Ken Borland

Ruan Dreyer (Gold)

World Cup-winning tighthead prop Frans Malherbe still has his haters despite being the country’s best scrummager, with some people saying he ate all the pies. Malherbe is now injured, which has opened the way for former Springbok Ruan Dreyer to start in the No.3 jersey for the Gold team. The dangerous Steven Kitshoff is at loosehead and it will be interesting to see whether Dreyer performs like the tighthead who was given such a hard time by Kitshoff on SuperFan Saturday or like the Lions strongman who played for the Springboks in 2016.

Wandisile Simelane (Green)

The career of the former SA U20 star has not been meeting expectations at the Lions largely due to the lack of faith shown in him by his own union. Now, with the backing of Springbok backline coach Mzwandile Stick, Simelane has a big stage to show his talents as he comes face-to-face with World Cup hero Lukhanyo Am, the captain of the Gold team and one of the world’s best outside centres.

JD Schickerling (Green)

Schickerling is uncapped at Springbok level but is highly-rated in the Cape and for good reason. The 25-year-old lock is starting to become a standout player in the powerful Stormers squad – not only is he a persistent threat in the lineouts, but he is also always in the reckoning whenever there’s some grunt work to be done in the tight. There is an injury crisis in the second row at Springbok level at the moment and Schickerling is poised to make his move.

Rikus Pretorius (Gold)

Another man with a growing reputation in the Cape, and deservedly so. Pretorius is 21 years old now and is starting to bulk up and become a real physical presence at inside centre. But he also boasts an ever-expanding suite of skills and his deft touches could form a thrilling partnership with arguably the most skilful centre in the country in Lukhanyo Am.

Marco van Staden (Gold)

Van Staden is the classic fetcher who has a great nose for turnover ball and hits hard in the tackle. It’s going to be interesting to see how far he gets under new Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber if the Bulls man can stay fit for an extended period. The Springboks did not play with a typical openside flank when Rassie Erasmus was coach, but it’s a position that is still very important in this age of high-tempo rugby.

Gianni Lombard (Green)

Lombard was a dazzling star for one of the most larney rugby schools in the country – Paarl Boys High – and is undoubtedly a player of great skill and playmaking ability. But he has been played here, there and everywhere in the backline and so has battled to make his mark after three years of senior rugby with the Lions, injuries not helping either. On Saturday he gets a chance at fullback on the grand stage of Newlands. Will he show he belongs in more esteemed company?

Saturday’s Springbok Showdown will feature several young prospects who are just old enough to avoid needing legal guardians, but the respective coaches of the Green and Gold teams – Mzwandile Stick and Deon Davids – have ensured that those rookies are surrounded by experience as they come under the spotlight at Newlands.

Stick’s Green XV features raw but exciting backline players in fullback Gianni Lombard, wings Yaw Penje and Malcolm Jaer, and outside centre Wandisile Simelane. Scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba has already proven himself at senior level, but it is worth remembering he is still only 21 years old.

But steering the Green XV backline are two players of immense experience and matchwinning pedigree in inside centre Francois Steyn and flyhalf Elton Jantjies.

Similarly, the Gold XV is captained by the seasoned World Cup winner Lukhanyo Am and also boasts Courtnall Skosan, who has played 77 Super Rugby games and 12 Tests for South Africa, on the wing.

“We wanted to make sure that some promising youngsters are given a fair opportunity, guys who have come all through our junior structures. But then we have also put guys around them from the World Cup squad, so that will be a real boost for them. The guys coming through our junior system – that’s our future – but the main thing is to select youngsters with experience alongside them.

“They are our future and you don’t want to throw them into the deep end, so Simelane has Steyn next to him, Nohamba and Elton Jantjies are our halfbacks. The other team has Lukhanyo Am playing in midfield with Rikus Pretorius. We tried to select a good balance, make sure we also select experienced guys like Siya Kolisi and Duane Vermeulen, so we give those youngsters the best possible opportunity for them to impress,” Stick said on Wednesday at the team announcement for the Springbok Showdown.

“All over, spread from numbers one to 15, there are special talents. Each player brings his own special x-factor and there should be some really good battles. At eighthman Sikhumbuzo Notshe against Duane Vermeulen, who is a very experienced campaigner, is going to be a great match-up and the battle between the nines and 10s should be very interesting. Plus Simelane is up against one of the best outside centres in the world in Am, so I’m looking forward to that battle,” Davids added.

Davids was also delighted to have the services of two of the brightest young talents at flyhalf, naming Stormers prospect Damian Willemse as his starting 10 and Sharks star Curwin Bosch on the Gold bench.

“Curwin has come back from injury really well and he was certainly in contention to start. We are privileged to have such talent in our flyhalves and I’m happy to have both, we can use them differently for different situations. Both have a huge future and I’m excited to see how they respond on Saturday.

“We look at the Green team and our strengths, but also their weaknesses, and try and build on that, that will be significant in terms of our approach. But I just want the players to express themselves, apply good fundamentals and, against very tough opposition, just play to the best of their ability. We are in a very special environment, with coaches who are very good at what they do,” Davids said.

Teams

Springbok Green: Gianni Lombard, Yaw Penxe, Wandisile Simelane, Francois Steyn, Malcolm Jaer, Elton Jantjies,  Sanele Nohamba, Duane Vermeulen, Arno Botha, Siya Kolisi (captain), Hyron Andrews, JD Schickerling, Luan de Bruin, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche. Replacements – Schalk Erasmus, Kwenzo Blose, Thomas du Toit, JJ van der Mescht, Juarno Augustus, Junior Pokomela, Embrose Papier, Manie Libbok, Jeremy Ward, Kade Wolhuter.

