Do the Springboks have sufficient hooker cover?

The Springboks management team has confirmed that no hooker will be brought into the squad to replace Marx at the World Cup because they feel South Africa have enough cover in that position.

BREAKING NEWS: Springbok Malcolm Marx ruled out of World Cup

If there was one player the Springboks could ill-afford to lose in this tournament, it was the industrious Malcolm Marx. And yet, in a hammer blow to South Africa’s World Cup title defence, that is exactly what happened.

Marx, it was confirmed a little while ago, has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup in France with a long-term knee injury which he suffered in training in Toulon on Wednesday.

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Now, with Bongi Mbonambi being the only other specialist hooker in the the squad, you’d think Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus would have immediately set plans in motion for another specialist No 2 to be jetted into France to replace Marx.

But that is not the case. Despite the loss of Marx, they seem to have decided to go against bringing in a hooker and are instead keeping that player option open until later in the week.

“We have enough cover at hooker with Bongi (Mbonambi) and Deon (Fourie) in the squad, while Marco (van Staden) has also been training there and has been named on all our team sheets so far as a hooker option,” Springbok boss Nienaber said.

“We’ll assess our needs for the rest of the tournament and confirm who we are calling up as an additional player later this week.”

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IS THIS A WISE CALL FROM THE SPRINGBOKS?

Mbonambi automatically ascends the No 2 throne in Marx’s absence. But the names listed by Nienaber as his back-up doesn’t inspire much confidence.

DEON FOURIE

Fourie has experience of playing in the front row and has been named on the bench as the back-up hooker for Sunday’s Test against Romania. However, it is worst acknowledging that is not NOT a hooker. He is a back rower who has occasionally stepped up as a stop-gap hooker in the past.

While he has a lot similar attributes to Marx across the field and in open play, like forcing turnovers and strong carrying, he won’t provide the same kind of power to the Springbok scrum as Marx did. There is also uncertainly around whether he can/will hit the mark and find the Springbok jumpers at lineout time.

MARCO VAN STADEN

Pushing Van Staden into the hooker conversation is just a weird take, to put it simply.

On Tuesday, a random video of Van Staden practicing lineout throw-ins did the rounds on social media. But it turns out that it was not so random after all and could have actually been an agenda pushed by the Springboks.

It’s just too much of a coincidence that Van Staden of all people were training as a hooker and two days later, he is lined up to cover that position for the rest of the tournament.

Be that as it may, let’s unpack his potential selection at No 2.

Much bigger than Fourie, Van Staden has the physical built of a hooker down to a T, but does he have the attributes needed to succeed in that position?

Like Marx and Fourie, he is excellent at jackaling, unlike Fourie who at least have experience of playing hooker, there’s no of knowing whether he can throw in the lineout or scrum down in the front row.

THE VERDICT? SPRINGBOKS MUST TO THE ONLY RIGHT THING

There is no way that Mbonambi can put in 80-minute shifts for six Test matches straight (if the Springboks were to go all the way to the final). And relying on make-shift hookers like Fourie and Van Staden just feels like the Springboks will be leaving to much to chance. The risks simple outweigh the rewards in this scenario.

Forget Handre Pollard, forget Lukhanyo Am. You cannot replace your first-choice hooker with a backline star, when you do not have sufficient hooker cover.

The Springboks have to call up a hooker and considering that he is the only No 2 on South Africa’s standby list, it has to be Joseph Dweba.

Dweba’s limitations are well document; but – he’s a mobile and physical guy, who works hard on defence, carries well, rucks well. He’ll know exactly what’s needed of him if he does receive a call up.  

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