My take on Coetzee's selections

Willie - he selects himself, has not been at his best but still pretty good. One of the best attacking players in the game.
Combrink - about time he was rewarded for being the best wing in the country. Coetzee's first advance on Meyer....there are a few
JP - has found form at the right time and provides experience. 
Mvovo - a poor selection. Is a handy enough player but at 30 odd is not the future, has at times been exposed for no longer possessing the pace that made him standout. He is not a JP or Habana, so I dont understand the investment given his age. Ulengo, v/Wyk, Skosan, Ismaiel, Sithole, Rhule and Sergeal Petersen would all have been better options. Kolbe and Senatla not being available due to 7's.
Coetzee has 2 of the 3 wings correct.
Jessie Kriel - I hear some fools questioning this lads credentials. Absolute joke, a gem in the SA set up. Fast, physical and a great stepper all credentials to beat the man one on one. Perfect credentials for a 13. Was brilliant last year in the RC, solid in the WC and has had some good moments this Super series. Will be a great. Meyer rightfully selected him, Coetzee has continued to invest.....spot on.
Mapoe - rewarded for being the form SA 13, has been brilliant. Second Coetzee advance on Meyer. Its just a pity he is now 27.
de Allende - again some fools questioning his credentials given his lack of form since his return from injury. Despite his lack of form, he still manages to gain as many metres as most and beat more defenders. His form of late has been far better. A class act end of.....massive physicality and skill which creates havoc.
Serfontein - the form SA 12 in the Super series. Great to see him close to being back to his best. Good to see him attacking space not taking the direct route. A talent identified early and now being invested in. Smart move. 
The four centres are spot on. Frans Venter can count himself unlucky for being in great form for the past two seasons, but at least he has an A spot. Rohan Janse van Rensburg is another that can count himself unlucky.....certainly one for the future. Should have walked the A squad. Coetzee has the centres spot on.
Jantjies - simply sublime this year. Had Pollard been fit, Jantjies still would have been the better option, thats what a difference his brilliant touches have made. Third Coetzee advance on Meyer.
Lambie - a proven test star who has shown good form for the Sharks on his return from injury. Obvious selection.
April - looks handy enough but I doubt he is the real deal, but time will tell. I prefer the look of youngsters du Plessis and du Preez. Goosen would have been my choice as the 3rd flyhalf.
I'll give Coetzee 3 out of 3 with his flyhalves given April is there to gain experience
Faf - the form 9 of SA as he was last year. The obvious choice to start. His speed to the breakdown, speed of service, energy and ability to attack as he showed against the Bulls is the reason why he is the obvious choice to start. Fourth Coetzee advance on Meyer
Groom - Ive been impressed with him this year, have always rated him. Good to see him rewarded, far better option than Pienaar. Fifth Coetzee advance on Meyer.
Paige - poor selection, is not test standard. Purely a quota selection. Has hindered the Bulls with his indecision and slow clearance. 
2 of the 3 scrumhalves are spot on. 
So Coetzee has got 12 of the 14 back selections right but not completely spot on as April would not have made my squad but I can live with him as a non match day player. Five improvements on Meyer's selections and investment in the players Meyer identified.
Kitshoff - the best loosehead in the game in my opinion, that all I need to say. It was an insult that Meyer never handed him a single test cap in 4 years. Sixth Coetzee advance on Meyer
Beast - like JP he provides experience and is still in good enough form. I would probably not select him but then again I might. Had Thomas du Toit not been injured for most of the season, he'd be a better option than Beast.
Nyakane - I rate this guy and he has been in good form. Handy that he can play 1 and 3. Took Meyer long enough to identify him. Good selection
Malherbe - one of the best tightheads in the game and in good form. Made a huge difference in the WC, looks to be a potential Bok captain.
Redelinghuis - he has been good for the Lions but I dont buy into little props making it as test props. I much prefer Marcel v/d Merwe who has been very good for the Bulls.
I'd say Coetzee got 4 out of 5 with the props
Strauss - given the squad, he is the logical choice as captain. One of the best hookers in the game. But saying that Bismark is better and I dont get why Coetzee has snubbed him. 
Scara - while I like him as an impact player, given his energy, there is no ways he should be in the squad ahead of Bismark, Marx and Akers. The quota is at play here but at least Scara is a good player. 
Mbonambi - again I rate him but the same applies with Scara. He is a quota selection ahead of Bismark, Marx and Akers
Given I rate Scara and Mbonambi but realise they are not the best options, I'll give Coetzee 2 out of 3 for the hookers selected.
Etzebeth - best lock in the game
Lood - close behind Eben, was brilliant in the WC, has not been on fire at times with the Cheetahs thanks to how average a side they are.
PSDT - has been huge for the Stormers, what a player. In such good form that he has a good chance of displacing Lood in the starting 15.
Our 3 best locks are chosen, Coetzee has that spot on. I do feel for Paul Willemse, RG Snyman, Jason Jenkins, Mostert and Lewies who would not let the Bok side down.
Jaco Kriel - one of the best loosies in the game.....another insult by Meyer for never selecting him. Unbelievable player......he simply has to start every test at 6. Seventh Coetzee advance on Meyer.
Kolisi - I simply do not get the anti thrown this guys way. What an impressive player he is, evidenced by his MOM performance against the Cheetahs. He always seems to break the advantage line. Great player but sadly will be employed out of position at 7. We should be playing a true 7 with Kolisi as a bench loosie.
Louw - solid player at best. Too slow, big and cumbersome for 6, not physical enough for 7 and not athletic enough for 8. A poor selection....I dont get the fascination with him. Kriel, Kolisi, Carr, Notshe, Labs and Brussouw are all better 6's, Kirsten, Dan du Preez, JL du Preez, Elstadt, Oupa, Coetzee and Jacques du Plessis are all better options at 7, Vermeulen, Whiteley, Arno Botha, v/d Walt, Mtembu and Liebenberg are all better options at 8.
Notshe - like Kolisi, I dont get how people miss what this guy brings to the equation. Gifted player who brings real pace and skill to the role. Big fan of this guy. Not sure where his best position is....6 or 8. Am with Coetzee on identifying this guy. Eighth Coetzee advance on Meyer 
Whiteley - might not be ideal at 105kg as a test 8 but you simply cant ignore what he brings to the Lions week after week. Meyer failed him by showing little investment, but I kind of get that given his size. He needs a proper opportunity to show if he can replicate his Super form and impact at test level.
Vermeulen - one of the best 8's in the game in his prime. His form in the past 6 months leaves me thinking we might have seen his best days. Average WC and been worse for Toulon. Its fair enough to see if he still has it, but if not, there are options at home, starting with Marcel Coetzee (we should be playing him at 8, moving forward).
Coetzee has made a mistake not selecting a true 7....Kirsten or Jacques du Plessis should have been selected ahead of Louw. He has got 5 of the 6 loosies right, although I am not convinced about the current Vermeulen.
Coetzee has got 13 of the 17 forwards correct.
So in total Coetzee has made 8 better calls than Meyer did.....in particular Combrink, Mapoe, Jantjies, Faf, Kitshoff and Jaco Kriel. He has shown faith in the youngsters identified under Meyer and retained a few experienced players. Its a good squad.
It would have been far better with Ulengo ahead of Mvovo, Goosen ahead of April, Hougaard ahead of Paige, Marx ahead of Mbonambi, Bismark ahead of Scara, Marcel v/d Merwe ahead of Redelinghuis and Kirsten or Jacques du Plessis ahead of Louw......but I can live with April, Mbonambi and Scara.

