Springboks v Barbarians: Andre Esterhuizen braced for 400kg midfield powerhouse battle in Gqeberha

The midfield battle between the Springboks and the Barbarians is bubbling up nicely and is ready to spill over onto the pitch of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium with fury and flesh on Saturday when the two teams meet in a Tour match (kick-off 3pm).

On Wednesday, the Barbarians — coached by former All Blacks coach Scott Robertson — selected the beefy Alex Nankivell at inside centre, with former France international Virimi Vakatawa in the No 13 jumper. The Boks, meanwhile, have picked André Esterhuizen and stalwart Jesse Kriel as their centre combination.

Together, the foursome weigh in at a fearsome and near 400kg, while their average height is 1.88m.

Before departing for Gqeberha, on Wednesday, where they will face the Baabaas, Bok centre Esterhuizen ran the rule over his opposing numbers this weekend.

“It is a powerhouse centre pairing,” said Esterhuizen.

“Nankivell is a very strong, abrasive runner with good offload skills and distribution. It is going to be a good battle amongst the centres.

“We have all seen Vakatawa play for France. He is a very experienced centre and he has been around. He is a strong ball carrier. I’m excited for the challenge. It is going to be a good one and I can’t wait for the weekend.”

Esterhuizen and Kriel are the only recognised centres in the Bok team this weekend due to a six-two bench split that will see Faf de Klerk and Vusi Moyo provide the only cover for the backline. Esterhuizen, however, was non-plussed about any concerns regarding a lack of options at centre, should either he or Kriel need to leave the field prematurely.

Said Esterhuizen: “There is more than enough cover in the squad.

“We know a lot of players that can play in different positions. Everyone at the moment knows who is going where and if something happens, who is going to what position.”