By Mohamed Bahaa

Ahead of the upcoming friendly against the All Blacks, Springboks veteran Deon Fourie is expecting a tactical change from South African Rugby Union director of rugby Rassie Erasmus. Fourie believes Erasmus will not employ the same controversial substitution strategy that secured South Africa’s narrow 12-11 victory over New Zealand in last year’s Rugby World Cup final in Paris.

The upcoming match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg will be the first time the two teams have met since the World Cup clash. Fourie started on the bench but was called into action after just three minutes of play in the final when Bongi Mbonambi was injured. The 37-year-old played as a catcher for most of the match and was involved in a crucial moment.

In their World Cup campaign, the Springboks’ decision to use a 7-1 bench split with seven forwards and just one defender proved crucial. It was a tactic that had already been successful in a pre-tournament match at Twickenham, where South Africa comfortably defeated the All Blacks 35-7. Critics of the strategy, including former Scotland head coach Matt Williams, claimed it was an “abuse of the bench” and “against the spirit of the game”.

Although the 7:1 substitutes split is working well, Fourie believes Erasmus will adopt a different strategy for the next Test. “It (the 7:1 substitutes split) can be considered again but I doubt it will be used for the Test match at Ellis Park,” Fourie said. At Ellis Park, he expects the altitude conditions and the usually fast game to require more substitutes in defence. “It will be a fast Test match on the plateau in good weather, so with a 7:1 substitutes split you will not be able to replace many players in defence who get tired in such games,” he said.

However, Fourie expects a more balanced bench split (6:2), which emphasizes attacking strength but still offers more options for substitutes in defense. “I think it will be a (6:2) split, especially with Jasper (Wiese) and hopefully with the RG as well,” he said. Reports say Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch and Kwagga Smith will be among the forwards on the bench, with Snyman, Wiese and Marco van Staden most likely filling the other spots. The expected substitutes in defense are Grant Williams and Handre Pollard.

Fourie, who made history as the Springboks’ oldest debutant in 2022, is currently recovering from a knee injury sustained while playing for the Stormers. The experienced athlete is aiming to be back on the field in November and remains confident about his recovery. “I’m jogging again, but I probably won’t be playing again until November,” he explained.

All eyes will be on the Springboks’ line-up and whether Erasmus will really deviate from the controversial strategy that has drawn both praise and criticism as they prepare for their next clash with the All Blacks.