Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus might not know how to unleash a spinaroonie after victory, but his All Black counterpart is quite certain that he will pull out some moves when their two teams meet in the Rugby Championship at Ellis Park tomorrow (5pm start).
“Rassie can’t (dance),” said All Black coach Scott Robertson, who has become world famous for his breakdancing skills, with a hearty giggle, much to the delight of the media scrum he addressed on a cold morning in Sandton yesterday.
“Oh, that is a good point. We will have to see what rhythm he’s got at some stage.”
Your team to face the Springboks 😤#AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/pCop5U2Nzo
It was not, however, all cheerful verbosity from Robertson as he discussed his matchday 23 to face the world champions tomorrow.
Much like his assistant coach Scott Hansen earlier in the week, he gave a curt reply when asked about any possible disruptions to the team after the departure of former assistant Leon MacDonald recently.
“No,” he said sharply, “we were really clear. We’ve had a great week here, thank you.”
Robertson will welcome back two key players for the clash at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final venue, with captain Scott Barrett and Sam Cane selected to combat what is expected to be a massively physical battle up front.
Barrett and Cane, with 60 and 96 caps, respectively, will add to the veteran status of the team.
The return of former skipper Cane to the starting XV, in particular, is an interesting selection as many speculated that the 32-year-old would come on as a replacement.
His leadership qualities, however, seem to have swayed the selectors.
“Sam has been incredible off the field for us,” the All Black mentor said, “and now is the opportunity for him to be the Test veteran for us on the highveld, with all that experience and calmness, but also with those really tough shoulders …
“We thought that he was the best fit for this Test with this combination. Obviously, Ethan (Blackadder) is in great form, and we have Ardie Savea, so it is a good balance for the loose trio.”
It is a matchday 23 that knows what to expect from the Boks and one that has beaten them in Johannesburg before.
At least 11 of the starting XV contested the last match the two nations clashed in – the Rugby World Cup final won 12-11 by the Boks last year – while close to that many helped beat South Africa 35-22 at Ellis Park in 2022.
Incidentally, both Barrett and Cane where in the squad for the latter match, as were Scott’s brothers Jordie and Beauden, alongside Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke, Rieko Ioane, Savea, Tupou Vaa’i, Tyrel Lomax and Codie Taylor.
Said Robertson: “You want to have experienced it before with as many players as you possibly can, because it is going to help in these times of need.
“There will be some tough moments out there, as we know. Their composure and tone of voice will be essential. (This team) know what it takes.”
“Razor” is also no stranger to travelling to the highveld and beating the odds. He did so with a dominant Crusaders team in 2017 when they famously beat the Lions in that year’s Super Rugby final.
“We learnt from that, that these games are just a couple of moments.
“There was obviously a red card, and we got an early try and we hung on for 20-odd minutes. That is what it felt like and that is what it took, especially on the highveld.
“It’s little margins, as most big games are, and your ability to deal with the altitude, which is a part of the game. You have 80 minutes to do it,” he concluded.
All Black Team
15 Beauden Barrett 14 Will Jordan 13 Rieko Ioane 12 Jordie Barrett 11 Caleb Clarke 10 Damian McKenzie 9 TJ Perenara 8 Ardie Savea 7 Sam Cane 6 Ethan Blackadder 5 Tupou Vaa’i 4 Scott Barrett (captain) 3 Tyrel Lomax 2 Codie Taylor 1 Tamaiti Williams.
Bench: 16 Asafo Aumua 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi 18 Fletcher Newell 19 Sam Darry 20 Samipeni Finau 21 Cortez Ratima 22 Anton Lienert-Brown 23 Mark Tele’a.