Cape Town - A year before the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the Springboks’ scrumhalf cupboard looked bare and devoid of experience.
It was a key department then-Bok coach Rassie Erasmus focused on to build depth in one of the most important positions in the South African team.
The Boks’ game revolves around the No 9 making most of the decisions. History has shown that when they have a brilliant operator at the base of the scrum, they can be unstoppable if they have the upper hand upfront.
In 1995, the Boks had the late Joost van der Westhuizen, who won a World Cup and was part of the class of South African stars that demolished all-comers in 1998.
In 2007, the Boks had the maestro Fourie du Preez, who with his educated kicking game, great anticipation and pace, was instrumental in their World Cup triumph.
In 2019, Faf de Klerk helped the Boks to a famous victory in Japan, as his accurate box-kicking, fast service and support play helped the South Africans tame the world’s best.
De Klerk is still in the Bok mix going into the next year’s World Cup, but is not quite as assured of a starting berth as he was 12 months prior to Japan 2019.
De Klerk will make his first start in the Boks’ No 9 jersey against France in Marseilles on Saturday (10pm kickoff) since the 24-8 defeat at the hands of Australia in the Rugby Championship in September.
Since then, Jaden Hendrikse started in the last four Tests, including last Saturday’s defeat against Ireland in Dublin, and has produced some good rugby.
At the moment, it’s a three-horse race for that No 9 jersey, with Cobus Reinach also back in the Bok mix following an injury. He will be on the bench this weekend at the Stade Velodrome.
So, every opportunity to shine is going to be vital.
Hendrikse put in another solid performance against the Irish, but De Klerk certainly took his chance off the bench, bringing lots of energy and speed to the attack.
The situation required De Klerk to play that high-tempo style which suits his approach, as the Boks were chasing the game against Ireland.
Reinach has similar attacking qualities, but is arguably the better of the three scrumhalves when it comes to his running ability.
However, his box-kicking, which is a massive part of the Boks’ game, is not as good as his teammates.
Coach Jacques Nienaber is certainly not complaining about the options available to him.
“We are truly blessed with worldclass No 9s. If you look at someone like Jaden, he probably started the year as the third-choice. Then we have Cobus and Faf, who we have had success with in the past,” Nienaber said.
“We felt that Jaden has actually had a couple of starts now. Bringing Faf back – he was on the bench against Ireland, and brought energy when he came on.
“We also have Cobus, who plays his rugby in this part of the world (France) and is also very exciting. He can maybe unlock something in the second half, because he has that ability to snipe if there is a slow forward next to the ruck.
“Cobus also put in some big performances for us against the British & Irish Lions when Faf was injured.”
Whoever starts for the Boks in the next couple of months leading into next year’s World Cup can’t take their place for granted. There is always someone waiting to take over.
That’s a good thing, because players can’t complacent a year out from a World Cup. Good competition keeps everyone on their toes.