Boks expect France to shuffle backline in wake of flyhalf crisis

Head coach Rassie Erasmus believes Lucu and Gourgues will swop positions, but the Boks won't take an injury-hit France side lightly. Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus believes Maxime Lucu is unlikely to move to 10 for France’s match against South Africa on Friday night. Instead, the scrumhalf will probably shift to 13, with outside centre Kalvin Gourgues receiving a rare berth at flyhalf. The teams play in the fifth round of the Nations Championship in Paris after the Springboks crushed Italy 66-7 in Turin and France beat Fiji 54-17 in Lyon last week. Romain Ntamack’s injury against Fiji left the French in dire straits. Other possible flyhalves Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos are all already injured. Lucu filled the playmaker role after Ntamack’s injury in the second half. But Erasmus expects his opposite, Fabien Galthié, to use a more physical flyhalf such as Gourgues against the Boks. ‘They will try to move us around’ “I think they’ll go for a more physical 10 and then put Lucu on a bit later when it is more open,” Erasmus said. “I think they will try to move us around. But I am 100% sure that from the beginning it will be a straightforward up-and-down from both teams trying to get dominance.” The coach said the Springboks had flyhalf injury problems in the past, and scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and even centre André Esterhuizen had to play 10 at one stage. When asked whether France’s injury woes made the Springboks the favourites, Erasmus pointed out that South Africa were missing Frans Malherbe, RG Snyman, Eben Etzebeth, Kwagga Smith, André Esterhuizen, Handré Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe, all of whom would be in the mix at next year’s World Cup. “So who’s understrength?” the coach asked. Springboks won’t take injury-hit France lightly “Injuries happen at different times of the year. We are at the back end of our season, with a maximum of three games left. “They played in the Six Nations (February to March) and then in June and July (Nations Championship), which is the window they are very match-fit and energetic – they are not punch-drunk. “We feel at the end of the season we really have to graft against New Zealand, Australia… they are building up to these matches and then they have the Six Nations in February.” He felt the injury situation could have the French calling the Springboks the favourites, and vice versa. But when one team appeared to be favourites in the past, it made no difference to the game. “The only bad thing about thinking you are favourites is that you might become complacent. And we are definitely not complacent about this.”