Is there a suitable

substitute for Pollard in the event of him being rested or suffering an injury? So much, correction, all of the Bok hopes rest on his shoulders as we stare down a flaky plan B. Tattoo Boy should be the natural alternative but he lacks Rassie's confidence hence the reason Frans Steyn's been dragged in from the cold. Trouble is Steyn hasn't played in the position at the highest level long enough and for quite some time for anyone to have any confidence. Then there's my earlier idea of Willie Le Roux stepping into the breach and although the idea had Rassie's favour it was never tried. 

Truth be told Erasmus can't afford to wrap Pollard in cotton wool and still expect to win the WC but at some stage he will have to show his hand and give Pollard a break. However dreadful the thought Tattoo Boy seems like our best option. I'm banking on Pollard staying injury free for the duration of the WC.

Huh?

You ask a question ... and then you answer it yourself. That is the first sign of madness. You do know that, right? Either that or you're very lonely.

Jantjies is a quota and shouldn't be there.

What a pity Willemse was injured during the season in RSA.

Although he is short on international playing experience I for one thought that he was the one to backup Pollard at this WC.

Jantjies is not a Springbok fly-half or international class player plain and simple. 

Fransie on the other hand has shown that he is capable of performing at test level and has a wealth of experience at all levels of the game.

Sure he is not 19 anymore but he has the drive, experience, skills and guts to take to the field and support the team in many positions in the back line.

In any case the WC squad and team for the first game on Saturday has been made so all we are required to do is show our support and trust that all goes according to plan.

Anyone wish to guess the score.

Springboks 17 - All Blacks 11.

Steyn got write-ups in the tests he played in that he really did not deserve,   The kicks he made against Japan were all poor and aimless,   He did squat in the other tests when it came to defense - was really deficient/  He made one line break and  according to some dubious characters (with extremely little knowledge of the game on site) he suddenly was world class.   His Club would not even use him at either center and flyhalf because he is really too slow in both movement and thinking to play in those two position   He was a bit better for his club in that he had more time to think at full back than he has in the other two positions, but even though he was slightly better his club apparently did not renew his contract because of hi s pace deficiency at full back..

As to Jantjies I believe against teams here the Springbok forwards have the upper hand he looks good - but again he is not a confidence player and make the most stupid decisions at times.  He has a tendency to run towards the inside center before he passed the ball - giving the recipient virtually no space to operate in.  Also his defense is questionable.   On he whole a good Super Rugby player who failed to make the step up to test level.

If  Pollard gets injured or cannot play there will only be one option to do for Erasmus and that is to call up Willemse - who has gone to Saracens to play for the until January 2020,   There is no way that Steyn or Jantjies can start as flyhalf in crucial tests.  They are both for perhaps different reasons seriously flawed at flyhalf - or for that matter any other position in the backline.                  

Unfortunately, there is no alternative to Jantjies as backup for Pollard...rather Willie than Franske...but the cupboard is bare. It's too soon for Willemse.

His clearance kicks are too slow at test level. He struggled with it in his prime. Fransie is no test 10...never been. He was a great FB and a solid center. He should be a great sub in a tight match, but he's no starte r....2014 was 5 years ago to boot. Forget about that pipedream, it's not happening. 

Brilliant  BS.   In 2014 Steyn caused ball possession loses of 46 in the serious (a Super Rugby record)  mainly through BS kicking.   His defense at flyhalf was atrocious and  his passing game was routinely criticized by Mallett for making skip passes eliminating overlaps that should have been utilized properly.  

In that year Steyn played for the Sharks at center and flyhalf.   From a performance evaluation perspective he was rated as the 253nd player.  As a center he was valued at 32,  Y ou call that brilliant - Strzok?  I would rather call that statement weird.    Happy Distortion and Liars Day to you.   

Say Fat Lip, how about giving us your team minus your so-called "quotas"?

