Blooding a new-look Springbok side with a series on the line is the type of pressure that Jacques Nienaber believes will reveal which players he should take to France 2023.
Nienaber overhauled the entire Bok lineup for the second Test against Wales in Bloemfontein on Saturday, naming two uncapped players in his starting XV and a further four among the replacements.
The world champions can clinch the three-Test series against Wales with victory at Free State Stadium after rallying to claim a 32-29 win in Pretoria last week.
During a media conference on Tuesday, the Bok coach also rubbished suggestions that the match-day 23 was a second-string team, highlighting the inclusion of centurion-in-waiting Eben Etzebeth with new captain and fellow 2019 World Cup hero Handre Pollard.
“I don’t think I’d take offence, but Handre and Eben will. Our biggest strategic objective will always be to keep momentum, which is to win. We’ve picked a side we believe can beat Wales,” Nienaber said.
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“We’ll never choose a team we believe can’t win. I’ve said it many times before. This isn’t a platform for development.
“We want to tick a fair few boxes in this series. This selection strategy isn’t unique. People may ask why we’re making so many changes, but France are doing it, too, and they’re definitely not labelling their squad in Japan a B team.
“Sure, there are a few guys being left behind but it doesn’t mean they are weakened. Wales did the same in the Six Nations against Italy, they didn’t disrespect them, they just felt there were other answers on offer in that match.”
He added: “Why not wait until the series is wrapped up? Because you want to see these guys perform under pressure. If we’re going to take them to a World Cup and play New Zealand, you need to be sure everyone can perform under pressure. That’s not always the case when a series is wrapped up early.
“It’s like a final for them, as it is for Wales. They didn’t come here to compete, they want to win this series and are currently in survival mode.
“The team that played last week made this team selection possible. We had a plan with all 42 players in our squad and told them of it. Everyone knew that this was our thinking, there was just doubt about whether it was doable. The win obviously gave us an opportunity.
“If you look at the guys who are deemed ‘new’ and some ‘older new’ guys like Marcell Coetzee and Warrick Gelant, there’s a bit of a blend. We have the not-completely-new and the debutants. We tried to strike a balance with our combination.”
