CSB - Elliott Smith: Out of Johannesburg ahead of SA v AB's

Elliott Smith joins Hamish McKay to chat how the Springboks team are looking ahead of the weekend's match

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hamus Mguy with you and for BK we go now
to South Africa Johannesburg and our commentator Elliott Smith is
on the ground there. Elliott, great to have you join us,
give us a bit event How far away actually? First
of all all Black team? How far away are we
from hearing that? Has that been released? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Five o'clock New Zealand time on Thursday afternoon is when
it's going to be announced, So slight change from the
usual plan. But your five o'clock Thursday afternoon is when
we'll find out a Scott Robinson's team to face South Africa. Course,
South Africa and Russy Erasmus tend to go a wee
bit early. They do this on the Tuesday local time
of wherever they are. And sure enough they've got their

(00:40):
team out today.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
And what do you make of that Springbok team given
there are a number of injuries to some pretty senior players.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, look largely reverted to the first choice team by
and large, I think from what we've seen there. Obviously
locker is an issue and they've got six players injured,
the even Mezabeth Salmon Muradz. They've also got As Sneiman injured.
Franco Molster, lud Diyaga, Jean Klein. So any two of
those six players would form a pretty formidable second row combination,

(01:12):
but as it stands, they're all injured. Although Russia Rasla's
playing perhaps some mind games, perhaps not by saying Ibanetzabeth
is a possibility of coming in from outside the twenty
three and being cleared to play. So I think that's
the one real point for the spring Box is that
traditionally they've had so much depth at Locke, think back
to Victim Matfield and players like that. But with the

(01:35):
injury crisis at the moment, they're having to move Peter
Steph Decoy into the second row, so that's obviously not
ideal for them. And then the Vodacom Bulls captain Ruin
Norkia is going to start as well in just his
third Test match. They fairly inexperienced in terms of a
second row combination. Perhaps an er give where the All
Blacks might be able to target, Otherwise largely full strength,

(01:58):
although a couple of positions stand out to me. Hamish
Ben Jason Dixon a player that we don't know too
much about in New zeal He plays with the Stormers
who wear the number seven Duesy just his fourth Test
on the weekend, and then perhaps the surprise selection of
the team is Appley Fussy out of the Sharks, starting
at fullback ahead of Willy LaRue, who was the veteran

(02:18):
and been around for a number of seasons, of course,
playing his seventh Test match on Saturday afternoon local time
Sunday morning in New Zealand. And for me, that probably
suggests that the spring boxson may be looking to run
it a little bit more come Sunday morning. Willy LaRue
very good kicking option, but Fussy is electric with ball
in hand, very very good running game that he offers,

(02:39):
So for me that's still they'll run things a little bit.
So I think Russia Rasmus has selected an experienced team
where he possibly can, But just those little areas of
inexperience are quite interesting that he's gone with for this weekend.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
You know, Elliott, they talk about the bomb squad and everything,
but if I keep going back to the Rugby World Cup,
all I can see is Peter Steph Toy in that
big hit on Jordy Barrett. So I'm quite pleased he's
buried in a lock to be perfectly honest.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, that's a very good point, isn't it, And whether
he can still make the kind of impact on defense
there when he doesn't perhaps have the roaming brief that
he did. You know during the that World Cup final
and jeeps he basically tackled anything that was standing in
the black jersey that night. His stats are incredible and
that big crunching hit on Jordy Barrett, you know, I'm

(03:26):
sure that lives in Jordany Barrett's mind. It was a
huge rum, wasn't it. So moving him into the second
row I think does negate some of his influence on
the team. It's and needs must selection for Russi Erasmus
this week and that sort of tweak there. The other
one as well that I wanted to point out was
the first five selection as well. Sasha fie Bag and

(03:48):
Gomezulu a player that we've seen in the last few
Rugby Championship Tests, but this is the biggest start of
his test career. I think he's been very impressive from
what I've seen to him to date. But I thought
there was a decent chance that the Springboks might revert
back to Hondro Pollard at ten for his test at
Alice Park keep it in tight. They haven't, which perhaps

(04:08):
shows that maybe they're winning with the combination of fussy
at fullback is becoming a little bit more expensive than
what we've seen in recent times.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yeah, certainly looking forward to seeing what they bring. And
then you look at their bench, as you said, Pollard
on the bench and there's Quaga, Smith and Marx and
k so they've got plenty of death there. What are
you thinking for the All Black team? Any surprises?

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah, look, I'm intrigued to see whether they maybe look
at someone like a Sam Kaine to come in at
open side flank. Now, of course Sam probably doesn't have
the greatest memories of his last outing against South Africa
in the World Cup Final with his red card on
that night. But I just wonder whether his defensive abilities,
his ability over the ball as well, might just be
what the tonic the All Blacks need in a tough

(04:52):
test at Alice Park. I think he'd had a little
bit of more edge, hardened edge to that loose forward trio.
I don't think it'll be too many other changes elsewhere.
If indeed they do go down that root, it would
be harsh on Dalton Papaletti. But I just wonder with
that hardened edge might be better off served from Sam
Caine starting and then Dalton potentially coming off the bench.

(05:15):
The wing SCENARIOO is interesting as well to me, Haymish
Cadom Clark do enough in Auckland to retain their eleven jersey.
Mark kaleam a very very good player. I suspect he'll
be knocking on the door and rearing to go. It's
a test in South Africa the first time he's played
there here in an All Blacks jersey, So that's another
intriguing one to me. And then I suppose in the

(05:37):
second row we got the return of Scott Barrett as well,
don't we with two po I likely to start, you
would think in the second row, and to Mighty Williams
retaining the one jersey given he came in for Ethan Degrout.
So I don't think there'll be too many changes when
this team's named five pm Thursday, New Zealand time. Perhaps
just a couple of tweaks, but I think you know
the All Blacks will try and largely stick with what

(05:59):
worked for the so successfully at Eden.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
Park Elliot Smith there live from South Africa, Live Commentary
three am Sunday morning on Gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Eight
twenty four