 It is easy to find an improvement in the selections made by Coetzee above those of Meyer.  Meyer never was interested in performance - his norm for selection was entirely reputation.   Besides that Meyer was not as restricted in making selections compared to  Meyer insofar as BEE selections is concerned .  Taking into account the BEE selections made by Meyer - which included Kirchner and Paige - was disastrous.   He should rather have looked at other BEE players - but I suppose their Bulls reputation count for more than anything else.  . 

Just a pity that the brilliant Kriel and the impressive Stepfontein could only muster 3 metres in 4 carries vs the Stormers....or was that 4 metres in 3 carries. Janse van Rensburg showed us what Step is, terminally slow and not robust by way of compensation.
The proof of who has the better grasp of talent and tactics will be in the results. You know beating NZ more than once in 4 years. And beating Australia more than 4 times out of 7.
Time will tell, this is not the time to declare victory.

Just like you want to quote one match I can do the same where Kriel and Serf gained many metres and beat many defenders and conversely I can do the same for Janse v Rensburg where he gained very few metres and beat zero defenders.
Its about the overall picture.....Serfontein as a whole has had a great Super series and that is a fact. He, Mapoe and Frans Venter have been our form centres. Kriel has had less of an impact, has had some great moments but he provided everything we needed to know about him in last years RC against the best the world has to offer.
Kriel and de Allende completely outplayed Smith and Nonu

 Steps great Super series was statistically no better than Van Rensburg  or Esterhosen. And Kriel is vastly inferior statistically to Mapoe

 I like the WP BEE players sellected, but feel that Marx should have been included for one of them and a proper 7 for one of the 2 loosies. It's not Coerzee alone, there were some other selectors  on the panel too...Apparently he was only allowed 3 overseas players in his squad. I'm happy with the squad although I don't like the quotas idea. It's wrong. 

