South Africa's 45-21 opening Nations Championship win over England at Ellis Park has left Rassie Erasmus managing a significant injury list ahead of Saturday's clash with Scotland at Loftus Versfeld.
The most serious concern is Ox Nché, who limped off early with what Erasmus described bluntly as a knee injury that looks unlikely to clear in time. "It seems pretty bad, and I don't think he will be ready for Scotland," Erasmus said.
Siya Kolisi was ruled out before kick-off with a hamstring strain, with the grade still being assessed. Erasmus indicated a grade one classification could allow him to recover in time, but the Boks are not yet certain. Eben Etzebeth withdrew after a knock to the head in training, and while Erasmus suggested he could be available for Scotland, the team is waiting on further clarity. André Esterhuizen, who came on as a replacement, also left the field with a head injury late in the game.
With Etzebeth absent from the outset, Pieter-Steph du Toit shifted from flank to lock and assumed the captaincy — a position he acknowledged he has not played in some time. "It was no issue for me. We have systems in place for these eventualities," du Toit said. "I was just pleased for the guys stepping in."
The reshuffle brought Paul de Villiers and Cameron Hanekom into the action, both of whom Erasmus felt grabbed their opportunities. The enforced changes dropped the team's average age from 31 to 27, a detail Erasmus noted as a positive from an otherwise disrupted evening.
England had clawed back into the contest after the Boks raced to a 17-0 lead inside 12 minutes, cutting the deficit to three at the break. Erasmus acknowledged the halftime atmosphere was pointed, drawing directly on the memory of last year's collapse against Australia at the same ground, when the Boks surrendered a 22-0 lead on the way to a 38-22 defeat. "We did have flashbacks to last year," Erasmus said. "The chat at halftime was definitely along the lines of 'boys, we've been here before, and we know how it feels if we don't rectify things in the second half.'" The second half produced a commanding response, the Boks running out 45-21 winners.