Plenty of questions for Springboks’ Jacques Nienaber before All Blacks double-header

Cape Town - At long last! The All Blacks will travel to South Africa to take on the world champion Springboks in Mzansi for the first time since the 2019 World Cup.

Yesterday’s announcement that the Rugby Championship will see New Zealand playing a doubleheader against the Boks in SA was a welcome development, after Siya Kolisi’s team had to endure a nightmare trip to Australia for the same tournament last year, due to Covid-19 protocols.

They had to face the Wallabies twice and the All Blacks twice in four consecutive weeks of Test rugby, and despite the two defeats to Australia, the Boks restored some dignity with a two-point loss and a two-point win over Ian Foster’s team.

So, now we’ll see just how good the Kiwis really are, and where the South Africans are at ahead of next year’s World Cup in France.

But before Kolisi & Co run out at Mbombela Stadium on 6 August to take on the All Blacks, there are plenty of questions that Bok coach Jacques Nienaber needs to answer.

The first contentious situation is at fullback. Willie le Roux is the incumbent, but for how much longer can the likes of Aphelele Fassi, Warrick Gelant and Damian Willemse be ignored at No 15?

Le Roux is playing in Japan at the moment while Fassi, Gelant and Willemse are fighting it out in the United Rugby Championship.

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