Ex Supersport
It won’t all be plain sailing for Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer as on Monday he begins the buildup to Saturday’s first test match of the season against Italy in Durban.
There shouldn’t be too many quibbles over the squad that has been called up to report for duty for the three matches that will form part of the Castle Lager Incoming Tour Series – the other teams featuring are Scotland and Samoa.
When Meyer was given permission to extend his squad to 34 players – it was expected to be 30 or 32 – he effectively avoided having to make some tough calls, such as over the Cheetahs’ flying winger Willie le Roux.
However, one player who some might have been considered a surprising exclusion from the squad, the Cheetahs’ talented centre Robert Ebersohn, could well find himself in line for a call-up after all if the medical assessments to be done on Monday do not go in the favour of a few midfielders who are believed to be carrying injuries.
It is understood that Bok skipper Jean de Villiers has a mild hamstring injury that is causing concern. If De Villiers was ruled out of Saturday’s game, the Boks would have to find a new skipper, with Adriaan Strauss the likely candidate after his excellent leadership of the Cheetahs this season.
But the issue of what to do with his midfield could be an even thornier one for the Bok coach if De Villiers is ruled out, as Juan de Jongh is not quite ready to play just yet.
The Stormers centre has one week to go in his rehabilitation from a finger injury, so he will not be available for the Scotland test and will only come into the frame for the second international against Scotland in Nelspruit the following weekend. So if De Villiers is ruled out, it will mean the Boks have to start with a completely new midfield combination.
Some would welcome that if it means the dynamic Bulls duo of Jan Serfontein and JJ Engelbrecht get to play together, but there was also understood to be some concern in the Bok camp on Sunday over the condition of Engelbrecht after the derby between the Bulls and the Cheetahs.
Another player who is injured and may be doubtful for Saturday is flanker Francois Louw, who was forced to withdraw from the Barbarians team that played against the British and Irish Lions in Hong Kong this past weekend.
If he is not fit it will mean the dynamics of the Bok back row changes completely from the one that did duty in the last match of last year, when Louw and No 8 Duane Vermeulen (also injured) were the two players who played towards the ball.
Apart from the injury report that has to be made, there will be a lot of anticipation in the early days of the build-up week over what Meyer will do in some key areas of his starting team. Morne Steyn is expected to be his first choice flyhalf, but there is an argument, and a sound one, for the coach to back Patrick Lambie in the first test of the year.
Meyer says he is undecided over flyhalf, so he should be giving both Steyn and Lambie an opportunity over the next few weeks. It would make sense to play Lambie in Durban for two reasons – firstly Kings Park is his home ground, and secondly he had the benefit of sitting on the sidelines resting this past weekend as his Sharks team enjoyed their bye while Steyn was playing his umpteenth game in succession for the Bulls.
Loading the starting team with Sharks players this week and then bleeding the rest in the following week in Nelspruit might be a smart move on Meyer’s part.
Zane Kirchner's apparently safe passage through the Bloemfontein derby after he was called onto the field early would have been good news for Meyer and it will be interesting to see if he backs his first choice to start the first game or if he opts for Gio Aplon or, as an outside possibility, Lambie to wear the No 15. (What about Willie?)
Springbok squad: Zane Kirchner, Gio Aplon, Lwazi Mvovo, Willie le Roux, Bryan Habana, Bjorn Basson, Juan de Jongh, JJ Engelbrecht, Jean de Villiers (capt), Jan Serfontein, Morne Steyn, Patrick Lambie, Francois Hougaard, Jano Vermaak, Ruan Pienaar, Pierre Spies, Lappies Labuschagne, Arno Botha, Willem Alberts, Siya Kolisi, Marcell Coetzee, Francois Louw, Juandre Kruger, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Flip van der Merwe, Lourens Adriaanse, Jannie du Plessis, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Beast Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Chiliboy Ralepelle.
