Handre Poland, Eben Etzebeth, and Willie le Roux have all been selected for the Springboks’ starting team for this Saturday’s clash with the All Blacks. The Freedom Cup, which has been held annually since 2004, has been predominantly won by New Zealand. South Africa has only won this minor international trophy twice – the last time being in 2009.
Can the Springboks win?
To increase the team’s chances of securing the cup for the first time in over 15 years, head coach Rassie Erasmus has made seven key changes to the team’s structure. This reshuffling has resulted in Poland, Etzebeth, and Roux all playing from the get-go at the upcoming game which will be held at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
Although a minor event in rugby, avid fans will definitely be tuning in to the Freedom Cup to see if the Springboks can finally win back the cup from their biggest rivals. With such a strong starting side selected, many bettors will be backing the Springboks both in the UK and in South Africa. According to Liam Austen-Rondi from SportsCasting UK, licensed and regulated UK betting sites now cater to a wide range of sporting events – from the Six Nations to the Rugby World Cup. So, although not quite as popular in the UK as football, there are still plenty of betting markets for the Springboks and other rugby teams at any trusted bookmaker operating here.
Given that the Springboks haven’t won this trophy in over a decade, bettors will likely find the odds for a South African win to be very lucrative. The strong team that Erasmus has formed may be enough for the team to finally lift the trophy once more. Poland, Etzebeth, and Roux are all two-time World Cup winners. There are only 43 rugby players in total who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions, so having three of them in your team at one time is definitely impressive.
Plus, the Springboks already proved that they have what it takes to overpower New Zealand. Just last Saturday (August 31) they beat the All Blacks 31-27 at Emirates Airline Park.
The new lineup
However, will the new player arrangements work? Specifically, Erasmus has positioned Pollard in the run-onside, deciding to put Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the bench. Pollard will be supported in the halves by the halfback Grant Williams.
Not only is Pollard one of the most successful rugby players in the current era of rugby, but he is also one of the highest earners. His annual salary of £610,000 makes him one of the richest rugby players in the world today. Hopefully, he’ll prove that he’s worth it this Saturday.
On the outside backs, we have Le Roux alongside Canan Moodie and Cheslin Kolbe – the latter being another World Cup winner. Moodie has been selected to replace Kurt-Lee Arendse in the rightwing position. Arendse is unfortunately unavailable for the upcoming match.
Etzebeth has been selected for the forwards. Here, he will be backed by Ruan Nortje. The inclusion of Etzebeth has allowed Pieter-Steph du Toit to form part of the forward trio, which also consists of Jasper Wiese and Siya Kolisi.
Kolisi’s injury
Some doubt was raised over Kolisi’s ability to play, given that he struggled to drink from his water bottle last week. This was due to a facial injury he sustained during the match. While Erasmus made jokes about it at the time, there were fears that Kolisi had suffered a facial fracture. Luckily, he has since been confirmed as part of the team, so the facial injury can’t have been too serious.
Not only a powerful rugby player, Kolisi is also the head of the Kolisi Foundation – a charity that helps disadvantaged communities in South Africa. When he’s not on the field, he’s helping to supply 156,000 breakfasts to those in need. His dedication off the field mirrors the type of player he is on the field, which is why he’s essential to the Springboks’ victory this Saturday.
Overall, Erasmus has learned a lot from last week’s clash and knows that New Zealand can make a powerful start, remain consistent, and bounce back if need be. Although the Springboks won last week, the final score was close. The All Blacks could have just as easily overpowered his team. So, he’s taken the lessons learned from the team’s previous meeting and put them into practice when building this Saturday’s lineup.