Rassie explained the composition of the Springboks team against Scotland: the goal is to test the depth of the squad before the World Cup

Squad Composition and Player Experience

Despite some changes in the squad, which previously defeated England, Erasmus did not send a large number of young players into action. Specifically, nine players from the Bulls club are in the lineup at the home stadium Loftus Versfeld. Four of these are in the tight five, and Handre Pollard and Embros Papier play in the midfield.

Erasmus commented on the partnership of these players, noting that Handre is capable of playing with most scrum-halves, and Embros with most fly-halves, and that it is useful to have a pair that has gone through the United Rugby Championship final. However, speaking about the squad, he clarified that when forming the attacking line, they looked less at Bulls combinations and more at the players' health status and desired level of performance.

He also mentioned that the average number of matches in the attacking line is around 25, which is not a high indicator of experience. The current squad includes eleven players with fewer than ten matches, meaning the team will play against Scotland with less experience.

Embros Papier's Return

Rassie Erasmus expressed satisfaction with Papier's return to the team, noting that he deserved it due to his excellent performance this season. He recalled that in his first year as a coach in 2018, Papier played eight matches, but at that time, strong players such as Faf (de Klerk), Herschel Jantjies, Kobus (Rynhardt), and Jayden (Hendricks) joined the team.

According to Erasmus, the situation was such that some players had to give way not because they did not meet the Springbok standard, but because others performed exceptionally well. This season, Embros performed excellently during the scrum-half injuries and the dip in form of some teammates. He is personally happy to see Papier in the squad, as he is a very good Springbok player, and hopes that playing at home with Handre will help him.