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The engine room of the Springbok pack had been hard hit by injuries in 2014, perhaps a reason why the subject of best combinations for the lock positions for the Rugby World Cup is a challenging one.
The retirement of Bakkies Botha from international rugby means that Heyneke Meyer will have no choice but to put his trust in some younger less experienced players.
Victor Matfield will undoubtedly be part of Meyer’s squad and with the injury to Jean de Villiers, Matfield becomes a strong contender for being selected not only as the senior lineout operator but also as captain.
Standing two metres tall and weighing in at 108 kilograms, Matfield is not a heavy lock. His strength lies in his mobility, pace and aerial ability. The best utilisation of Matfield is not at the contact zones, but rather standing off as first receiver or wider, and this will be vital for the success of a 38-year-old veteran coming back from retirement.
He simply does not possess the physical prowess to engage big heavy running forwards. Although still mercurial on his own ball, Victor is no longer the primary lineout stealer for South Africa and has been usurped by other younger players. That said, Victor is still a great exponent of the lineout.
The role I see Victor having to play for South Africa during the World Cup is one of a more diverse loose forward type role, one that would require Victor to run more into space, offloading to support runners and running supporting lines himself. The tough work should be left to those who are selected to do the donkey work. With 121 caps under his belt Matfield will naturally be a leader on the field, but his decision making ability will play a big part in whatever success South Africa is to achieve at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Eben Etzebeth is a physical freak – big, strong, athletic and the improved version of Botha. Standing 2.04 metres tall and weighing in at 117 kilograms, he is the quintessential modern day lock. Anyone who can bounce Bismarck du Plessis like a rag doll should be taken seriously.
Early in his international career Etzebeth lacked the ability to remain calm when targeted and many feared he would become the next Botha with regular off-the-ball indiscretions, but it seems maturity and calmness have prevailed and although not a meek lab on the field of play, those indiscretions have largely disappeared.
As an explosive jumper at the front of the lineout, Etzebeth is ruthless on opposition ball, and very secure under his own. Being a strong ball carrier, superb defender and equally adept at slowing down opposition ruck ball one could argue that Etzebeth is an all-round player, however the one area of his game that could do with improvement is his support running and looking for the support player when he has ball in hand.
Due to the fact that Etzebeth has the ability to remain on his feet and drive through tackles he often pulls in second and third defenders, which opens up holes for support runners, and in that South Africa is under utilising his physical attributes to exploit space.
It is essential for Etzebeth to become a team player and smarter on attack.
When you type in Flip van der Merwe into the YouTube search bar, the first four clips you find are all about Van der Merwe infringing in the contact area. But when you investigate further you will find they were are about the same incident, an unfortunate incident for Joe Tomane, who cops an elbow to the face.
However, that is not who Flip van der Merwe is, he is a hard man no doubt, receives the odd penalty or card for an occasional untoward act, but Van der Merwe is a hard-working, high-performance player.
Regularly used at the Springboks in the number five jersey, Van der Merwe is an astute lineout operator, loves the close-quarter battles and is strong with ball in hand, however he is less mobile than Victor Matfield and not keen on distributing ball.
At 1.98 metres and 120 kilograms, Flip van der Merwe is a big unit, has 35 caps for the Springboks and has crossed the white line once in the green and gold. If you want a strong Springbok scrum then the combination of Van der Merwe and Etzebeth is likely your best option in the second row, if you want more mobility than Victor is your man.
However, if you want a young, exciting, mobile, athletic and physical second row, there is little doubt that Pieter-Steph du Toit and Eben Etzebeth bring together a locking partnership that could potentially eclipse that of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield.
Standing two metres tall and weighing 116 kilograms, Pieter-Steph du Toit makes for an impressive figure. A highly mobile, hard running and athletic specimen, Du Toit may still be young, and lacking in experience, but a combination with Etzebeth excites me.
Where Etzebeth is more inclined to hold onto the ball, Du Toit looks for the support player, and he is the most intelligent and intuitive lock in open play in South African rugby, and an absolute must for the Rugby World Cup.
I am assuming Heyneke Meyer will select five locks for his World Cup squad, so with one position remaining there are a number of players that could be suggested. Stephan Lewies would be my fifth option, however.
As I mentioned at the start of the thread, Meyer will have to put his trust into some youngsters but the unfortunate fact is that injuries have curtailed Meyer’s ability to give more caps to the younger players. Therefore there is an element of risk in these selections.
That is not necessarily a bad thing. Even though experience at World Cups are a highly valued commodity, Lewies and Du Toit will bring a fresh new approach to the Springbok pack, and with mobility and athleticism becoming the norm for top rugby sides these days, it is worth the risk.
Lewies stands two metres high and weighs in at 116 kilograms, he is a solid lineout operator, and has the physicality needed in the tight exchanges. However he adds an extra dimension with his pace, and ball carrying ability.
I foresee that Etzebeth, Du Toit and Lewies will become as respected as Matfield, Bakkies and Danie Rossouw.
So in summary, the five locks should be Victor Matfield, Eben Etzebeth, Flip van der Merwe, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Stephan Lewies.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.