Springbok wing uncertainty for Ireland match

— Cape Town The opportunity to work with South African and Japanese-based players during this week’s Springbok training camp in Stellenbosch may impact coach Jacques Nienaber’s selection for Saturday’s Test against Ireland.

Following the conclusion of the Rugby Championship on September 24, the most of the top Boks have taken a rest, but it was probably not long enough.

Some of the camp participants have recently competed for their franchises in the United Rugby Championship (URC), but those at Japanese clubs have enjoyed a complete break.

The likes of Malcolm Marx, Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert, Faf de Klerk, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, and Willie le Roux will be first in line to be included in the match-23 for the Irish Test at Aviva Stadium.

Nienaber will reveal a 34-man squad on Friday morning that will depart Johannesburg for Dublin on Saturday evening, while another 20-man group will form the backbone of the SA ‘A side that will travel to Cork the following week Saturday ahead of their tour match against Munster.

But how will the Bok coach divide up the starting lineup against Ireland? With Damian Willemse now the first-choice flyhalf in the absence of the injured Handre Pollard and the unavailable Elton Jantjies, the coaches are likely to resort to the experienced Le Roux at fullback, especially considering that he trained in Stellenbosch with nearly the entire probable backline.

That group was made up of Le Roux, Kriel, De Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Willemse and Jaden Hendrikse.

The single question mark is located on the right wing, which is a complex scenario. Cheslin Kolbe has now played three games for Toulon and scored two tries in his return from a broken jaw in the last few weeks. Normally, he would be reinstated to the starting lineup without issue.

However, the former Stormers player, who will turn 29 on Friday, will be required to play for his team on Sunday night against Bordeaux.

This means that he is unlikely to make it to Dublin in time to practice with the Boks on Monday, and the national team has a principle that if a player is unable to train on a Monday, they will not be selected.

Kolbe’s absence is not due to injury, therefore it will be intriguing to see if Nienaber selects him at No. 14 when the team is announced on Tuesday.

There is a ready-made replacement in Bulls excitement machine Kurt-Lee Arendse, who was also in Stellenbosch this week, and the more experienced Sbu Nkosi was also at the camp, though he has only played one game for the Bulls this season and is not yet Test-match sharp.

And while Willemse will start against Ireland, Johan Goosen must prove he is fully healed from concussion for the Bulls against the Sharks on Sunday to be the back-up on the bench; otherwise, De Klerk and Kolbe might slot in as the pivot if necessary.

There are more difficult selection dilemmas in the Ireland lineup. Nienaber is expected to select his strongest team, but what does it mean for the No. 8 position?

Duane Vermeulen is the seasoned veteran, but he was recovering from knee surgery during the Rugby Championship, allowing Jasper Wiese to gain significant momentum as a regular starter.

Vermeulen has gained crucial URC experience for Ulster, having played an hour against the Ospreys and the whole 80 minutes against the Lions at Ellis Park.

He was unavailable last week as Ulster’s match against the Sharks was postponed owing to illness in the Belfast squad’s camp, but he is expected to play in Limerick on Friday night’s crucial match against Munster.

At the Aviva Stadium, should Nienaber select the 36-year-old Vermeulen or the 27-year-old Wiese, who has maintained his excellent form for Leicester over the past several weeks?

Evan Roos trained with the Boks on Wednesday morning in Stellenbosch, after Elrigh Louw was ruled out of the tour with an ankle injury. However, franchise teammates Manie Libbok and Sacha Mngomezulu were released back to the Cape side, so Roos may be included in the 34-man group, but will likely have to wait until the Italy Test to play.

Pieter-Steph du Toit has struggled to reach his best form this season due to a significant shoulder injury, but No. 7 Franco Mostert has produced a handful of active performances in the Rugby Championship.

Peter O’Mahony, Tadhg Beirne, Gavin Coombes, and Caelan Doris are among the best loose forwards for Ireland, thus the Boks must get their loose-trio combination just perfect.