How much weight will CC final Player Performance have on Boks Selections?

By Jan de Koning

(I changed the title)

The big debate may again revolve around the number of European and Japan-based players getting call-ups, but there is another group who could squeeze in through the back door.

The Springbok squad for the year-end tour will be announced on Monday. The squad will then assemble in Johannesburg next Thursday, and will depart for Europe next Saturday, November 2.
  
They face Wales (November 9), Scotland (November 17) and France (November 23).

And while some will chew over the foreign quota issue (or rather lack of it), others will wrestle with the equally weighty issue of experimentation - how many new faces could there be and which 'tired' players need to be rested.

Of course there are also a few old hands returning from lengthy lay-offs - most notably Schalk Burger and Frans Steyn, who will both feature in the Currie Cup Final.

That brings us to the key question: How much weight will be attached to players starring in Saturday's grand finale between Western Province and the Sharks?

WP coach Allister Coetzee feels the Final could the perfect vehicle for players wishing to stake a claim to a spot in the touring squad.

"Injuries will always be part of this game," Coetzee said, adding: "You can enhance your chances if you play well."

He admitted that when you play well as a team, then the individuals stand out as well.

"Our [Province's] focus is to do well as a team," the WP mentor said.

"It is a fact that if you win the Currie Cup you get the rub of the green in terms of selections in Springbok sides and touring teams - we have the Springbok captain in our midst.

"However, it is important for us to stay focussed on our job and not on anything else [sideshows]."

WP captain Deon Fourie, one of the players said to be on the fringe of Bok selection, played down Bok selection as an issue.

"The guys are motivated to win the [Currie] Cup," Fourie said, adding: "We are not talking about the end-of-year tour.

"It [winning the Currie Cup] is a massive goal for everyone playing in the first home Final after 12 years - that is the goal for us and the guys are focussed on that.

"What happens after that is a bonus."

There would be quite a few on Saturday hoping for a 'bonus'.

Western Province have Gio Aplon, who - even at 31 - is hoping to add to his 17 Tests, the last of those having been on June 23 last year, against England in Port Elizabeth.

Cheslin Kolbe is one for the future, but won't look out of place in a Bok squad. Demetri Catrakilis trained with the Boks earlier this year and has done nothing that would have removed him from the fringes of selection. Louis Schreuder is another who has trained with the Boks and must hope for a cap in the not too distant future. Pat Cilliers has been there and done that, he won't disgrace the national team either.

However, Province captain Deon Fourie is one player who has consistently put his hand up - no he has jumped up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs that he wouldn't mind a look-in.

Of course Schalk Burger is the other big poser. Is his 20-minute cameos off the bench in the last few weeks, after 18 months on the sidelines, enough to secure him a re-call?

The Sharks' biggest name returning from injury is World Cup-winning midfielder Francois Steyn. To us a well-versed cliché: 'We know what we have in him!' However, is he fit enough?

Patrick Lambie has been making enough noise about reclaiming the No.10 jersey he wore with such pride on the 2012 year-end tour. His slide in form in the first half of the year's has been well and truly arrested.

Will Keegan Daniel ever get another look-in?

Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis and Tendai Mtawarira can pack their bags - unless of course some of them are put in the 'need to rest' category.

The other question is, how many of the overseas-based Boks will feature and will there be any additions to this list?

It is well-publicised that Japan-based Jaque Fourie has regained his appetite for the Green and Gold.

Japan-based JP Pietersen is also available for the year-end tour.

There are Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana, Zane Kirchner, Juandré Kruger, Francois Louw, Ruan Pienaar, , Chiliboy Ralepelle, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Morné Steyn and Jano Vermaak - all who featured in the Rugby Championship squad.

Then there is a player like Johan Goosen, who also made a dramatic return to the playing field in the latter stages of the Currie Cup competition. Has he impressed enough to warrant a re-call?

Tour itinerary:
Saturday, November 9: v Wales, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff - Kick-off: 17.30 (19.30 SA time)
Sunday, November 17: v Scotland, Murrayfield, Edinburgh - Kick-off: 15.00 (17.00 SA time)
Saturday, November 23: v France, Stade de France, Paris - Kick-off: 20.00 (22.00 SA time)

 Just-win

Meyer made a balls up last year by being influenced by one incident and then based his selections on that incident - a fact he admitted at the end of the EOYT when he said that he made selection errors last year.

This year he advised a cooling off period between the final and the selections - that being the reasons for the delay until Monday.   Aside from going to church today he and the selectors will review every recent game of the Springboks - as well as the semis and final of the past two weeks - before coming up on Monday with the final selections.

Since last year there apparently was some soul searching by SARU about the involvement of foreign-based players in the Springbok squad - and I believe  based on  published remarks - that most of the foreign-based players not essential and not replaceable will be out of contention.   In that regard the games of the last two weeks will be of the utmost importance to determine whom of the foreign-based playrs should b eliminated.   It is my guess that foreign - based players are going to be cut down to about four - namely Habana, Pietersen, Louw and Pienaar (the latter in the absence of Du Preez).  

Insofar as existing Springboks are concerned - I think Me yer would look at the future squad selections as well as the 2015 WC squad.   He will for instance take a hard look at the performance of some of the more elderly players in the RC series  and Super 15 and start weeding out some of the under-performers.   One would have to see what happens tomorrow and also what happens in the EOYT and Super 15 next year   There has been significant progress in the squad selection issue since last year - but I believe that it is not a final squad at all and there will be over the next ten months significant changes for the better - especially in view of the 2015 WC  a year later.     

Sasue

Thanks for that bit of political larceny.   I have never trusted the Americans - they will sell their best friends for a plate of lentil soup - provided they can gain financially to the disadvantage of everyone else.   They are in dire financial and economic trouble with more dollars floating around outside of the US than inside and the spying is probably more economically orientated than anything else.   Nasty nonetheless - and the French and Germans are justifiably annoyed.   Wonder whether Cameron's phone is also tapped by them?

 Will they know about rugby - I doubt it - the US national rugby team is not a major player in world rugby - so hopefully they would not be involved.  

But then - one never knows about that lot.