Bok team

 15. Willie le Roux GWK Griquas 3 caps 

14 Bryan Habana Toulon, France 86 caps 
13 JJ Engelbrecht Vodacom Blue Bulls 4 caps 
12 Jean de Villiers DHL Western Province (captain) 87 caps 
11 Bjorn Basson Vodacom Blue Bulls 9 caps 
10 Morné Steyn Stade Francais, France 45 caps 
9 Ruan Pienaar Ulster, N.Ireland 66 caps 
8 Duane Vermeulen DHL Western Province 7 caps 
7 Willem Alberts The Sharks 21 caps 
6 Francois Louw Bath, England 19 caps 
5 Juandré Kruger Racing Metro, France 11 caps 
4 Eben Etzebeth DHL Western Province 14 caps 
3 Jannie du Plessis The Sharks 45 caps 
2 Adriaan Strauss Toyota FS Cheetahs 24 caps 
1 Tendai Mtawarira The Sharks 44 caps 
Replacements 
16 Bismarck du Plessis The Sharks 48 caps 
17 Gurthrö Steenkamp Toulouse, France 40 caps 
18 Coenie Oosthuizen Toyota FS Cheetahs 4 caps 
19 Flip van der Merwe Vodacom Blue Bulls 26 caps 
20 Siya Kolisi DHL Western Province 2 caps 
21 Fourie du Preez Suntory Sungoliath, Japan 62 caps 
22 Pat Lambie The Sharks 23 caps 
23 Jan Serfontein Vodacom Blue Bulls 3 caps

Maybe over Nyankane but definitely not Kitshoff and Mellet.

You're making a meal of one selection, bloody hell hard people to please!

 Wonder how fit Steenkjamp is.

This is not a bad squad and will be better when some players return from injury. 

Bit surprised Pienaar got in before Vermaak who doesnt even make the bech. Both scrummies are tctical kickers. I would like Du Toit, Malherbe, Deon Fourie  and Reinach in the mix. Basson is a worry. We miss JP!

 Interesting to see that Coetzee didn't get the nod. Big risk starting with Alberts and Vermeulen considering that neither player has had a decent super rugby or hardly played any games this year. Good to see kolisi on the bench. 

Not sure if I'm looking forward to this game, more Bools rugby for the boks this weekend. Smash, Smash, Smash. Kick, kick kick. 

Just hope Pienaar can pull his finger out, what a waste of talent. 

 ntanga you've got me wrong, I agree with Saffex about the deserved selection of Nyankane over Steenkamp.

backline is pretty decent, the outside backs all have the ability to negate the highball on defence as well as use the highball on attack and it reeks of speed, habana and le roux will ensure that it wont all be a one way 10 man rugby street.

JDV and jj is a strong midfield combo, very classy IMO. serfontein and jj are the future, but this is prob the Boks best midfiled at the moment.
i still think that JDV and serfontein should have started in the centers and jj pushed out on the wing, serfontein starting on the center is better then basson on the wing, and jj is equally as good on the wing as he is at center.

the halves pairing are experienced and know what theyre doing, but pienaars kicking game is amongst the worst of any 9/10 in the RC/4nats. mornes going to have to be on his game big time, he cant afford the wobbles like in 2012.

the loosies arent the most mobile trio, in fact i reckon theyre the least mobile looseforwards in the word, but what the lack in speed and mobility, they more then make up for with power and rugged toughness.
despite the lack of speed, i dont think it will be a problem against the pumas, hope meyer subs on kolisi ASAP when any one of the loose trio aint performing.

locks afre pretty solid, lady elizabeth speaks for himself and kruger gives the forwards a bit of leeway regarding the mobility issue.

forntrow are tried and tested, but i would have started connie over jannie, at least with connie on the bench, they got some bad ass impact ready to come on.

gunthros still a joke, nyankane would have been a much better option both now and for rebuilding for the future purposes.
and du preezs selection still makes no snese seeing as how hes only playing in the Boks home games. pienaar had plenty of experince to handle the duties so the back up halfback should have gone to either veermak, van zyl or reinach.

still a good team, and while i like what the pumas have done, the Boks by 20+

 Moz, the difference is that Steenkamp was in his prime back then and was a good prop, he is now a fat old man who is a liability, much like CJ is. Its a complete insult that he makes the Bok 23.

Shezza you really do know stuff all dont you? Steenkamp ahead of Kitshoff is an insult. Kitshoff is better than Nkanyane, who himself is a good player.

As for only one player to moan about, well try again.......Basson, Jean, Morne, Pienaar, Kruger, Louw, Alberts, Vermeulen, du Preez, Steenkamp and Flip would not make my match 23 - you get the picture?

