With Rassie Erasmus using July to rotate his squad, MARK KEOHANE contemplates whether the Springboks will be sharp enough to end the All Blacks’ 50-Test streak in Auckland.

Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane reflects on New Zealand’s mixed reaction to a month of selection experiments by the Springbok coach, questioning whether the reigning world champions will be battle-hardened or undercooked when they face the All Blacks at Eden Park on 6 September.

Keohane acknowledges Rassie’s brilliance as a “madman, maverick and magician” in managing squad depth and preparing for the long game, including a successful Rugby Championship title defence in 2024. But he highlights growing Kiwi scepticism about the Boks’ readiness for the All Blacks’ fortress, where no visiting team has won in 50 Tests dating back to 1994.

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“In the past month, Erasmus has made 10 changes to his starting XV in every match,” Keohane writes, pointing out that just nine of the 37 players in the Bok squad have played more than 50 percent of available minutes. Kurt-Lee Arendse leads the way with 240 minutes, while Jasper Wiese has had the most time at No 8 – despite a red card in his second outing.

Keohane questions whether this level of rotation allows players to build form: “When we look at the growth of players in the last month, it is more perception than fact, because no player has played enough minutes to have changed an opinion.”

The gamble, he suggests, is vintage Erasmus. “Three one-point World Cup wins in the play-offs of the 2023 World Cup rewarded the maverick in Erasmus.” Whether it pays off again in Auckland remains to be seen.

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