Boost for Ireland's World Cup hopes after South Africa lose key duo
South Africa have always produced a prolific amount of powerful, physical, Test-standard forwards.
The Springboks are never short of quality options at prop, hooker, lock and the backrow. Tuesday's World Cup squad announcement was fresh evidence. From Malcolm Marx to Pieter-Steph du Toit, it's an imposing 19-strong roster of fearsome forwards.
The fact that Marcel Coetzee, arguably the greatest overseas signing ever to pitch up Ulster, has barely been mapped by the Boks since he returned home a few seasons ago says everything about the depth of resources available to Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber.
It's always been that way. When it comes to top-class forwards, South Africa was world class producers and exporters.
Not so much when it comes to outhalves, mind you. Yes, there have been some iconic No10s through the years. Joel Stransky was the calm and collected customer who guided South Africa to World Cup glory in 1995. Butch James was a key figure in the 2007 triumph, too.
Handre Pollard is made of the same stuff. The Boks out-half, who is now plying his trade with Leicester Tigers, was coolness personified throughout the 2019 campaign in Japan. Pollard isn't a flash playmaker but he is does all the basics well and his kicking - from hand and tee - is world class. He is the glue which holds everything together.
The problem for South Africa is players like Pollard are few and far between. This nation seems to produce one high-calibre out-half per decade. Pollard is very much their current generational talent.
His absence from yesterday's squad due to a long-standing calf injury is a huge blow for the Boks and a major boost for their World Cup rivals, including Ireland who face the world champions in a crunch pool tie at Stade de France on September 23. And there isn't much in terms of reliable back-up available to Erasmus and Co.
Manie Libbok stepped in to run the show during the recent Rugby Championship, but the jury is out on the Stormers out-half.
The 26-year-old is a totally different type of out-half to Pollard. Libbok is a daring, off-the-cuff attacking player. When he is running hot, the Stormers pivot is a joy to watch. He was mercurial for the Stormers en route to the URC final, lighting up the quarter-final win against the Bulls before delivering another tour de force against Connacht a week later.
However, Libbok came unstuck against Munster in the Cape Town finale, a tense and hard-fought affair. The kind of pressure is commonplace in the rarefied air of Test rugby. Libbok didn't have his best days as Graham Rowntree's underdogs secured the title on Stormers' turf.
Critics cite his rate of unforced errors and tendency to drift out of games.
He didn't quite silence those doubters in recent outings against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina either. South Africa are hedging their bets a bit on Libbok, who has just seven international caps to his name. The talented Damian Willemse is another option, but the Stormers back is perhaps more suited to midfield or full-back. His cameo at out-half against Ireland last November didn't inspire too much confidence.
Lukhanyo Am and Lood de Jager will also miss the World Cup with injuries. Both have been placed on a six-man standby list, which also includes Pollard, but their chances of playing appear remote at the moment.
Am is arguably one of the best centres in the world but Harlequins centre Andre Esterhuizen and Jesse Kriel, a veteran of two World Cups, are able replacements. De Jager will leave a big void, but the Boks are not short of options at lock anyway. Options include the Munster pair of RG Snyman and Jean Kleyn.
The latter has taken the most scenic of routes to Test recognition with the nation of his birth. You'd love to know what Devin Toner makes of this whole thing?
Eligibility loopholes aside, Kleyn's form for Munster was superb last season. Always a tough customer and a renowned set-piece technician, he took his game to a new level when Rowntree and Mike Prendergast oversaw an attacking revolution at Thomond Park last term.
And it looks like the Boks will reap the benefits of it. They may have lost their chief conductor but it won't alter their approach at the forthcoming tournament.
And Kleyn is just one of several sizeable units which will look to steamroll Ireland's World Cup chances next month. The Boks don't do subtle. No one will argue with that point. They have three World Cups in the trophy cabinet, however.
Their chances of a fourth have taken a huge blow, though.
Pollard's absence in particular is a game-changer.