 Kitshoff needs another season in Super XV before he gets introduced into the Bok setup, he's one for the future.

Morne is out best performing flyhalf, although Lambie had a few deft touches when he came off the bench in the June test series.

Pienaar is questionable and Vermaak is better as well as Reinach but Van Zyl I don't think can kick and gets nervous.

Name is better wing than Basson, Mvovo failed last year.

Jean has player well this year.

Kruger is there only because Steph Du Toit is injured and Flip is only starting because of this reason.

Louw has been fantastic.

Alberts isn't too good but Vermeulen deserves to be there.

Du Preez may still have it, reserve judgement when he plays.

Name replacements for Louw, Basson, Kruger, Vermeulen and Flip.

Saffex all your selections are biased by a players age and weight.

Everyone knows that Jean is one of the form players in South Africa but he does not make your 23 just because you want to make space for some younger players. 

If 2 players played equally well and one was the new kid on the block and the other a senior bok, your biased opinion of their games would be totally the opposite. You judge a young player not by his performance, but by his potential which may never be realised anyway.

You would rather a young player that has not yet done enough to earn a bok place be selected over an established player that is not yet passed their prime. 

You calling for the heads of Habana and Jean has been a joke

With regards to Louw this is a new twist. Instead of bias for bigger players, you do not like Louw because he is big for an openside flanker.

It does not matter that he meets the core skills of an opensider perfectly- turnovers and ball retention at rucks, he is above your spreadsheet size of what an openside flanker must be- therefore he is a crap opensider.

You would rather play an opensider like Kolisi who is smaller but does not contribue much at the rucks.

Kolisi at present is more suited to blindside but is small by bok standards for a blindside flank.

Your opinions are hard to take seriously because they are so biased. 

 All in all it is a good team. Not many surprises here.

The bench is looking very strong and bringing on Bissie and Coenie could turn a losing match into a winning one. 

The 2nd half Alberts needs to be the first to be substitued to bring on some more speed. 

Would have been good to maybe also have a 2nd fetcher on the bench

 Coenie Oosthuizen has played well all s15 season. IMO has have real talent and heart. Hopefully he will continue to develop and do well at the test level.

 Where are the leaders in the team? I can't really see any players with real leadership potential. Adriaan Strauss gets my nod but he is competing against Bismark. At this stage you don't want to discard Bismark again over a fat captain like last time arround. 

If Jean gets crocked I really can't  see who will take over the reigns. Neither do we have any good captains in Super Rugby at the moment. Cheetahs - Strauss, Lions - ? Stormer - Jean, Sharks - Daniels, Bulls - Spies / Potgieter. 

 Just_Win, Coenie is a brilliant player and  will come off the bench in the second half most likely.

Kingcorn, Habana and Strauss are the other leaders as well as Flouw who is the captain for Bath.

 If Strauss is having a great game perhaps Bismaark can replace one of the looseforwards. I reckon if Bismaark and Coenie are brought on at the same time all hell with break loose.

 Saffex you utter praat I know that logic is not your strongpoint.

If Jean is a quality player, then why is he not on your bench?

Who should be in his place?

How can Kolisi be a better opensider than Louw if he has limited effect at the breakdown.

Get this through your thick skull, this is what makes a quality opensider not the players weight.

If a opensider gets lots of turnovers, is able to secure clean possesion from rucks, and slow down opposition ball they are fast enough mentally and physically to be the first one to the ruck. 

Kolisi is a good player but has more impact away from the rucks than a classic opensider.

Schalk was awared worldplayer of the year and was for a time the best opensider. After breaking his neck he became more suited to being an allrounder.

If you went to get a brain transplant would you prefer a docter to complete the operation, or an allrounder plumber who could also fix your toilet on the way out?

Shezza, get this into your head......Kitshoff does not need another year at S15, what bullshit. Steenkamp is a fat unfit past it prop who does not deserve selection ahead of Kitshoff, Nkanyane or Mellett. Steenkamp is an insult.

Morne proved last year and throughout his career that he is a boring kicking flyhalf who does not possess the skills to ignite a test backline, so why on earth would any coach but a boring conservative one, resort back to this proven test failure? Lambie is a far better talent.

Who told you v/Zyl gets nervous, what a load of shit

Basson is one of our worst wings, physically not up to test rugby......does nothing with ball in hand and is a defensive liability. Mvovo did not fail and was one of our best wings this S15. Better wings than Basson - here goes Mvovo, v/d Heever, Rhule, Mapoe, Helberg, Sithole and a host of other players playing out of position like Visser, SP Marais, de Allende, Howard etc. Basson is bog ordinary.

