Expect the expected from Boks

THE message from Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber to his team’s supporters is to “expect the expected” when he names his team for their tour opener against Wales next Saturday, and the same would go for playing strategy as the Boks take a conservative route towards finishing the year on a high.

There will be some inevitable changes because of injuries to Faf de Klerk, Frans Malherbe and Cheslin Kolbe but for the most part Nienaber says he will stick to the tried and tested. The 32-man Bok squad arrived in Paris over the weekend where they will have a training camp ahead of the matches against Wales, Scotland and England.

“If you look at who we have on tour, except for the injuries that we have, we are building consistency,” Nienaber said. “Since the 2019 World Cup, we have only played 10 Test matches because we lost out on 2020 due to Covid-19.

“So the key thing for us is to build consistency again — consistency in our performances and preparations. So I don’t think there will be a lot of surprises in team selection and what we put out.

“In saying that, nobody is irreplaceable in our squad.

“There is so much good competition. If you think that we played in the British & Irish Lions series without Duane Vermeulen; we played the final game without Faf de Klerk; we played in the

Rugby Championship without Cheslin Kolbe; and in the last Test match against New Zealand without Frans Malherbe.

“From that perspective, we know as a group that nobody is irreplaceable. We must also know that we have to perform. When the players are at their clubs, they have to stake their claim for selection and players who are with us now have to train well to stake their claim. “And knowing this group, we all work hard and take nothing for granted. That’s why I say there