Springboks three goalkicking options revealed

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has revealed that three potential goal-kickers are on the Rugby Championship starting lineup.

There have been concerns over the role after the Springboks struggles last November when Damian Willemse was asked to be the primary kicker.

Springboks three goalkicking options 

Nienaber said that he isn’t the one who makes the call on kickers.

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The decisions on kicks at goal will be taken on the field.

“As we did on the year-end tour, all three are training to kick at goal,” Nienaber said.

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“Cheslin [Kolbe] kicks at goal and he can kick at goal, as he did on the year-end tour,” the coach added.

“Damian Willemse is kicking at goal, as he did on the year-end tour and Francois [De Klerk] is kicking at goal as he did on the year-end tour.

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“We have a few options and between them, they will make a decision.

“Between them and Stokke [assistant coach Mzwandile Stick] – because I don’t know anything about kicking – they will have a discussion about who will start [with the kicks at goal.”

Squad games

Nienaber stressed the importance of spreading the game time across the squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

“We also need [to use] the squad for the [World Cup] warm-up games,” he said about the post-Rugby Championship outings against Argentina, Wales and New Zealand,” Nienaber said.

“We need a squad going into the World Cup.

“The team we selected against Australia we felt had the right mix to be competitive against the Wallabies.

“The same applies to this match [against the All Blacks] – a team we feel can be competitive against a very good New Zealand side.

“The last couple of encounters were very close and that is the nature of the competition between the two countries.”