Jean has been solid but Serfontein is better

Kruger should not be there for any reason as he is not up to test rugby.

Louw has not been fantastic at all and is not a 6

Alberts is done and Vermeulen has no pace or finesse

du Preez like Steenkamp is past it, he should not be there

Replacements for Louw - Brussouw, Kolisi and Fourie

Replacement for Basson I have named

Replacement for Kruger - well given we can move Etzebeth to 5, the list is endless.........Quinn Roux, Lood de Jager, Jacques du Plessis, Willemse, Ruan Botha, Peet Marais, Jandre Marais, Bresler and Bulbring are all better test prospects than Kruger and some are better than Flip.

Replacement for Vermeulen - well I would definately have CJ Stander and v/d Walt is up there.

 Basson has the Curry Cup record for the most tries ever scored, when playing for Griquas.

Basson also has tied for the most tries in the SuperX during a season, and may be the only SA winger along with Habana to have done this.

He has his flaws but is no doubt a quality player.

Morne has done more than Lambie in this years Super XV.

From what I saw against the Brumbies, he got pretty nervous.

All of those replacements you've named are too inexperianced to replace Basson. 

Jean is our Captain and has played well this year.

There's no need to replace Vermeulen.

Fourie isn't test quality and Brussouw is going to Japan, Kolisi is good but Flouw is playing well with his MOTM performance against the Samoans.

All those replacements are either over-seas or again to inexperianced.

 Basson has been crap all year, how many S15 tries did he score this year in a winning Bulls side?

Inexperienced player, what a load of shit........so Shezzzzzza, you like our useless coach would rather select players with experience despite the fact that there are better youngsters about and you wonder why Meyer has such a shit record.

Mark my words, this Bok side will lose all its games against Oz and NZ this year

 Basson played to a decent extent in the June, he contested the high ball well and scored and setup tries.

The Steenkamp selection baffles me as well as the Alberts. The non selection of Labuschagne and Reinach annoys me but I still believe Meyer is on the right track. 

Experiance and continuity are a big deal. I wouldn't start Du Preez but for him to be in the setup would be helpful and I can deal with him being on the bench. Youngsters that need to be blooded in, but not all at once. 

 Trust me when I say this, I believe players like Morne, Basson, Kruger and Jannie Du Plessis are just keeping the seat warm for up and coming youngsters to take the forefront but only at a limited pace so we don't suffer the inexperiance of them.

Shark you bang on about logic and then in the same beat question my non selection of Jean who I say is a quality player - wow - I think Pat Howard, Quinn Roux, Dries Swanepoel, Marcel v/d Merwe etc are quality players to and I have not selected them.

I'd consider Jean on the bench but whats the point, we need to move on. Serfontein and JJ walk it as my starting centres and I'd be keen to have de Allende on the bench as my back-up centre.

Louw effects all of about one more turnover per game than Kolisi you stupid idiot, there is more to turnovers that attribute a good 6 you dunce.......Kolisi slows ball down at the breakdown as is better with ball in hand than Louw - get it?

Schalk played with a 6 on his back but he was no openisder, he played as 7/8, much like Louw, Robshaw and McCaw do. 

 Saffex so now Mccaw is not an opensider? 

He has won world player of the year so many times.

No flank  over the 10 years has had as much influence at the breakdown as Mccaw.

Mccaw only weighs 105kg, does that change your mind that he is an openside flank.

Look you bumbling idiot, the breakdown last year was a mess until Louw sorted it out.

I question you not selecting Jean- you say he is a quality player but just decide that it is time to move on with players that are not even first choice in the SuperXV, and still need to prove they are top level performers at this level, never mind test level.

 Laberschagne played with a 7 on his back but had more influence at the breakdown than most openside flanks- this means he can be good at openside. 

Schalk for a few years was the most influentual loose forward from SA at the breakdown, this means he is a good openside flanker-

Not that he is a few KG;s above your stupid spreadsheet about how much players in certain positions must weigh

Does the Boks select their players on form or is it a core team selected before Super rugby like the ABs.

...sorry don't know much about your team as all you yarpies look the same to me - its a bit like China

Shark are you all of a sudden trying to make an impression as a rugby contributor on this board. Look here you dumbass, at no point have I questioned McCaws ability of influence on the game, what I am saying is that he does not play as a true fetcher, he plays more like a 7/8 and his size has stuff all to do with it you ignoramus, unless you are going to tell us that McCaw has spent his years effecting turnovers as Smith and co have?

The breakdown was a mess was it, wow how insightful of you - I wonder why that was? Could it possibly be because our inspirational coach decided that Coetzee was a 6, huh?

