Jirr-enzo

No not Moodie but more than Hooker, Henco v Wyk, David Kriel, Jordan Hendrikse etc 

I doubt he has more that Hendrikse, considering this is Hendrikse's 4th year. 

I'm gonna get Hendrikse has more tries, more tackles and more meters made.

As for Hooker, David Kriel and v Wyk...they need more years playing franchise rugby and building names for themselves. Same as Jirr-Enzo.

The Boks are not desperate for 13s. But after Manie has proven he's not up to it, there is some urgency to play Hendrikse more and see if he is.

Resume is probably the wrong measure it’s more about pure talent and rugby software where Julius is ahead of Hooker, Henco, Jordan and David Kriel 

We do need a new 13 we can’t go to the next WC with Jessie or Am 

If a player is good enough, youth has nothing to do with it - that applied to Pollard, Willemse, Sacha and Moodie - Julius is as good and the same needs to apply to him

Id select Julius at 13 for the Boks this year without a blink 

No Plum I’m a little concerned that he is too short for centre just like BOD, Aki , Ollie Lawrence, Tim Horan, Henco v Wyk, Danty, Carling and Tuipuloto are/were 

Don’t you diss Carling, Saffolk !! 

Dave,

Do you ever stop to consider what a person is actually saying before you run your mouth?

Arandse and Kolbe are automatic starters, and they're tiny. 

If Willemse does play at 12, he's not exactly a man mountain at 184cm and 96kgs...compared to Esterhuizen who is 193cm and 113kgs. 

When we add the diminutive Julius to that we now have the smallest wingers in the world, a 12 that is small for a 12 and a 13 that is not very big himself. 

This is why in the initial post I said I preferred the picture of Moodie and Hooker/Esterhuizen since it adds some bigger boys, tried and tested by the way, to the backline. 

Honestly, the combination I would probably choose at 12/13 is AE and Hooker. Along with Sacha who is a good size for a 10 and Fassi, that is a nicely balanced backline.

And then I'd probably have Moodie and "maybe" Julius battle it out for 13's understudy.

Ok first off you don’t seem able to grasp the reality of the facts here. 

You keep referring to Julius as diminutive and small which is simply not the case - at 96kg and effectively my height there is nothing diminutive about him.

Both Hooker and Moodie are taller but Moodie is lighter at 94kg and Hooker only has 4kg on Julius at 100kg which is relative given his height 

So for a start your argument falls flat saying you want bigger players in Moodie and Hooker at centre 

Willemse is as hard as nails and at 96kg that to is a respectable weight although I suspect he is probably more like 100kg these days. 

Forget Esterhuizen, at 31, we need to be investing in someone new at 12, it’s time to target the new generation of Boks for the next WC

For me rugby is a game defined by patterns of play which are pretty much universal, it’s virtually impossible to come up with anything untried before. Add the influence of a coach and the selection of the players. For me it’s those selections that are the most important component of that equation. Get your selections right and 60% of the battle is won. I don’t buy into players that fit the team vs the best player in their respective positions because as a fan I don’t get to know the personalities of players, whether they fit or not - I can only judge based on performance. Classic case is Mostert - he is not by any stretch one of the better locks in the country but he fits as a team player. On the other hand I guess the likes of the du Preez twins don’t fit despite the performances they produce for Sale week after week.

So given I’m not privy to anything other than what I see with respect to performance, for me it’s about getting the best 15 on the field backed up by the next best 8 on the bench.

Looking forward, our best younger backs are Fassi, Arendse, Moodie, Julius, Willemse, Sacha and Williams 

Followed closely by Jordan Hendrikse, Green, Tambwe, Edwill vd Merwe, Zas, Henco v Wyk, Hooker, David Kriel, Libbok, Jayden Hendrikse, Nohamba and vd Bergh 

So if I’m to get my best backs starting then the obvious selection is 15. Fassi 14. Moodie 13. Julius 12. Willemse 11. Arendse 10. Sacha 9. Williams 

That combination is rugby salivation. Obviously Willemse is not a DA or AE but we don’t have one coming through at 110kg so by selecting Willemse at 12 we are forced to be more creative at 12 which he thrives on. So instead of predominantly taking it up he would look to attack space - whether it’s possible at test level, only time will tell but Willemse is the perfect candidate to give it a shot - with the help of Sacha inside him 

That is the backline I want to see - I don’t want to see Willemse at 15 meaning Fassi is then excluded. 

