World champions South Africa are aiming to have “the 2 finest groups on the earth”, says centre Andre Esterhuizen.
Head coach Rassie Erasmus opted to rotate some key beginning positions within the Springboks’ victory over Scotland on Sunday, benching captain Siya Kolisi and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit, which has been a typical theme beneath his administration of the group since taking cost in 2017.
Their opening Autumn Nations Collection victory additionally put them again on high of the world rankings after Eire’s defeat by New Zealand on Friday.
“One of many good issues is that everybody is getting sport time now,” Esterhuizen, who performed as an alternative of normal centre Damian de Allende on Sunday, informed the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
“It it additionally about wanting ahead, you’ve got acquired to have the ability to spare all the fellows for the subsequent World Cup and construct expertise into it.
“The goal is to have the 2 finest groups on the earth, multi functional squad.
“We wish to make it second nature for folks slotting in, so if somebody steps in, they will simply slot in and play the identical if not higher than the opposite participant.”
South Africa gained this 12 months’s Rugby Championship for the primary time since 2019, dropping one match away to Argentina when Erasmus left the vast majority of his beginning XV at residence.
Erasmus beforehand stated he would “rather win the World Cup than sit at an 85% win rate”, external after criticism of his facet’s file between profitable World Cups.
“It is rather a lot a group first setting,” South Africa defence coach Jerry Flannery informed BBC Sport.
“The gamers coach one another, the ‘group first’ mentality is stronger right here than I’ve come throughout.
“Gamers have come on this 12 months and could not consider it was all about ensuring the group wins.”