I do not think some of the players selected is going to last through to the Rugby Champion series - it will depend on the performances of players in the Irish tests.   I think that even the 3 limit would be changed or different players brought on board within the three limit scenario.   Meyer used way too many reputation foreign based players in his squad - even players who routinely make their club bench sides - and that discredited the foreign-based players.      

 Serfs stats might be similar to those two but he had looked the better all round player with better variety like grubber or chio kicks ahead that have lead to tries. Plus his beating of defenders have been more skilful with steps versus the direct routes the other two have taken.
Agreed Mapoe s stats have been better than Kriel s but Kriel s have been good. Take the 2 runs and 20m gained and a try scored in the one sided game against the Lions this weekend.
My point on Kriel is that he showed us his test credentials in last year's RC. He was solid in the WC and has been good the s18. As a coach you invest in talent like that as you do rewarding Mapoe. Coetzee has his centres spot on.

 Both Serfontein and Kriel looked very average in Super Rugby this year - with a spotty record in both attack and defense.   Sad to say that - but it is true. 

 

Well Dave, as you rightly pointed out ... it’s your take on Coetzee's selection.  We all have one and mine differs from yours.

 

Willie as far as I'm concerned is a liability ... he's been allowed too much space at the back and makes very poor decisions at times which costs us. He should either be reigned in or dropped altogether. I rate him as a better wing. He seems more comfortable there. I think the responsibility at full back is too much for him to manage as we've seen him lose the plot many a time. Seeing as we have better wings available, he wouldn't make my squad. 

Coetzee makes his first big mistake and follows on where Meyer left off. 

 

Combrink is a class act and has finally been rewarded. Pleased for the lad. He deserves his spot in the starting 15. We will soon see whether Coetzee agrees. 

 

JP is slow and cu-mbersome. We have a host of better wings available. Younger, quicker, hungrier. He shouldn't have been included in Meyer's team back then ... but to bring this plodding geriatric into the mix now is even more foolish than Meyer ever was. Coetzee makes his second big mistake.  

 

Mvovo ... well what can one say about him. WOW!!!!!! In fact I think I'll throw in a Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahaaaaaa!!! Stupid, stupid, stupid. Coetzee makes his third bad selection.

 

Coetzee has 1 of the 4 outside backs right. 

 

Jesse Kriel ... it seems Coetzee's also been drawn in by all the unwarranted hype. A few moments spread over several test matches doesn't qualify his inclusion. He is lazy, cannot read the game at 13, selfish, goes to ground with ball in hand at every touch, is prone to tackling too high and is easily shrugged off because of it ... a defensive liability. He is not a natural centre, doesn't have the necessary skill set to play there at SR level and is a total disaster as a tes midefielder. Coetzee makes his 4th bad mistake and follows on where Meyer left off ... and this while a smoking hot youngster in Venter sits out and watches from the side. Absurd. 

 

Mapoe ... well deserved selection and completely on merit. A class act. I am pleased for the lad. Hope he goes on to great things. Coetzee scores with a second right selection. 

 

De Allende ... actually a no-brainer. He's proven himself. Coetzee follows on where Meyer left off.

 

Serfontein ... nothing really special about this lad. I mean if you were really honest with yourself you would have to admit that Janse van Rensburg is a better choice. So is Odendaal and Vorster. Serfontein is merely included on a reputation he built at junior level. He’s never managed the step up in the last three seasons and I can’t see him changing that any day soon. He wouldn't make my squad. Coetzee makes his 5th poor decision. 

 

Conclusion ... Coetzee gets 2 out of the 4 right.

 

It seems he needs a lot of work. 

 

Jantjies ... has been the form 10 this season, however is prone to collapse under pressure and that concerns me. He needs to be coached into managing it better.  I too would have selected him but would have had him see a shrink to get his head right. A confident Jantjies can be very dangerous.    

 

Lambie is my man. He has been for awhile now. Great leader and knows how to get a backline moving. Deceptively strong upper body and with good pace. Love the guy. I hope he gets a fair shake under this coach.

 

April ... we need someone young to be brought in as early as possible and from what I've seen of this young man why the hell not. He could go far. I wish him well. Hope he gets some game time.