For me Julius is the real deal at 13, he just oozes class and clout. I expect things to happen as soon as the ball is in his hands - the same applies to Sacha, Willemse, Arendse, Moodie and Fassi 

". I don’t buy into players that fit the team vs the best player in their respective positions because as a fan I don’t get to know the personalities of players, whether they fit or not - I can only judge based on performance."

Well then you believe in a selection strategy that is diametrically opposed to how Rassie selects his team. He literally selects based on gameplan not simply who is the best player in a particular position.

And you can talk about electrifying backline all you want, but Rassie is defence orientated. That's his baseline. 

So we can pick a Stormers type line, full of pace and skill, but look at what has been happening to the Stormers and Sharks with all their skill and creativity? They have been getting murdered by semi decent teams.

Do you think Rassie doesn't see that?

And let's also get some perspective here. Willemse is a racehorse, not a carthorse. If AE is gone, then I'm playing Hooker at 12...and probably Willemse at 13 ahead of all the younger guys. 

It's a crying shame to play Willemse at 12. If Rassie shoves him in the 12 jersey and demands a DDA type job from him...it'll be a straight up travesty.

I'll just remind you, Dave...there is plenty of time Julius to prove himself. 

There are other extremely gifted players ahead of him in the queue. Guys that paid their dues and have been kept in the Bok setup for a reason. 

Moodie, Willemse, Fassie and Williams have thrived. Sacha is a complete one-off. He is so exceptional that it's unfair to bring him into it unless we are discussing generational players.

You think the Julius is somewhere between exceptional and generational. I think he might be. You think you've seen enough, I don't think I have.

But I have seen enough of the above players to know what I think of them and that Julius needs to get in line.

And I think Rassie and myself are on similar pages in that regard.

Like I said I can’t base a selection on whether a player fits or not as I don’t know the players personally 

I base my selections purely on ability as that’s all I have to work with

As I said, if Willemse plays 12 then he plays his game not the DA or AE crash and bash game

I disagree that Rassie is defence oriented, he has always mixed it well with attack, even more so now with Brown on board 

For the Sharks and Stormers, we never see all these gifted players playing together or playing in their correct positions. 

We have not seen much of Willemse, Sacha and now Fassi. Too often we have seen Hooker wasted on the wing, while Plum persists with hasbeen Frans Venter at 12. We have seen Sacha misused at 12, useless Jake relegated the gifted Moodie to the bench last week after wasting him on the wing the week before 

Willemse as my Bok 12, attacks space not contact 

As for Julius I honestly think he is that special, up there with Sacha - in terms of sheer creativity and clout he is ahead of Hooker, Henco v Wyk and David Kriel in my books 

At least the Sharks are playing Hooker at 12 and Julius at 13 this weekend against Cardiff - looking forward to that - recorded on VHS of course :)

Hooker is a natural 12 for me. Let's see how that 12/13 combo goes.

I still can't believe that hit DDP made on AE to injure him. You make a hit like that, on a Bok's knee, knowing you could end his career...disgusting. I used to like DDP but now I just want him to be smashed. 

Something that intentional should see a player banned for 3 months as far as I'm concerned.

i truly hope AE gets his revenge...sevenfold 

Wasn't DdP...J-LdP ? ...I still need to have a look at that.

Sorry, it was Jean-Luc

Most scumbag hit I've seen in years. Totally dangerous and could literally have ended AE's career. And he knew exactly what he was doing...he actually planned it.

Henco van Wyk is just as good as Julius….then David Kriel or Rickus Pretorius is a better option at 12 than Willemse.

Willemse can also play 12 but under a different gameplan.

Van Wyk, Julius, Hooker, Pretorius and Kriel still needs to be invited to Bok Camp and selected.

Then we can see if they any good playing at Bok level.

Bullshit Julius is better than v Wyk has a far better skill set 

Willemse’s best position is 12 and therefore given how good he is, he is better than any other young candidate in that position - hands down 

Agree on both counts, Saffex.

Julius is good, but Nonsense that he is better!!

