in form players like Jacques du Plessis......a player who has been physically imposing for the Bulls all season......a step up from a player like Alberts who used to fulfil that role......not to mention the fact that du Plessis is equally at home at lock or flank.
I cannot begin to understand this guys omission...it defies all rugby logic and confirms just how out of touch Meyer is......it is bordering on the ridiculous.
Equally alarming is the exclusion of the very impressive Jaco Kriel, what more does the lad need to do to make an extended squad. I see clueless Meyer informs us that Louw is our best openside.......with the likes of Brussouw (now in favour, thanks to external pressures), Coetzee and Kolisi as the back-ups.......wrong Meyer......your back-ups are the better players.....Louw is at best solid and certainly no fetcher.
Then we have the exclusion of Hougaard, while wasted on the wing at the Bulls, he still managed to show great form......so here we have an in form player who can cover both wing and 9. Instead we have our coach backing the passive Pienaar and the likes of Hendricks who cant tackle and Mvovo, while useful is hardly a new kid on the block going places.
Why on earth are the likes of Hendricks and Mvovo in the squad ahead of form wings like Sithole, Senatla and Combrink......in Sithole we have a wing who has imposed himself physically all season......just what we needed against the opposition giant wingers. In Combrink we have a wing who has the gift of running great lines and beating defenders with fleet footwork. In Senatla, we have one new guy with the X factor, the guy that could turn nothing into something.....but Meyer is too conservative to think out the box and include this unknown. It smacks of his reluctance to first include Willie.....that only happened through default.
How on earth did useless Meyer miss out on centre options in Vorster, Odendaal and Frans Venter......all three having made great impressions all season and who offered us hope in the centre department along with de Allende......why on earth would you recall Jaque Fourie, a player past his prime, having failed miserably in his last few outings for the Boks. Not to mention the desperate grasp at hoping Jean will be good to go. He was average all of last season, how on earth is he going to improve after a serious knee injury given is age?
How on earth can you miss out on selecting the physically imposing Paul Willemse as a potentially mouth watering partnership with Etzebeth......does he not see the potential......is he so hell bent on retaining the washed up 38 year old Matfield as his only option to partner Etzebeth......what on earth does he see in Matfield, for very few see anything but an old man, no longer able to produce the goods and who more than anything is a physical liability these days. Hell promising Ruan Botha is a far better option at 5.
We had Carr making a great impression for the Boks on the EOYT and now he cant even make the extended squad. Class act Arno Botha found form for the Bulls at the end of the S15 and he cant make it either.
I for one thanks to Meyer am writing off the RC and WC......this guy just does not have the ability to produce the goods......he fails miserably in his primary function of selecting the right players......the fact that his method of play is archaic just adds fuel to the fire.
Move on Meyer, you are a poor coach, I had high hopes for you but you have let me down more than most of the recent coaches. You sell Bok rugby short in every way.
I can see a WC side of Kirchner, Willie, Fourie, Jean, Habana, Morne, du Preez, Beast , Bismark, Jannie, Etzebeth, Matfield, Louw, Alberts & Vermeulen being thrust upon us.......with only Willie, Beast, Bismark, Etzebeth and Vermeulen being worthy......with Habana and Jannie to a lesser extent.
Its a pathetic side, but its Meyers side
