White gambles on rookie back three
In an already inexperienced back division (total 79 caps), Bevin Fortuin, Jaco Pretorius and Francois Steyn are all set to represent the Springboks for the first time against the Irish at full back and on the wings.
Pretorius has only recently re-converted from Sevens rugby to the 15-man game after captaining South Africa in 24 IRB Sevens events. Additionally, he plays his provincial rugby for the Golden Lions at centre.
But White holds a similar view to his Irish counterpart Eddie O’Sullivan, who believes that players who provide more than one option are invaluable to the modern rugby squad.
To strengthen that view, White has selected Bryan Habana, the noted winger, in the centre where he will play alongside Jean de Villiers.
“Right through school, apart from a short run at scrum half, Bryan played his rugby in the centre, even to the World Cup at U21 level,” he said.
“We have had centre combinations that worked, but now there’s an opportunity for Bryan to put his name forward there while we look at experimentation and the utilisation of other players on the wing.”
White is in no doubt that the trio of newcomers have the ability to make a major impact on Saturday. “Already, they’ve brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the squad. They’re very keen and excited about being in the Springboks team, and that enthusiasm tends to rub off on the other more experienced players,” he said.
Far from being a hindrance, White believes involvement in the Sevens game would be a major benefit. “In fact, all three have been involved in Sevens; they’re players who like to try and create a bit, and that’s an area we have been trying to work on, especially on our ability to counter-attack.”
The South African coach admitted he still cringes at the thought of his comments here in 2004 when he suggested Ireland would only have three players capable of making his Springbok side.
He joked: “Since then I’ve had a bit of help from Syd Millar, who informed me that there was an IRB regulation saying you can only play for one country — so in fact I wouldn’t have been able to pick any of the three in my side.”
“You’ve got to credit Irish rugby; they have been boosted by Munster and Leinster doing particularly well in Europe, boosted by the fact that they have been able to keep a large group of quality players together, growing as a team with every experience, and the players benefit by having ten weeks off playing. That’s a major benefit.
“Most of the pack come from one region, most of the backs from another, but the half backs are together all the time. That makes for a pretty well orchestrated system; there are just so many positives that Irish rugby enjoys these days. I spoke to Clive Woodward about the best way to manage the buildup period to World Cups, and he suggested the Irish model was perfect. He wasn’t wrong; they’re giving themselves every chance of taking on and beating the big rugby nations, and they’re making a fairly good job of it too,” he said.
White added: “I can understand Eddie O’Sullivan saying he didn’t quite know what to expect from us because, frankly, neither do I. We know what we want to achieve, but with new players you really never know the way things will go even if you have the utmost confidence in them.”
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