Springboks legend Schalk Burger has questioned Steve Borthwick\u2019s selections for the clash at Ellis Park, taking aim at one player in particular.<\/p>\n
Rassie Erasmus\u2019 charges marched to an emphatic 45-21 victory over England in Johannesburg, despite losing Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth before kick-off. England were also dealt a late blow with George Furbank withdrawing from the fixture with appendicitis. Marcus Smith subsequently filled in at full-back in his future Harlequins teammate\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n
Burger believes that that change from England<\/a> significantly hampered their chances of getting a result against the Boks, but his main question centred around Borthwick\u2019s midfield selections with Seb Atkinson partnering Tommy Freeman against South Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n Steve Borthwick got his selections wrong<\/p>\n The former flanker aired those views on The Verdict podcast where he was joined by fellow former Springboks Hanyani Shimange and Jean de Villiers, the latter who started the debate by posing the question of whether sooned to be qualified Benhard Janse van Rensburg would have made a difference in the centres.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir centres went missing,\u201d ex-hooker Shimange remarked. \u201cI\u2019m not sure they selected the best team to take on the Springboks; look, they had lots of enthusiasm on attack \u2013 I thought. Defensively, in the air, they probably lack that same energy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to ask Jean about the balance between Atkinson and Freeman,\u201d Burger<\/a> responded.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Freeman\u2019s a runner, but Atkinson was a non-event on the weekend. I loved Fin Smith\u2019s approach against the rush because you can\u2019t play through 10 \u2013 we\u2019ve seen that with teams doing against us; our defence just eats up the metres.<\/p>\n \u201cHim kicking early on, the set him actually being an attacking threat, was decent.\u201d<\/p>\n Andy Goode makes massive claims about \u2018control freak\u2019 Steve Borthwick and England: \u2018I know 100 per cent a lot of them don\u2019t enjoy the environment\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n A former centre, De Villiers struggled to pinpoint the value that Atkinson adds that players like Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh don\u2019t, two players who were overlooked by Borthwick and his staff for the Nations Championship.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing with Seb Atkinson, and I haven\u2019t seen a hell of a lot of him, but you need to ask the question: what\u2019s his point of difference as a 12 in an England team?\u201d the 109-Test cap former midfielder said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s he going to bring that\u2019s really going to put the opposition under pressure? And what does he do so much better than any of the others that could have been selected? And I\u2019m struggling to find that thing. You need gain-line.\u201d<\/p>\n England: Ex-player explains why Steve Borthwick \u2018has to go\u2019 and why they should make \u2018someone who has got the balls\u2019 their new captain<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBenhard Janse van Rensburg is out of the question; he is playing next week when he is eligible, but like, do they need something like a Tuilagi or Ojomoh?\u201d Burger added with De Villiers remarking, \u201cIf you have that, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Shimange believes that the selections were made worse by Borthwick selecting two \u2018small\u2019 wingers in the form of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Cadan Murley. He feels that they would have been better off selecting a bigger winger to face the Springboks.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a big blindside winger from lineouts and scrums, you can always use him as the guy to gain line, and then you can start operating from there. They picked two small wingers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Sir Steve Hansen\u2019s verdict on England\u2019s struggles: \u2018Do they actually know how they want to play?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Where England were \u2018convincingly\u2019 beaten<\/p>\n Still, Burger felt that England\u2019s biggest downfall was their failure to meet the Springboks in one crucial battle: the aerial battle.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can argue that the Springboks\u2019 changes had less of an effect, being a lock and then two new flankers, than having George Furbank pull out five at 15 because you play the Boks and the first thing you\u2019ve got to get right is physicality; second is the kicking game, and they lost the kicking battle convincingly on the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n