Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer says that every single member of the 31-man Rugby World Cup squad should be fit and ready to play by the time the Boks open their campaign against Japan on September 19.
The Boks named a team which includes a number of players – such as stalwarts and frontline players Duane Vermeulen, Fourie du Preez, captain Jean de Villiers and Francois Louw – who all are on their way back from injury and who have not played for a number of months, but the Bok coach is confident these players will be fine when the Rugby World Cup starts.
With the opening game against Japan, the Boks will have a relatively quieter start than some of the other sides, and can afford to play these players back into form against their first opposition.
While a number of players were unlucky to miss out on selection, there is a seven player standbye list in case any of the squad members has to withdraw when they get to England.
“There’s a standby list, they know where they stand. I’m 100% confident that guys will be fit,” Meyer said.
“The medical advice I’ve got is that every single guy will be available for first game. Those with injuries have recovered well and we’re hoping to have all 31 players available.
“No disrespect to our opponents as every single opponent is going to be tough there. But I still believe we can use those four games to blend guys in.
The things I’ve seen in training, Flo and Duane haven’t played a lot, but they are in great form and condition. These guys are warriors and just need 30 minutes and back into the game. So I am really not worried.” (Louw is now a vital cog in the Bok machine(
Meyer said while it was always going to be a tough decision on who to pick, the loose trio was possibly the toughest to pick for him but despite the lack of a back-up fetcher,(Asnoted by Beeno. Kolisi should not be in the team Brussouw should - will this come home to bite. It also underlies what aloss marcell; Coetzee is) he believes the Boks will have the right blend and mix when it comes to team selection.
“Siya has played there (as a fetcher) as well (kolisi has never been a fetcherwhat utter nonsesense is this!), and I’ve always said I want to see him specialising there (Bwahahahahhahaha well its the best kept secret in rugby Meyer!!!). This year he’s played on both sides. Schalk can play there as well, So we have three guys, and if there are injuries Heinrich and Marcell are on standby (Lets hope Marcell comes into the squad quickly!!!). I’m happy with the mix, with the locks as well, Pieter-Steph can also be a big ball carrier.
“ I wish I could take seven loosies because Heinrich has really played well lately. Injuries can happen, but at the moment we can only take 31. We’ve worked hard at the breakdown, and over the next two weeks there will be a bigger focus on that. It’s not just the openside, guys like Jesse (Kriel) and Damian (de Allende) are brilliant as well. Bissie (Bismarck du Plessis) really makes a difference (Agreed). What really helped the decision was Duane (Vermeulen), who plays at No 8 but can also play like an openside - he steals the most ball and Bismarck is also up there.
“We could have gone with two openside flankers, but we also have to look at the lineout options. Pieter-Steph also coming through also factored into the loose trio selections.”
All in all the Bok coach was happy with the mix of players he has for the World Cup and believes there is the right combination of youth and experience in the side.
“Every single position has to be covered. There’s a rule that when a player gets injured, you can’t replace him immediately the next day. There’s a 48-hour waiting window. We looked at all the scenarios. Trevor (Nyakane) and Coenie (Oosthuizen) can play on both sides of the scrum. We felt that was the best way to go. If a player gets injured at captains training or sick, then you can’t just bring a new guy over the next day for the game.”
The Boks will leave for England on September 11.
