Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has defended lock Salmaan Moerat after fans criticised his place in the team on social media. Moerat will start against Italy in Turin on Saturday.
Moerat takes the No 4 jersey in place of the injured Eben Etzebeth. It will be his first Springbok match of the season, after time out with neck and toe injuries.
“I’ve never really listened to people who talk nonsense about Salmaan because he’s not the kind of player you see on the field doing the flashy stuff, and we don’t expect him to do that,” Erasmus said.
The coach said the team needs a hard worker in the pack. He compared Moerat to fellow locks Jean Kleyn and RG Snyman.
“We need a grinder like a Jean Kleyn or an RG Snyman. RG is a little bit flashier as well, but it’s something we need in the team, and Salmaan brings that to the side,” Erasmus said.
Erasmus said few people see the work Moerat does in the scrum, at the maul and at the breakdown.
“Nobody probably understands how hard he scrums, how hard he mauls, how hard he cleans out at the ruck, how physical he is and how well he stops mauls,” he said.
He added that the coaches are not worried about the outside noise. “As long as Salmaan and his team-mates know that we see it and that we value it, he’s the kind of guy we enjoy having in our team,” Erasmus said.
According to IOL, Moerat made 90% of his tackles in last season’s United Rugby Championship. He was one of only two South African locks to reach that mark.
He also gained 1.4 metres after contact for every carry. Among South African locks, only Etzebeth did better, with 1.8 metres.
The same figures show Moerat made only 0.8 errors per match on average.
Erasmus also spoke about Moerat’s value in stopping the maul. IOL reported that new rules have made the maul harder for defending teams to stop.
Moerat, who was born in Paarl, played for the Stormers before he moved to French Top 14 club La Rochelle. He missed the end of last season with a toe injury.
Since returning to fitness in France, he has put together a run of strong physical games, according to IOL.
Moerat has captained the Springboks before and led the side to wins during that time.
The Springboks play Italy in the Nations Championship in Turin on Saturday.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.