Midfield worry for Boks

Injuries and Jean de Villiers' absence has left a few question marks hanging over the Springboks' midfield.

|||

Cape Town - Injuries and Jean de Villiers' absence has left a few question marks hanging over the composition of the Springboks' midfield ahead of their next RWC Pool B match against Scotland at St James' Park, Newcastle, on Saturday.

The Springboks paid a high price for their 46-6 victory over Samoa over the weekend in what was at times a wincingly brutal affair. Several players, notably centres Damian de Allende and his replacement Jessie Kriel, ended up on the post-match injury list.

After a barnstorming performance in the No 12 channel, De Allende retired from the game early in the second half with strained knee ligaments.

Springbok team doctor confirmed as much on Sunday: “Damian has got a very mild medial collateral strain.”

The backline's next disruption came with De Villiers' departure eight minutes ahead of the final whistle when he attempted to tackle Samoa fullback Tim Nanai-Williams.

At the time, it was suspected that he had fractured his jaw. For a few moments, Handre Pollard moved to inside centre and Patrick Lambie entered the fray as the replacement No 10.

Before the tour Springbok coach had said that Pollard would provide inside centre cover when required. In the closing stages of the match, Kriel was forced off with a cut below the eye after he copped a boot in the face and De Villiers, broken jaw and all, returned to the field to see the match out.

As it turned out, it would be his last moments in action as a Springbok player. Jan Serfontein has been named as De Villiers' official replacement and will join the Bok camp on Monday.

He played at outside centre for the Blue Bulls over the weekend. There were three specialist centres named in the Boks' initial 31-man RWC squad and with De Villiers on his way home, Kriel and De Allende are the last men standing.

If both Kriel and De Allende are declared available for the Scotland clash, Serfontein is almost certain to be on the bench as midfield cover.

There have been concerns about Kriel's performance in defence and lateral running, but these flaws could be ironed out in training. Serfontein has also on occasions not been up to scratch in defence but it shouldn't detract from his selection claims.

Meyer will undoubtedly also consider the other midfield options which are Pollard and JP Pietersen.

Pollard did a fine job in the No 10 jumper on Saturday, although his place-kicking was well below par.

It's likely though that Meyer will allow Pollard to build on that solid performance in the pivot's position.

Pietersen has never excelled when moved inside from the wing and will probably only be a midfield option in case of an emergency.

He seems to have rediscovered his form although the Boks' ability to move the ball wide more often than was the case against Japan helped his cause considerably.

At this stage, De Allende selects himself at No 12 and should the Boks ensure that the ball reaches the outside channel often enough, Kriel or the more experienced Serfontein both have the natural talents to make telling contributions to the side's attacks.

ANA