Rassie Erasmus has acknowledged that a cascade of injuries forced significant backline reshuffles during Saturday's defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park, but pinned the match result squarely on the two yellow cards that left the Springboks defending with 13 men.
Kurt-Lee Arendse failed his HIA after his mouthguard dislodged and was not cleared by the match doctor, triggering the first rethink. The original plan had been to deploy Andre Esterhuizen as a utility forward, but with Arendse off, Esterhuizen was needed in midfield, pushing Jesse Kriel out of position onto the wing.
Kolbe then limped off in the 62nd minute with what Erasmus confirmed was severe cramp rather than a structural injury. That forced Grant Williams from scrumhalf to wing, brought Cobus Reinach on at No. 9, and pushed Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to fullback once Manie Libbok entered the game. Erasmus also defended his decision to use Kolbe as the primary kicker ahead of Feinberg-Mngomezulu, noting that Kolbe had been accurate from the tee and had not missed a kick before going off.
Ox Nché's workload was also scrutinised. Erasmus said the target had been 30 to 40 minutes for the loosehead, who had played just eight minutes of rugby in the previous six weeks. Nché lasted 45 before fatigue took hold and Gerhard Steenekamp replaced him. The original intention to give Jan-Hendrik Wessels the final 15 to 20 minutes was shelved as the disruptions continued to compound.
"One or two injuries were disrupting the way we actually planned to play the game. That's nobody's fault apart from the fact that we got injuries," Erasmus said.
Despite the upheaval, Erasmus was clear that the injuries were not the primary reason for the loss. "I feel the match was already lost when we had two yellow cards," he said. "It's tough to get back on the scoreboard when you're playing with only 13 men."