Bok team vs Wales

Re Supersport

The Springbok team to face Wales in Cardiff is:

15. Pat Lambie 29 caps 55 points

14. JP Pietersen 48 caps 70 points

13. Jaque Fourie 69 caps 160 points

12. Jean de Villiers (captain) 93 caps 120 points

11. Bryan Habana 92 caps 265 points

10. Morné Steyn 51 caps 618 points

9. Fourie du Preez 65 caps 70 points

8. Duane Vermeulen 13 caps 5 points

7. Willem Alberts 27 caps 30 points

6. Francois Louw 25 caps 25 points

5. Flip van der Merwe 31 caps 5 points

4. Eben Etzebeth 20 caps 0 points

3. Frans Malberhe 0 caps 0 points

2. Bismarck du Plessis (v-captain) 54 caps 40 points

1. Tendai Mtawarira 50 caps 10 points Replacements:

16. Adriaan Strauss 30 caps 25 points

17. Gurthrö Steenkamp 46 caps 30 points

18. Coenie Oosthuizen 11 caps 5 points

19. Pieter-Steph du Toit 0 caps 0 points

20. Siya Kolisi 8 caps 0 points

21. Ruan Pienaar 71 caps 130 points

22. JJ Engelbrecht 10 caps 20 points

23. Willie le Roux 9 caps 15 points

The team is a joke really........why on earth would a coach leave Willie out of the side, our best attacking player? How stupid is Meyer?

Not to mention dropping JJ to the bench and selecting Fourie straight away after 2 years in the wilderness.

What of Malherbe leapfrogging Coenie who has played 3 off the bench all year for the Boks.

Meyer's player management skills are a disgrace. I have lost the little respect I did have for the man.

This is a Bok side going backwards........its dominated by a bunch of geriatrics in the backline - its pathetic  

The team is a mixed bag.   There are elements in the team that could be regarded as an improvement, there are elements that should be regarded as a gamble and their are players in the team that let the team down in the past.

Improvement

The only real improvement is the selection of Lambie at full back and potentially the selection of Malherbe at tight head - like Meyer I believe the guy would do more than his duty.   He will carry more balls effectively and definitely not foul up in defence - so it is likely an improvement.

Gamble

The Japanese club players are really a gamble    Will they perform or will they not?  Problem is that Pietersen had a relatively poor Super 15 before departure and he is replacing the real backline playmaker that has ignited the Springbok backline this year. Is that going to be an improvement?   I think Meyer is taking a gamble that it would.

In the two tests Fourie du Preez played when he was in the starting line-up wa not at all impressive - in fact he was not a house on fire and very average.   Is Fourie going to be all that different - another gamble this one.

Meyer - I believe tried to take measures against failure by his bench selection - but is that sufficient?

The proven failures

One just has to look at the Ellis Park and earlier tests to point out the failures in the recent past to identify the potential match losers.   Here we have Morne Steyn, Willem Alberts, Flip van der Merwe and ten ton Gurthro Steenkamp.

Steyn is consistently poor as a flyhalf and in the Ellis Park test his defence went to pieces and his goal kicking declined to a 66% success rate - slightly better than his achievements in the Super 15 semi where the success rate was 50%.   The slow and clumsy Alberts buggered up badly and contributed to two tries scored by the Samoans and two in the Ellis Park test - a non-contributor in most required functions  of loosies.   Then we have the penalty and card prone Van der Merwe who produces nothing in line-outs, as well as fat Steenkamp - who only last week was disgraced in his club game in France.   

Hope the Springboks does well - but have some serious reserva tions about this test.    

 Van Zyl is not a great scrummie.....Serfontein has been totally out of his depth in the tests followed by a horrible game against the Cheethas......JJ is a non competitor....Mvovo is no test wing, horribly exposed last year .

Corn that is the stupidest team of all.

Pretty balanced team, though with Morne Steyn at 10 suggests NOT an expansive approach, but can see that if Boks gain the psychological and physical edge HM moving Lambie in to 10 and Le Roux to 15 now that I want to see.

Saffex

The backline Meyer selected for the coming test is basically the same backline utilized in 2010 and 2011.   Those were years where the backline as a whole could never be described as a success from the viewpoint of scoring tries stemming from attacking backline perspective.  

Where tries were scored by backline players - it was mostly as a result of individual efforts, the backline as a whole in tests in the Tri-Nations and WC was ineffective.

After serious signs of improvement in that situation this year - Meyer is to my mind making a huge mistake with his backline selections.    The player that was at the root of the problem in the period mentioned was Morne and he is still there.  

Back to the future is normally a serious mistake and most players over 30 show serious decline in performance.   To be quite frank I am happy with De Villiers and Habana still being top class - less so with Fourie du Preez (if the two tests he played in recently as a starter is borne in mind) and Fourie is also going to show that up.   The real difference this year was Le Roux and he now is suddenly an impact player according to Meyer.

My forecast is that the backline will - unlike they did in the Ellis Park test for instance - be totally ineffective in scoring of tries on Saturday.   The weak links are bound to be Fourie du Preez, Morne, Fourie and Pietersen.   The latter is a very good player - but not known as a player looking for work and for instance in 2013 scored no tries in Super 15 and no try assists as well.   His last test tries were 2 in 2012 against the English team - not really the image an attacking backline player should portray.  In fact he was a regular in the team since 2006 - in all tests played he scored 14 tries over a test career spanning 7 years.   His strong point is defence - his try scoring ability is way below par.     

Welcome back, Prick!!!

Are you implying that little miss sourpuss becs is related to you … or don’t you want to answer the question? It’s really a simple question!

Actually, now that I think about it, you two are much the same. 

Listen up Wanker, we’ve all seen you throw your toys when Logic mentioned your missus, so who you trying to fool … huh? Throwing a hissy fit like few I’ve seen on this board. Brings back pleasant memories of the little foot stomping tantrums you threw the last time we chatted.

Funny how you’re quite willing to dish it out but when it comes to taking a bit of lip you suddenly turn into this little sissy boy. All indignant and self righteous.

Me thinks it’s time you either grow a pair or shut the hell up.

We both know that I’ve been insulting Stupid’s son a little longer than that, so it’s not a matter of copying anyone … and no, I’m not going to stop just cause you don’t like it. Hope that’s clear enough for you!! 

Aaaaah … I see. That’s what it’s all about.

I’m supposed to dislike those you dislike and favour those you favour.  You want to recruit me as your gimp!! You want me to lick your arse. 

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahaaa!!!!

How dare I start calling “SmallCock” by his actual login name?

How dare I enjoy Mozart’s posts?

How dare I call your main man Dave by a name better suited to him?

How dare I take little miss “oh so sorry for myself” sour puss on?

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!

Like I said … welcome back, Prick!! I’ve missed ya!!