Mike Greenaway
Jordan Hendrikse, the youngest Springbok on tour, succinctly said what all of us know about coach Rassie Erasmus with his words the coach is always five steps ahead of us.
Hendrikse was speaking on the Boks arrival in Edinburgh after a week of training on Jersey and his words sum up the gift of the Springbok coach. It is telling that not even the players in the current squad know what is up the Erasmuss sleeve, so good luck to the opposition.
That said, we can expect that the starting XV to play Scotland on Sunday will not depart too much from the combination that walloped Argentina in the Rugby Championship decider in Mbombela in late September, the last time the Boks played. Erasmus is famous for his left field selections and it is certain that he will have enjoyed the performance of Siya Kolisi at No 8 in the Sharks emphatic defeat of Munster in the recent United Rugby Championship match in Durban.
Kolisi played in that position for the Stormers shortly before his move to Durban in 2021 and Sharks coach John Plumtree believes it could be the Bok captains best position. Plumtree feels that the extra time given to Kolisi at No 8 allows him to better exhibit his ball-carrying and off-loading skills.