The No 3 jersey was perhaps the only area of mild contention, but Trevor Nyakane's limited training time over the last week because of a knee niggle made the decision to start Frans Malherbe easier.

It is as strong as the Boks could possibly be. 

The physicality of the pack stands out immediately, specifically from Nos 4 to 8, while Malcolm Marx, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Duane Vermeulen and Franco Mostert are all menacing at the breakdown. 

It is a combination that will force every other side in the tournament to take notice, and given how these players have performed in 2019, you would do well to find a more balanced and potentially destructive pack of brutes. 

The forward cover off the bench is equally encouraging, where the front row of Tendai Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Nyakane could very easily start without the Boks losing much, if anything. 

RG Snyman, meanwhile, is a man that 2007 World Cup-winning flyhalf Butch James believes will be one of South Africa's most important players at the tournament given his speed, strength and skill as an impact player. 

The backline selection, perhaps less striking on the surface, was equally predictable. 

The halfback pairing of Handre Pollard and Faf de Klerk is the major strength there, where pedigree and experience combine to give the Boks a stable base from which to launch. 

At a SuperSport function in Johannesburg two weeks ago, a panel of former Springboks including John Smit, Odwa Ndungane and James gave their thoughts on South Africa's chances at the tournament. 

All three agreed that Pollard was the most important player for the Boks in Japan, and with that in mind a look through the matchday 23 perhaps reveals one area of concern for the green and gold.  

Frans Steyn, rich in experience and undoubtedly still immensely talented, is the flyhalf cover.

It is a position he very rarely plays for his club Montpellier in France and he has started just one Test match in the No 10 jersey. That came against Italy in Cape Town all the way back in 2008. 

Because of his experience and perceived versatility, Steyn has moved ahead of Elton Jantjies in the Bok pecking order in 2019 and should something go horribly wrong with Pollard, he will have to slot in at playmaker and also take over the goal-kicking duties. 

At that same SuperSport function, James spoke about the risks of going into a key match without specialist flyhalf cover on the bench. If it was a World Cup final, would Erasmus make the same decision? James didn't think so. 

Before Steyn returned to the Bok set-up this year, Jantjies was comfortably second choice and there were pressure situations where Erasmus would shift Pollard to No 12 and introduce Jantjies for the last 20 minutes of the match. 

It worked well, but that option seems to be firmly on the shelf for now. 

Pollard, undoubtedly, is the main man for the Boks and so much hinges on him playing and kicking well. 

The worry, though, is that the Boks will be thin at flyhalf if he is forced off the park for whatever reason. 

Jantjies may not offer anything near what Steyn does on defence, but he has been largely impressive in Bok colours for a long time now and has the ability to dictate tempo and spark attacks. 

Steyn, meanwhile, will be a pillar defensively and will look to kick the Boks into positions of territorial dominance. 

But when last was he tested at No 10 in a high-pressure situation? It doesn't get much more high-pressure than the All Blacks in a World Cup. 

That uncertainty is perhaps the only visible Bok frailty. 

It obviously won't matter if Pollard stays fit, but this is a long tournament and if the Bok pivot felt fatigued or suffered a minor bump late on in a game, it would be nice to have the luxury of pulling him off. 

Without specialist No 10 cover, that doesn't seem likely. 

Steyn, in no time at all, has gone from being in the Bok wilderness to playing a potentially crucial role for his country at the World Cup. 

He is, after all, the only one there who knows what it takes to win one of these things ... 

So Strzok

You apparently still abide by your previous stupid assessment that the only required function of a flyhalf is to kick at goal.    The total lack of performance of Steyn in 2014 was blatant and totally illustrated by the 46 turnovers in possession he gave away.  Hos defense was putrid and he was factually useless.   But then you rely on a rare article by a journalist in 2014.  

