When Bongi Mbonambi left the field for a head assessment test against France after just having his shoulder iced with five minutes to play in their Rugby World Cup semifinal at the weekend, I said to myself ‘what a freaking genius’.
Returning to the field in his place was Pieter-Steph du Toit, who left the field for an HIA of his own after getting a hospital pass from Willie le Roux in the 61st minute.
From where I was sitting, Du Toit rested a bit and could return fresher for a tense finale.
It's over in Paris. Thank you for a massive massive massive contest @FranceRugby 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#StrongerTogether #Springboks #RWC2023 #FRAvRSA pic.twitter.com/mQL1c5Gf3w
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 15, 2023
Deon Fourie switched to hooker and Duane Vermeulen, who was replaced by Kwagga Smith in the 51st minute, returned to action after also refuelling his tank to give his all in the gruelling final minutes against France.
They needed fresh legs in what was the most brutal game of rugby I’ve seen in recent memory.
And yes, it was suspiciously perfect time for both Pieter-Steph and Bongi to have HIA’s at the times they had it, as South Africa made more than 10 ‘subs’ in the second half alone, with France giving it all they had in the closing stages. In fact, they put up a freakishly intense 80 minutes.
The Boks squeaked home 29-28 and deservedly so. And while the likes of Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Eben Etzebeth and Mbonambi starred and the rest of the manne left nothing on the field, my MVP (Most Valuable Player) goes to director of rugby Rassie Erasmus.
Sorry coach Jacques Nienaber, but I saw Rassie’s hand all over that game and indeed the tournament as a whole.
Not suggesting that he planned the HIA’s, but merely pointing out that these Springboks leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of glory.
So clever is this Bok management team that England has no idea what to prep for ahead of their semifinal this weekend.
Do they prepare for an aerial assault from a possible Faf de Klerk/ Handre Pollard combination, or do they do their prep with Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok driving the game? Or a mix of the two?
And so kan ons aangaan about upcoming team selections, maar dit daar gelaat.
Back to the on-field tactics and Erasmus was asked about the HIAs earlier in the week and said: “To explain the HIA, if you can remember the World Cup final [against England in Japan] Bongi Mbonambi, I think minute 17, nobody saw the HIA but we in the coach’s box saw it and we called for it and he didn’t pass the HIA. Malcolm Marx then played from minute 18 or 17 and he played the whole game.
In the words of Jesse Kriel... #RWC2023 | @Springboks pic.twitter.com/bSQWvaIviB
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 17, 2023
“For us, we really care about our players and rightly so…
“When Pieter-Steph made head contact we had to do an HIA there, it was straight head to head.
“And then Duane Vermeulen was called [for an HIA] by matchday doctor.
“Then Bongi got a bad knock against the head. For us to take those players off, the chances are always there that they might not pass the HIA.
“Luckily for us all of them passed and I don’t think there’s anything else to discuss.
“For us, the player’s welfare - I mean although the World Cup is helluva important… there’s life after rugby and as World Rugby with all the court cases and different things going on currently around concussion and with all the courses and stuff we’ve done, when we see a possible HIA - we’ve got a couple of camera angles… [we will call it]. We’re not gonna leave players on the field where the was head contact and possible HIA.”
Absolute Einstein.
There was another instance where I thought Rassie was at work and this was one Damian Willemse called for a scrum after calling a mark in their 22.
Willemse didn’t hesitate indicating a front-row shove and while it was unorthodox, it was certainly pre-planned.
Small little things that make a big difference when planning to try and beat someone and get them to play to your strengths.
Asked about this, Erasmus explained: “It was something that was discussed [beforehand] because France don’t give you a lot of scrums - you never get time to scrum against them. They love long kicks [into your 22]…
Rassie Erasmus on England challenge: "They have threats all over the park" - more here: https://t.co/d2CgrapQP5 🗣#Springboks #StrongerTogether #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/obODxDLaoB
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 17, 2023
“We tried to get as many scrums and after that they kept their kicks shorter…
“We wanted them to engage with us in an area that we enjoyed.”
Genius.
The master of the 7-1 bench split will undoubtedly have a few new tricks up his sleeve for the English this weekend and while I wasn’t always a fan of his social media antics, I have to say that according to me Rassie Erasmus has no equal when it comes to his rugby brain.
Well done! No bring home the trophy.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za