" Junior Springboks

In 2021, van Wyk was selected for the South African U20 team (the Junior Springboks) for the International U20 series, where South Africa competed against Argentina, Georgia, and Uruguay. The Junior Springboks won the series, with van Wyk playing a pivotal role and being named the Junior Springbok Player of the Year. "

I agree with you Saffex, we have such good talent in the back at the moment, but they are all very young. So we really need to make sure we get them exposed to bok culture and hopefully a couple of test. We see how well the likes of Eben, kolisi, De Allende, Pieter Steph, Kriel etc are doing. They all started back in 2012 / 13 and made the 2015 World Cup. Can't believe 10 years has passed. 

I think Rassie has a plan and as long as we can look after these guys over the next 10 years, our rugby will be a in a good place. 

But I won't rush all of them right now. I think Sasha needs a big snot klap to get him to be a bit grounded. To me he is a bit windgat. 

But I'm excited about our backline. Only question I have is at 9. Grant Williams is already 27 and a late bloomer. Don't see any real youngsters coming through at 9. Van Den Berg had a shot but blew it for the boks. 

Van Den Berg, Sasha, Moodie, Hooker, Julius, Fassi, Kriel. What a back line. 

Hope Rassie can get these boys to play together for the Bok A team. That would be amazing. 

Then we can get them time together and gradually get them into the bok setup

Mpower that’s because you don’t know your rugby. I’m telling you now Julius is a better all round player than Henco 

You will never see subtle touches from Henco, he does not have the hands or rugby software 

Henco = Jessie Kriel 

Julius = Am

Willemse is clearly not seen as a shoe in, inside centre by Erasmus. 

Rassie has been clear where he prefers Willemse and that is Full Back.

That is also the position where he has played his best Rugby for the Boks.

Willemse is my Bok 15...next level...Fassie can't do this:

Bullshit has Rassie been clear where he wants Willemse - where he has played him to date has been dictated by the fact that he has de Allende as his established 12. DA is 33 now, so things have to change at 12.

Given how good Fassi has been at 15, there is a good chance Rassie will be thinking of Willemse at 12, especially considering he does not have a like for like 12 coming through. Esterhuizen at 31 is hardly the future 

We need to see Willemse at 12 and Fassi at 15. Both need to be in the starting 15 

Well a substantial portion of his recent Test appearances were at fullback. 

This is a strong indicator of where Rassie has preferred him as of late, before his injury.

He  is a attacking full back with the ability to create well for the Bok Backline.

As seen his cover defence is  very good to. But because he is so talented, he would also be able to play 12.

By all means play him at  12  and try it out…. It does make sense that Fassi will then also start.

lets see what Rassie does this season….

"Willemse is my Bok 15...next level...Fassie can't do this:"

That was great heart by Willemse.

Habana was 10.4 over 100m. I'm sure Fassi is right about there too...perhaps 10.5

Does anybody know his time? I've searched but can't find it anywhere. 

No chance I'm not starting Fassi and Willemse. I don't care where they play, but they WILL both start in any important game if I'm selecting the team.

If I were to make an argument for Willemse at 12 it would that I want him to get as much ball as possible. 

It's not a bad shout really, since the Boks seem to have an embarrassing amount of forward dominance most of the time. Perhaps not having a flanker at 12 won't tip the scales too much and indeed a playmaker there might be the way to go.

Fassi delivers, every single time he's on the field he makes it happen. He's been shit hot this season too. Always making a huge impact, always dangerous and damn reliable under pressure. I know that anybody that has been watching the Sharks this season agrees. 

Fassie is fantastic,  but IMHO, DW is a way better fullback.

Way better?

Geez, Draad! I didn't think there was a bigger Willemse fan here than me haha

Apparently, I was very wrong

Plum, show me a Fassie clip remotely similar...Willemse wasn't alwais my favorite,  but he has improved exponentially over the last 6 years!!!

For now until otherwise announced, DDA will start at 12.

The Question will be, who will Rassie pick at 15 with a fit DW and Fassi??

Draad...

Him chasing down juiced Dyanti.

Not bad, but not close either.

Haha it's a weird thing Draad, cos all it takes pace.

So what are you holding in high regard in this? The heart, the pace...the timing of the tackle?

Um Mpower what part of Rassie mostly playing Willemse at 15 is because he has de Allende at 12 and Pollard/ Libbok and Sacha at 10 are you not comprehending 

That has nothing to do with Rassie’s preference of playing him at 15

Willemse is class and his only options are 12 or 15 as he is not a 10, plus we have Sacha there 

We now have Fassi at 15, so that leaves 12 - there is going to be an opening there given the age of de Allende and Willemse is the obvious choice here