Steyn is not a flyhalf's arse  or perhaps he is.   How was that turnover the article credited Alberts with happened.  Cannot remember the game - but it must have been against the Kings or the Sunwolves,   Alberts rarely played in 2014 - I think he played about 2 or 3 matches in April 2014 in the Super Rugby season and making a normal turnover was never ever done by  Alberts,  Must have been a foul up like Vermeulen did in the Wellington test and you pretended never was the reason for the Goodhue try.  A  breakdown ball recovery by Alberts never ever happened anyway - Alberts was never able to do that.    

By the way - you quoted the following as well:- 

"The Sharks' dominance was rewarded as early as the eighth minute when Paul Jordaan crossed for the game's opening try, after the groundwork was laid by Willem Alberts and Lwazi Mvovo in the build-up."

Steyn was never mentioned in the case of the try referred to - if he even touched the ball he would have made a total bugger-up.  

Srtzok 

Disgusting  that when I quoted those stats previously on site it was proven over and over againm but you would not accept it.

Here are some match stats from 2014 with Steyn at flyhalf:-

Rebels - 2 May 2014

 Note the 3 turnovers conceded and the tackle stats - 9 made 6 missed 

Brumbies  - 9 May 2014

Note the 2 turnovers conceded and the kicking and carrying stats (34) and passing (8) - serious ball hogging - bad passing game. 

Crusaders  -  17 May 2014 

That was the game in which Steyn made  a line break and carried the ball for about 50 meters. Note the ball possession losses and the defense deficiency,   

The above were the first three matches in 2014 when Steyn played at flyhalf.   Before that the flyhalf was either Lambie and in a few matches Zeilinga and in one Swiel.  

So get your facts straight for a change - distortion and liar personified.  I would call those performances barely satisfactory and near to poor.   Happy Distortion and Liars Day to you.         

Jantjies was dragged into the mix because of his skin colour. He’s there for no other reason. They kept selecting him, no matter how poor he performed. They needed a dark skin and he was it ... much like Bongi, Beast, Nyakane, Mapimpi and Kolisi are today.

Any other 10 in the country would have blossomed had they been exposed to so many cracks in the test arena. Jantjies is the same halfwit he was 5 years ago. He’s learnt nothing in all that time. No surprise there.

How Frans Steyn made the mix is anyone’s guess. He’s useless across the board. Looking back 10 years shouldn’t be used as a method of selecting a player. He’s proven to be a very poor 10 and to select him as cover for Pollard is hilarious.

There are many duds in the Goat mix.

No Denny ... I don’t think so ... you have been asked to produce a team of your own ... many times .. and you’ve never come up with one.  The most you’ve given us is your hilarious choice of Wullie Le Roux for the Bok 10 jersey.

Do us all a favour. Go crawl back under your bed and be quiet.

HEE HAW HEE HAW 

Listen Fat Lip, why are you giving me Jantjie's life story......it's not like I've ever given him my seal of approval. You must have me confused with someone else or perhaps you're just trying to wiggle your way around putting up your quota-free team. Would that be a whites only squad by any chance?....Bwhaahahaha

Frans Steyn was brought into the side because Erasmus has no confidence in Jantjies.....simple as that finish and Klaar. Not my call. 

But all of the above is just a weak attempt to bob, duck and dive because let's face it you can't put up a better team or squad.

I'm not the one HEE HAWING a nauseating whine about the Goats, I'm not the one shrieking for everyone's attention......you are.  It's on you to pick a merit based team.....not me.  But allow me to cut you some slack, let me put it to you that my team for this week is exactly the same as the team that's been selected. My squad would be exactly the same but for two changes.

You've boxed yourself into a corner haven't you wee man, truth be told you can't pick better....truth be told you're a coward and you and I know that apart from one or two players there isn't much better, is there!? Truth be told you're never going to put up your side.....not that it matters, the thing is, you're just a lonely, bitter insignificant racist who's found an audience tolerant enough, an audience you're intent on boring until they tell you to find someone who gives a care about what you have to say.

Here, let me help you, wipe your tears, your support or non support of the Boks is irrelevant......deal with it.