Schalk has never been influential at the breakdown, stop speaking shit.

Oh wow so de Allende does not make the starting Stormers side because Coetzee is a wonderfully astute coach and decides that de Jongh is better.......what a joke. I said 2 years ago we needed to move on from Jean you stupid prat. How on earth do you think a player like de Allende will gain international experience if he is not selected - try wake up, it helps.

Just because a player does not get seleted to start for his S15 side does not mean he is worthy of a test spot.......fuck me we had a fool like Plum selecting the useless Franco v/d Merwe all season when clearly Jandre Marais is a far superior player, good enough in my books to be a Bok candidate much like Flip is and Gerhard Mostert was.........same can be said of Quinn Roux snubbed in favour of the bog ordinary de Kock Steenkamp.........there are many such players.....Frik Kirsten at tighthead for the Bulls, Jacques du Plessis of the Bulls, Pat Howard of WP etc........if we followed your pathetic logic, we would have to believe that our sub standard S15 coaches got it right all the time, much like our useless national coach.

Shark you know stuff all

 Saffex it is amazing that the younger player is allways better than the older player.  

International coaches make an interpretation and then view thousands of stats on player performance to confirm this

Is this a co-incidence or just your stupid interpretation, that it is allways the young player that is better than the older player. (even if the older player has become a Springbok great, and the younger player will never amount to even SuperX standard).

You wrote Habana off even after he returned to form, and now he is the highest paid outside back in world rugby, and the 3rd highest in the world.

Oh wait, this coach was also wrong!

All coaches in fact are wrong that do not just replace any established player with the new kid on the block that will not amount to much

Somehow you are better than all the blog posters put together, the SuperXV coaches, the International coaches.

de Kock Steenkamp had a good season and if you asked the majority of all Super XV coaches they would say the same,

Typical of your prejudice towards a player that is not new, he is taking up a spot so he must be useless.

Man have you thought about getting professional help?

Why are you so angry all the time. Is rugby good for you?

When did you make a contribution to this site except with your prejudice bog standard shit of favouring young players that did well in the Vodacom or under18b side. 

Where is one of your favourites Sithole who is better than the current incumbent bok 14 wing, What a joke. On what basis is he better, he weighs 5 kg more. HA HA HA HA HA!

It seems to tie in with you thinking you can identify talent, but in fact just bet on all new players, and then when the few inevitabely do well- suddenly you think you are a guru of rugby. HA HA

Saffex you are just stupid, you are not capable of making an objective analysis.

You coach an under15B team and suddenly you are better than all the SuperXV coaches from South Africa.

What a joke

It is great just to wind you up, you are so predictable. 

Shark sadly for you I don't respect your take on rugby enough for you to wind me up. If you carried a little clout and knew what you were talking about, I'd enjoy the challenge........some posters have it, you don't.

Take your latest effort - you bang on about me picking the youngest players and are too stupid to realise that with that assertion you fall flat at the first hurdle - how stupid are you? You are such easy pickings. So if I was all about selecting the young players, Habana, JP, Hougaard, Beast, Bismark, Strauss and Brussouw would not feature in my sides you dumb ass. So bright boy, how do you justify these selections huh?

When I said Habana was done, he was playing shit rugby and that is a fact you ignorant twat. What you fail to mention is the fact that when he returned to form, I was quick to concede I was wrong. Habana has made my side since.

I coach an under 15b side do I, is that your attempt at a wind up??

As for coaches like Meyer and co, yes they are crap their records prove that - but then again you are too stupid to comprehend that, or equally have such low standards that Meyers record floats your boat.

As for deKock Steenkamp, he is bog ordinary, bordering on piss poor. Who should I be asking regarding his attributes - Alistair Coetzee, the man who selected him and failed dismally with Steenkamp on board this year?

As for my call on the youngsters, well its a given, I get those right. I'll throw one your way - Jacques du Plessis, a player I mentioned a good two seasons back.

Keep up the good work - I look forward to your take on my age selections when it comes to Bismark and co bright little man!!

So Saffex -"some posters have it, you don't."

Can you list any poster here on this Ruckers Forum blog who "have it", by your standards?

Most of the player you mention are middle aged and still pretty young?

 Clevermike

Most people allow emotion to bias their logic, some people more than others.

Saffex is an example of someone who cant be objective because he will allways favour a younger player that is heavy, and he judges a player not by performance but their potential for being a young player.

Saffex then goes into an emotional rage when someone does not agree with his opinion which he tries to state as if it is fact. 

If anything he does provide entertainment value, it is funnny reading his fights on the board with bloggers who disagree with him, and also sometimes being the one to wind him up!!