I am going to open up a hornets nest here - but think it is worth discussing in some detail:-
Fourie du Preez
At his prme fourie du Preez was regarded as one of the best scrummies in world rugby - but has his playing in Japan added value to his performances. In the romp last year in Soweto against Argentina he certainly looked the part when he came on from the bench. However, in the subsequint home tests against Australia and the All Blacks he looked rather pedestrian and could not be described as a match winner or assisting in match winning plays.
Subsequintly he playedinthe Welsh test - where he was showing much more and then decamped for Japan again. He played one test in June and got injured in the second one. He was rather above average than good in both tests amnd was laid off wih an injury that would take him out of rugby for the whole year.
In 2015 he will play in the Japan League - probably about 8 games before July next year. The question is - how matchfit is he going to be by July next year - taking into account the 6 months missed this year and the fact that the Japanese League normally fizzles out by the end of March - meaning another three months rugby-less period.
There will be very little opportunity for him to prove his status as the elading SA scrummie for th upcoming WC - and in my opinion he should show continued present performance and not be selected based on reputation.
Ruan Pienaar
There can be no dount that Ruan always was a top rugby player - so much so that he was messed around and played in various positions from scrummie to full back in his career. However, the position is that he moved to Ulster - where in typically NH playing conditions and style he became more of a kicking scrummie than anything else.
Pienaar has a problem in that sometimes he goes missing from the scrummie position at brekdowns and very rarely makes attacking runs himself - a rare exception was the try he scored against the Argentinians in Pretoria.
For the rest Pienaar has been a rather questionable scrummie and he is defninitely not a house on fire anymore. Is he stll performing as a good scrummie or are there better ones around? I think the answer is that he is not really better than the loal two - but more about that later.
Francois Hougaard
Hougaard started off very well as a scrummie in 2009-10 - but he had a relapse in 2012 when he was dropped for obvious resons from the scrummie position and at times used on the wing. At that time Pienaar was brought in and despiterotestations to the contrary - it was the right move by Meyer.
In 2013 Hougaard was constantly troubled by injuries and there was no sign that he overcome the problems he encountered in 2012. These include a deficient kicking game and a rather problematic passing game. That persisited to the end of 2013.
In 2014 he was better than in 2013 - but there were still some doubts about him amongst the supporters - especially in view of his rather dubious performances n 2012 and 2013. However, in the tests he played in this year he was markedly better - although there is still some refinement needed - he did very well in the last two tests.
Cobus Reinach
If one has to look at what Cobus Reinach means in any team he plays for - there is one thing clear. Although a solid scrummie - he has one thing better than the other three and that is unpredictability. He is also speedier than the other three and has a better kicking game than the others as well.
He is what I would call a Jack-in-the box player and has scored some really maginificent tries for the Sharks. In the two tests he played in he made an immediate impact and there can be no doubt that he really is a very good scrummie.
Conclusion
One of the problem areas at present is that both Du Preez and Pienaar are really past their prime insofar as performances are concerned - both are nearing rather rapidly the end of their rugby playing careers. Are they still s good as they used to be? I have my doubts about that. In their ltests over the last two years bot hav not been as good as they used to be. Are they really the best scrummies for the 2015 WC? Soe would say that since the WC is in England - they would be as the kicking game is an essential element in NH conditions.
Is ittietoelimiate at least one of the two players mentioned - Du Preez or Pienaar - from contention and go with the young guns? I think that Meyer should really consider this as an option. I would hae no real problem if Pienaar is left out from the squad and the three scrummies be Du Preez, Hougaard and Reinach. Of the three Reinach is form a matchwinning perspetive - the most dangerous .
