Analysis on picks for 2nd test this weekend

I have gone through the entire match day team to look at which players can help vs which players will not be so useful. Red are those who are either of position or form or just not seen enough of them or notable game time which can counter the team cohesion. Green are for those who are a better option than the ones that played last week. Unfortunately 4 of our tight 5 is questionable even though I rate all of them bar Orie. Just not sure how they will play as a unit. 

In -  Out

1.     Thomas – Ox: Don’t even get a bench warmer seat. Looks Kitshoff and Marx are the permanent closers

2.     Dweba – Bongi: Dweba had one test, not sure how well he did in France but was part of the wider bok group.  Seem to be very mobile. So not sure what we are getting here other than a 3rd hooker option. Although the guy from the Bulls, Grobbler should feel really unlucky as he was the best SA hooker in the URC. Quota pick

3.     Nyakane – Malharbe: Looks like we have too many looseheads, so big Trev is back but can he last a whole game or will he get injured. Solid player, but again. Think we have better looseheads or tightheads and propbably a bit of window dressing to appease the politicians 

4.     Etzebeth No Change: Scary to think we have not back up right now other than RG who hasn’t played. Next option in the Squad is Moerat who was part of the worst lock combo in the comp. Not to mention his poor diicipline. 

5.     Orie – Lood: Man, why do we have to suffer with these poor selections. The guy can’t even catch a cold let alone a line out ball

6.     Coetzee – Kwotalisi: I’ve been calling for this all season. Hope Coetzee can put the cat among the pigeons, but very unlikely to unseat lazy ass kolisi who has been the worst performing loose forward for SA in all competitions 

7.     PSDT – Mostert: Player of the year for best trier of the of the year. Not sure if he is fit enough and would have preferred with Elrich to start and PSDT to cover both Lock and flank from the bench. 

8.     Roos – Wiese: Time to see if the youngster can sink or swim, but seems harsh to be thrown into the deep end with a starting 15 that has played together before

9.     Hendrikse – Faf: Faf was shit last week and tried to hard not to forget his big ego that he has at the moment. Way to arrogant for my liking. I  like Hendrikse and hope he can give good ball from the base and make sensible decisions with his kicking

10.  Pollard – Jantjies:  Would have been happy to start with Willemse and Pollard on the bench but this guy has nothing to prove. Just scary to think right now we have no challenger. 

11.  Arendse – Kolbe: I guess like for like swap. Similar built and running. Done a great job for the bulls to open up defences and can be an ace up the sleave but with so many hot steppers. Can only step, not able to defend or get involve when the game gets tight. 

12.  Esterhuizen – Dud Allende: Great to see him back in the fold and hope  he can bring some direct running and massive defence to keep the welsh 1st channel honest. Biggar will be bricking himself this weekend. 

13.  Kriel – Am: Hard to think  that kriel was our main 13 since 2013 and nearly  10 years in the bok setup but have faded since Am arrival. Probably would have been a better combo with Esterhuizen +  Am and Dud + Kriel. Hope  he can make a statement and final pay back the investment

14.  Fassi  - Mpimpi: Great boot, fastest back for SA and should be able to keep up with Rees Lightning. Can cover FB

15.  Gelant – Willemse/Le Roux: The best 15 in SA right now and have been in the bok setup for a long time. Hope he can make a statement and finally get an extended run

16.  Marx – I feel he has got a raw deal. Should at least get some starts but not Rassies plan

17.   Mchunu – Not sure what to expect from him, been riding the pine all season behind Ox. Other than one great curry cup try. Not sure what to make of him. Same as beast, a retreded flank convert to Loosehead. Maybe a few more seasons. Looks like a decent unit

18.  Koch – Branded with the bomb squad but great performer for Saracens and the boks. Not our favourite tighthead bug still world class

19.  Nortje – Moerat: Bulls best lock all season. Not Saffex favourite, but this guy can win lineout balls and has a huge engine for a 5 lock. Super effective but probably a bit too light weight to help our scrums 

20.  Elstadt – Louw: No idea why he is even in the squad. Rassie seems to like his players that he coached back in the day when he was at the stormers. We tried him 3 years ago. Just back Elrich 

21.  Fourie – Kwagga: Not sure what we gain with Deon other than a good story. This guy is all guts and great to see he made it, but at 35. What will he offer other than taking another players spot to get caps

22.  Grant Williams -  Jantjies: No idea why he is getting a crack. Had few good cameos for the sharks but nowhere near a bok or international quality. Van Den Berg should have been given a go instead. 

23.  Willemse – Le Roux: Damian paying the price for being a utility. Losing out on another starting berth and no idea of where he will start. To me he should be the back up to Pollard and should continue to play at 10 where he belongs. 

