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Rassie explains Bok selection decisions that have raised eyebrows

Rassie explains Bok selection decisions that have raised eyebrows

The Herald2 days ago
Never afraid to make big calls that raise eyebrows, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has explained why he moved captain Siya Kolisi to number eight for the opening Test of the Rugby Championship match against Australia at Ellis Park on Saturday.
With Kolisi — whose usual position is at six — at number eight, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Marco van Staden are the two flankers, and Erasmus has gone with the combination of Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth at lock.
This will be the first time in Test rugby Kolisi plays at number eight and Erasmus is confident he will be full value as they look to start the campaign on a winning note.
'We actually changed our minds there. The more we practised and prepared for this Test match, [the more] we realised the only time a guy really plays at eight is [in] the scrums, and scrums probably happens 13 or 14 times in a game.
'But general play is probably the thing that happens the most, and having guys like Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marco van Staden and Siya on the field at the same time is good, because Australia are a big threat at the breakdown.
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