Boks name training squad; Planet Rugby

South Africa head coach Allister Coetzee has named a selected group of players to attend a four-day camp in Stellenbosch this coming week.

The Bok squad to play in the first two matches of the Rugby Championship will be named on Saturday, August 6 after the Super Rugby final.

In the meantime, Springbok coach Coetzee on Sunday invited a group of players to a fundamentals, rehabilitation and conditioning camp in Stellenbosch, to be held from 1 to 4 August. No Lions or overseas-based players were considered. 

The purpose of the Stellenbosch camp is to give the Springbok management first-hand opportunity to assess the medical and fitness condition of the selected group of players.

"We will use the four days to spend some time on our fundamentals, continued rehabilitation and conditioning of this group of players," said Coetzee.

"Our management will be working hard during these four days and it will give us a good indication of the progress of those players who have recovered from injury, or those currently battling with niggles."

Players invited to a Springbok rehabilitation and conditioning camp: Damian de Allende (Stormers), Lood de Jager (Cheetahs), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers), Eben Etzebeth (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Stormers), Jesse Kriel (Bulls), Pat Lambie (Sharks), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Oupa Mohoje (Cheetahs), Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks), Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks), Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Stormers), Trevor Nyakane (Bulls), Coenie Oosthuizen (Sharks), Rudy Paige (Bulls), Handré Pollard (Bulls), Jan Serfontein (Bulls), Adriaan Strauss (Bulls)

I am not optimistic about that lot. 

Unlikely to feature due to injuries

Malherbe, Pollard,  Serfontein

Top class players

Etzebeth,  Du Toit

Reasonable selections

Lambie, De Jager, De Allende, Koch, Mtawarira, Notshe, Nyakane

Poor choices

Jesse Kriel,  Mohoje, Mvovo, Oosthuizn, Paige, Strauss

Mohoje, Mvovo and Paige are out and out quota selections  - should be playing CC rugby. 

What the hell are Mvovo and Paige doing in that squad?

Non Lions Ulengo, Sergeal Petersen and Ismeil are far better on the wing and the right colour!

There are two players missing from the squad - namely Willie le Roux and JP Pietersen.  I am nor surprised - both has not really been  up to standard for a while now.   However, I do not see Kriel as an acceptable full back either.    

I know that the following players have been excluded  from  the squad:-

*    Players from the Lions playing in the Super  Rugby final ;

*    Players playing for foreign clubs

*    Players from the sevens Olympics tournament

There may be one or two Sevens players called up – but most of the players involved are actually sevens  specialists – so not too many expected from there.

From the foreign club players I would say only Bismarck du Plessis, Duane Vermeulen, Stephen Kitshof   and  Johann Goosen deserve a call up.   I would think that Louw is not worth another chance.

I would say the following Lions players are definite:

Ruan Combrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley, Jaco Kriel, Julian Redelinghuys and Malcolm Marx.

I think that Coetzee should also consider Smith, Ross Cronje and  Franco Mostert  as possible candidates.

Mostert is already in the equation Mike......he was on the Bok bench this season.....his squad selection is a given. 

The new Lions that should be added are Janse v/Renburg, Smith, Marx and Skosan

South Africa have added hooker Bongi Mbonambi to their preparation camp after "miscommunication" saw him initially miss out on the squad.

Springbok head coach Allister Coetzee on Sunday confirmed 18 players who would arrive for a fundamentals, rehabilitation and conditioning camp.

Mbonambi wasn't named in the squad, with Stormers team-mate Scarra Ntubeni also missing out, meaning Adriaan Strauss was the lone hooker.

South Africa did not include any Lions or overseas-based players in the group, leading many to think Malcolm Marx was set for a Bok call-up.

However in an embarrassing twist Mbonambi's name has been added to the squad with a "miscommunication between members of the management" blamed for his original omission. Ntubeni has been confirmed as being dropped, with Marx still a possible inclusion after the Super Rugby final.

South Africa's first camp is being held from August 1-4 as they prepare for their Rugby Championship opener against Argentina on August 20.