Springbok Gold: Warrick Gelant, Rosko Specman, Lukhanyo Am (captain), Rikus Pretorius, Courtnall Skosan,  Damian Willemse, Herschel Jantjies, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Nizaam Carr, Marco van Staden, Marvin Orie, Salmaan Moerat, Ruan Dreyer, Scarra Ntubeni, Steven Kitshoff. Replacements – 16 – Dylan Richardson,  Dylan Smith, Carlü Sadie, Jason Jenkins,  James Venter, Vincent Tshituka, Ivan van Zyl, Curwin Bosch, Werner Kok, Manuel Rass.

After sensationally bursting on the scene last year, 2020 has undoubtedly been a year of great frustration for Herschel Jantjies, but the 24-year-old scrumhalf has decided whatever time he has in the Springbok camp over the next couple of months will be a time of investment in making him an even better player.

Jantjies began 2019 not even sure of his spot as the Stormers No.1 scrumhalf, but his Super Rugby campaign was so outstanding that he was chosen for the Springbok squad, practically out of nowhere. His rapid ascension continued when he scored two tries on his Test debut in the 35-17 win against Australia at Ellis Park, and he ended the year as a Rugby Championship and World Cup winner, back-up to Faf de Klerk and with a nomination for World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year.

But then came 2020 and Jantjies’ woes started well before the Lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His own form was as inconsistent as the Stormers’, and then he fractured his leg in their last game before Lockdown, against the Sharks in Durban. But the timing has been perfect for the Kylemore product and now that rugby has resumed, he is raring to go, as evidenced by his dynamic display last weekend against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld.

“It was actually a blessing in disguise having a fractured leg going into Lockdown. It meant I had the time to recover, it took six to seven weeks for the fracture to heal and then there was all the rehab and getting match fit. And now I’m really excited to be back and really looking forward to this week with the Springboks. In this week with the Gold squad, I’m just going to take in as much as I can because there’s a lot I can still improve on.

“It took quite a bit of time, but I was ready exactly when we planned – when we started full-on contact – and I just can’t wait to play some full-on rugby. In the meantime you’re never too old or too young to learn and I am still in the phase of my career when I am learning a lot. Then I just have to apply it to my game so I become a better player,” Jantjies said on Tuesday from Cape Town, where the Green and Gold squads are preparing for the Springbok Showdown at Newlands on Saturday.

Youngsters Damian Willemse and Curwin Bosch are the two flyhalves in the Gold squad and Herschel’s namesake but no relation, Elton Jantjies, is now the senior No.10 in the Springbok squad after Handre Pollard’s serious knee injury, and is intent on helping the less experienced wannabes along.

“It’s a big week for us because we want to get the alignment right between the old and new faces. It’s about being warriors, aligning with the group and having discipline. It’s really tough to lose Handre because he was starting to play really good, consistent rugby, and we helped each other. But if it’s my opportunity to fill that role then I’m definitely ready.

“In the meantime I just want to help the younger guys in the team to feel comfortable in the environment so that they can come out on Saturday and execute their skills. Until the Rugby Championship is confirmed, our main focus is on the Currie Cup/Super Rugby. But I’m sure we will be physically prepared and mentally as well,” Elton Jantjies said.

The effectiveness with which the Bulls were able to kill the Sharks’ momentum in last weekend’s SuperFan Saturday match at Loftus Versfeld will weigh heavily on coach Sean Everitt’s mind as he prepares for the tough SuperRugby Unlocked challenges that lie ahead.

While the Sharks set the tone in SuperRugby earlier this year with the brisk tempo of their play and the efficient finishing of their backline, the Bulls showed that both those factors can be taken out of the equation if the KwaZulu-Natalians are beaten at source and don’t get enough quick ball, with the home side romping to a 49-28 win in Pretoria.

The loss of Andre Esterhuizen, Tyler Paul, Juan Schoeman and Le Roux Roets has robbed the Sharks of much go-forward grunt and they will have some other big packs to contend with when Super Rugby Unlocked starts on October 9 when they host the Lions in Durban.

“I thought the Bulls’ breakdown work was outstanding and we battled to get quick ball. Momentum comes from what type of ball you get at the breakdown and it was difficult for us to get any momentum, difficult to get on the front foot. In terms of physicality, the Bulls handled us well. It’s always difficult when you’re under the pump and don’t get over the gain-line.

“You end up making mistakes under pressure and turnovers, which means you’re always on the back foot. So it was obviously not the scoreline we wanted. We wanted to play off turnovers but they negated that and then three missed balls in the air cost us three tries. We will have to reorganise in that area, although we were also a bit unfortunate on attack,” Everitt said.

Given that the Sharks play a high-risk, high-reward type of rugby and that they now have a young side, it was understandable that there were costly moments when sound judgement was not always apparent.

“We certainly took a lot of learnings from the game. We came in with an enlarged squad and a lot of really good youngsters, and in the second half they did exceptionally well, playing the style of rugby we wanted. When you play risky rugby, sometimes things are not going to go well and missing some balls in the air cost us, the Bulls did well in the set-pieces and their breakdown work was outstanding.

“When we were deep inside their 22, maybe we didn’t always take the right options and we’ll now have to refocus. Injuries will happen, that’s part of the game, and we were fortunate not to have many in SuperRugby. But now a perfect scenario would be being able to rotate the squad, but we are still getting contact fit. The good news is James Venter, Henco Venter and Madosh Tambwe should all be available for the Lions game,” Everitt said.