Let be out of the book in making changes to the Springbok team against Wales

I think teams need to be selected based on the players and game lan of the opposition and choose the proposed temam accordingly - so here goes:-

15   Willemse

14   Mapimpi

13   Am

12   De Allende

11   Kolbe/Nkosi

10   Pollard

  9   Reinach

  8   Vermeuken

  7   Du Toit

  6   Kolisi

  5   De Jager

  4   Etzebeth

  3   Malherbe

  2   Marx

  1   Matawarira

16   Mbonambi ????

17   Kitshoff

18   Koch

19   Snyman

20   Louw

21   De Klerk

22   ?????

23   Le Roux

So why did I suggest the changes?   

*   Le Roux under high balls were very weak in the first half - but his whole performance in the second half was much better.  I would rather see him being brought on  when the game pattern has been settled.   Some think that Steyn may be better at full back - but he is seriously pace-deficient and defective in defense as well due to pace-deficiency.

*   My thinking of Reinach is that he is well acquainted with Welsh players like North - his team mate at Northampton - as well as other Welsh players and would know how to deal with box kicking better than De Klerk in the first half,  Bring the latter on in the second half.

*   I am worried about Kolbe - he was very quiet yesterday and seems to be a bit under the weather - is it an injury problem still lurking around?  In any event he would be a great impact player.

*   I am not sure Mbonambi will be over his injury of Saturday.  I hope he is - since I would not like to see having to fall back on Brits as replacement hooker.   The problem is that the impact of the hooker on scrumming is frequently ignored and Brits will reduce the functioning of the scrumming substantially.  I would rather see Dweba of the Cheetahs be called up as a back-up in  the case that Mbonambi is not available for the next two games of the Springboks. 

Dave

I am not sure whether Kolbe is entirely clear of his injury problem.  If he is I am wrong and will switch the selection as indicated.

I am not sure about the bench issue with Mbonsmbi

As to potential siting of Beast I checked three sites that  would know and found nothing.

What about the 9 and 15 comments? 

Kitshoff is not as strong a scrummager as the Beast....the Japanese scrum blew him away for a penalty during the Beast's yellow. I don't know why he's viewed  as a strong scrummager. His general p lay is pretty solid.

CM,

      Agree mostly with your selection but I would move Willemse to the bench drop Le Roux and bring in Gellant at 15.

     Kolbe if fit is a starter for sure.

     Reinach has shown his quality at the last game he played. He is fast, great passing and seizes any gaps that arise plus does not play the endless kicking game. He deserves a shot at the Welsh.

   Kolisi might be the anointed one from the ANC but he does deserve his place. Louw should start and Smith on the bench.

   If the Beast does pick up a suspension I would pick du Toit to start. I have no confidence in Kitshoff as a starter.

   # 22 Steyn.

De Allende's defence was the strongest for the Boks including 3 turnovers.

His attack was in the opposite direction,knock-on's ,running in front of his own man,crawling and getting penalised.Must have forgot that Kolbe was playing.

What really depleted the scrumming was when Mostert replaced De Jager at lock,  The driving mauls also dried up.   Kicking a penalty kick to the corner was made and without a proper lock the team ended up just meters inside the halfway line.

I do not think a seven man scrum is really where scrumming prowess should be judged by.  

Anyway - I was not really serious about the actual team to be selected and opened the thread as a discussion topic.   I think Erasmus will not make drastic changes to the team at this stage of the WC unless he is forced to do so through injury or other reasons.           

'What really depleted the scrumming was when Mostert replaced De Jager at lock,  The driving mauls also dried up.   Kicking a penalty kick to the corner was made and without a proper lock the team ended up just meters inside the halfway line.'

...........

Are you saying we were mauled backwards for 50 metres when Mostert was on the park?

No we lost possession in trying to execute a maul  and was forced back by a relieving kick.