Nienaber to announce World Cup squad today

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber faces major selection issues regarding the forwards to take to the World Cup, former Bok captain John Smit says.

All will be revealed today when Nienaber announces his 33-man squad to defend SA’s 2019 World Cup crown in France from September 8 to October 28.

In the last match before being forced to make agonising final selection calls, Nienaber watched his team beat Argentina 24-13 in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

“I think the Bok coaches will look at Saturday’s win over Argentina and say certain players have put their hands up and given them something to think about,” Smit said.

“Possibly there are some players who might not have taken their chance and we will have to wait until Tuesday to find out. I think up front are the hardest spots to play for.”

Springbok legend Victor Matfield believes the brains trust may revert to a combination similar to four years ago in Japan.

“I wonder if the Boks won’t go back to what worked in 2019,” he said. “Start with Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth and then have RG Snyman and Franco Mostert on the bench and they can come in at 4 and 5, and Mostert can come in at 7 as well.”

Smit said Mostert had not caught the eye of late because he was playing at No 7.

“It has to be mentioned that Franco, playing at 7 in that wide channel, you just don’t get to see him as much as if he were playing at 4 or 5. So he does not have the ability to show his work rate as much. I wonder how frustrated he [Mostert] might feel?

“He is a seasoned campaigner who offers both sides, so he is probably an automatic selection. We have mentioned Marvin Orie, who has had a phenomenal few Tests, so we are pretty well-stocked at lock.

“SA have RG Snyman too, who is back in form and looks like the ideal impact player who comes on and loosens the ball and gets over the advantage line. He is so tall and manages to get the ball and offload it in contact situations.”

Smit said if the Boks started with De Jager and Etzebeth at lock it would offer them various options.

“If that happens, Deon Fourie could throw [play at hooker] and play flank and give them a bit more of a mix. Everyone is excited about Deon. I have not seen him have a bad game in the past year both for the Stormers and SA, but he is competing in a very congested area of the Boks.”

Matfield said several players stood out against Argentina. “Starting at the back, I really enjoy Damian Willemse at 15. The way he ran the ball back, he is solid under the high ball and when it comes to defence, when he comes for that last man he is such a good defender.

“I really liked Canan Moodie and Makazole Mapimpi against Argentina. They are a bit taller and bigger than some of the others when it comes to the aerial battle.

“Moodie makes me think of a JP Petersen. He is just so solid and does everything at the right time. He makes the right decisions, and he had a fantastic game in Argentina.

“In the forwards, Deon Fourie always puts his hand up and I wonder if they are going to try play him as a third-choice hooker/loose forward? It will be interesting if they do that.”