Selecting Springbok centres & wings when crisis strikes

Rugby’s “The War Room” is back for Episode 2, and Mark Keohane and Zelim Nel are discussing the wing and centre options that exist for the Springboks should the first choice selections be ruled out in a series decider against the British & Irish Lions.

This is a really cool series because it allows every South African rugby supporter to indulge in what they enjoy most, which is being a Springboks selector.

The series was born out of a chat, in which the question was about the depth within Springbok rugby, especially with the British & Irish Lions coming to South Africa in July.

What would happen if there was an injury to a key player going into the third and final Test against the Lions if the series was one-all? Who would you pick for that player? We took it further, what if we couldn’t pick any of the starting XV from the triumphant 2019 Rugby World Cup starting XV?

What are the Springboks options and why?

In the first episode we focused on the fullback position if there was no Willie le Roux. We chose Frans Steyn and more than 5000 voted on SA Rugby Magazine and Steyn got 30 percent of the votes to get the fans’ nod.

Steyn’s experience, having played 67 Tests, was a decisive factor. Steyn, who made his debut as a teenager against Ireland in Dublin in 2006, is the youngest Springbok to win a Rugby World Cup, when the Boks beat England 15-6 in Paris in 21007. Steyn was also part of the winning 2019 Rugby World Cup Springboks.

He has played wing, fullback, centre and flyhalf for the Springboks and despite playing the bulk of his rugby at inside centre in the past five years, we felt he was still the go-to fullback in a crisis going into a series decider against the British & Irish Lions.

In Episode 2, we focused on the two wingers and midfield, in which we can’t select Cheslin Kolbe, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am and Damian de Allende. Take a listen or give it a watch as to the quartet we decided on, and you also get to vote on your selections.

Vote on SA Rugby Magazine’s poll for a chance to win a Springbok jersey!

Who will the players be this week?

Unable to watch? Listen below

https://soundcloud.com/user-483401664/war-room-ep2