Kingcorn 

Is the above your own analysis o taken from a newspaper article.   Irrespective of what it is it is - it is based virtually entirely on BS.    

You still do not realize that the team is an experimental team to see whether players hey can step up from club/franchise level to test level.  Some players like Esterhuizen  flopped in 2018 and 2019 and he is lucky to get another chance to be tried out.   8 tests proved he has defense deficiency and ball handling (eg lost possession of balls when trying to pass, catch  or when tackled) deficiency both influenced by pace deficiency.    That is why he was NOT in the WC squad and the alternative was  Steyn , who did not play at center at all in crucial games and was  used for a few minutes in such games to replace Le Roux at full back.

Mostert was totally ineffective on Saturday  and I for one hope he is never wearing the Springbok jersey in tests again.   He is physically to weak to be an effective loosie or lock.   A franchise/club level  player whose club Gloucester for the same reasons was happy to let him go when Ackerman went to Japan.   He was tried at lock and flank in Gloucester and failed in both positions.

Kriel was first selected  to play for the Springboks in 2015 - not 2013.    In 2014 he as in the Under 20 team together with Esterhuizen.  The SA Under 20's could have won the tournament were it not for Esterhuizen knocking on the ball with an open tryline in front of him.   For the latter nothing has changed since then.

I hope Gelant succeeds - but have my doubts whether test level rugby would be beyond his abilities under high balls kicked at him.     

As to De Jager - you refer to one incident and amke that out to be the real situation as to performance of De Jager.   For the rest De Jager was the more active and effective of the locks used on Saturday. 

Mike this is my analysis of what I think. 

I know you dislike Esterhuizen, but he must be given another chance to prove himself at test level again. Willemse did a good job at 12 for the Stormers but I would not play him there. 

Saf, Mchunu are highly rated by some SAARKS fans, but yes, super lucky to get a cap and don't see why the pushed him ahead. Probably to do with Rassies transformation targets. 

Gone are the days where we will ever see 2 or 3 players of colour in the team even if they are not the best, hence Moerat and Orrie. 

Saf, you are right we have better backups for Etzebeth but they are simply not in the squad, looks like it is Moerat, but he hasn't impressed me at all this season. As like Orrie, they don't compete in the air. Maybe Moerat hits the rucks better and good at mauling but that wasn't the case last Saturday when we conceded a 15m driving mauls against a 13 men Welsh team while Moerat was there. 

Just hope the players are allowed to play their natural game and not suppressed to bashing it up or kicking the ball away

KC

Obviously people are free to think who they like or dislike.  For myself I am not against Esterhuizen - but has serious  reservations about his performances in the past, and we will hav ti see id he is capable to lift the level of his game.    Same with Gelant after two horrible performances in the URC semi-final and final.    .  

I am not against Esterhuizen I am just totally against him. Typical yarpy think. I'm not being unreasonable I'm just really fucking unreasonable. XD

REed Rose 

Shit will always be shit especially when you write anything.  I said that Esterhuizen failed to perform well enough in tests in 2018 and 2019.- with problems relating to defense and  ball skills, with the opposition recovering the ball when he is tackled.   I am saying that he should be given a chance to prove that he can make the step up from club/franchise rugby to test level rugby.   I can name many examples why he was snot selected for the World Cup squad in 2019.  Good luck to him  if he makes the grade this time around.   

However, to expect that he can play on the level De Allende plays is really a step too high for him - he will always be regarded as the back up center only to start when De Allende is not available.

By the way I am vey unhappy with the Springboks flyhalf situation, especially since at 31 years of age Jantjies are showing serious deficiencies in performance.   One cannot have one top flyhalf available and nobody else to back him up.  The only other flyhalf in the Springbok squad.   Other than Pollard and Jantjies the thirs option in the squad was Goosen.   Although a top class player = Goosen's career was hampered by constant injuries.

When looking at other SA players I was vey impressed with Wolhuter at the start of the latest URC.  He was very good - but then suffered an injury that had him out of contention for virtually the whole season.   He is no back and having signed a two-year contract  with the Stormers will give us an opportunity to see whether he can make the grade and is ready to take up the step to international rugby.   

In any event - I think that there is a very good chance that he may be in the WC squad next       year.        

Damian is the shit test dodo I have ever seen. We run fucking rings around this fucktard. Literally! Nobody is worse than this fucker. Esterhuizen only has to be average shitness and he's better. But it doesn't matter. We kill all of your crappy options at centre. 

You are the shit piss-brain idiot  on site - whenever you write anything  it is total shit .