in for a torrid time at the breakdown.

The return of Handre Pollard

First-choice flyhalf Handre Pollard had an underwhelming international season in 2021, struggling for consistent form while his goal kicking was wayward, missing some vital kicks that cost matches during the season.

He has also suffered injury problems this year, but featured for his club side Montpellier towards the end of their French Top 14-winning campaign and will be eager to build on that in his first international start of 2022.

Fans will also be eager to see Pollard return to top form, especially after Elton Jantjies struggled in the position last weekend.

Big effort from an inexperienced bomb squad

The Boks’ famed bomb squad has become integral in digging the team out of extremely tough situations over the last few years.

They have managed to turn losing situations into winning ones, and thus the Bok bench has become a big part of their game plan.

However, in this weekend’s match the bench features a raft of inexperienced players, who will have to somehow live up to the high expectations of the bomb squad.

Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ruan Nortje, Deon Fourie and Grant Williams are all set for their debuts, while Rynhardt Elstadt has only three caps. Thus a lot will fall on the shoulders of Damian Willemse (17 caps), Malcolm Marx (47 caps) and Vincent Koch (32 caps).