 

I'm happy with the flyhalves he’s selected so 3 from 3 it is.

 

Faf ... no need to say anything about this dynamic player. He should have received his call up ages ago. I reckon he'll go on to be become a great.

 

Groom ... I don't really have a problem with him. It's not exactly as if we have large stocks of quality 9's to select from. A few have been tried out and to be honest I think we need to move on from them ... so why not Groom.

 

Paige ... pffffffffhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!!! Totally laughable. A quota if ever there was one.

 

Cronje from the Lions is a better option. 

 

2 out of 3 for Coetzee.

 

Kitshoff ... everyone seems to like him. As for me, he's just an average loosehead prop. Nothing special at all. When Marais, Smith and Du Toit came onto the scene one noticed them immediately.  They impressed right away. Kitshoff was just another loose head. I think the only reason we noticed him was because of hair colour.

 

Any way ... I will wait to see what this guy does at test level. I don't rate him as much of a test option.

 

Beast ... another quota. Dylan Smith is better and so is Marais and Du Toit. He doesn't deserve his spot. Why they regard him as a leader is beyond me. All I've seen of his leadership skill is tantrums and a sulky face. He’s tired and done for. A waste of a spot if you ask me.   

 

Nyakane ... once again we have better looseheads than this cheeseburger munching fat arse. He can't seem to make the Bulls starting line up yet into the Bok squad he goes. His skin colour paved his way to the Bok jersey.

 

Malherbe ... we don't have vast stocks of tightheads lying around so in view of that he qualifies. Not a favourite of mine. Still rate Ruan Dreier as a better option.

 

Redelinghuys ... highly underrated tighthead prop. Raw power and excellent technique. A must for the starting 15 as far as I'm concerned. Should have replaced Jannie two years back.

 

Coetzee chalks up a whopping 2 out of 5 for his props. He really doesn’t seem to want a powerful scrum set piece.

 

Strauss ... Marx, Acker, Robbie Coetzee and Marutlulle are all better hookers. Strauss has lost the plot and is in any case too old to see us through to the next WC. A pointless selection. 

 

Both the hookers from the Stormers are quota picks. By a long shot not test material.

Another brain fart from Coetzee.

 

Coetzee loses the plot completely here. He gets a zip, a nada out of three as far as I’m concerned.

 

Etzebeth and PSDT are the best locks in the world and by some way. 

 

I would have preferred Snyman or Willemse ... or both ... to Lood. 

 

Coetzee gets 2 of the 3 right.

 

Jaco Kriel ... this is probably the best rugby player in South Africa. He is streets ahead of evry other openside flank in the country and could possible challenge globally for top dog. An inspirational leader who leads by example ... and my Bok captain.

 

Louw ... no, no, no Mr Coietzee ... what were you thinking? He's not a 6 and he's a poor 7. We have better available locally.

 

Kolisi ... haaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaaaaa ... a quota and a poor one at that. Useless. Kirsten is better and so is Lapies, Kweagga Smith and both Du Preez brothers.

 

Notshe ... he has his moments and could develop into something special ... but is this the arena to teach him his trade? I do not think so. 

 

Whiteley ... well deserved call up. I would play him at 8 with what Coetzee's selected with Vermeulen to the blindside.

 

Vermeulen is a must. A power house second none I know.

 

Coetzee gest a 3 out of 6 for his choice of loosies.

 

So in conclusion, Coetzee is on par with the ignorant Meyer. Where Meyer was stubborn and foolish, Coetzee is racist.

 

Either way ... the Boks are in a pickle once again.

 Coetzee was given racial targets. His, and the rest of the selectors's picks reflect that. SARU is the problem and they are blaming Fikile for their own lack of balls/backbone. They should tell him to FO, but are too limp wristed.

CC I can't take your takes seriously when you inform me that Kitshoff is average and little Smith is better...that is beyond a joke.
It's as bad as your call for Boshoff as the Bok 10 a while back.
I stand by my takes 100% and that will never change.

 Haaaaaahahahahaha!! That's really funny Dave ... coming from a man who rated JJ as the best centre since Danie Gerber .... and well a host of others like Fat Fransie, HouGat, Taute and Coenie as world beaters.
Your list of supposed super stars has no end. I'm sure that as time goes by additional names of up and coming legends will be included. Funny how they tend to fizzle out to nothing though.
Oh well ... at least you're an enthusiastic supporter ... however misguided ...
   

Each new Saffex list- should also include those that have fallen out of his favour since the last version of player lists.
Coenie Oosthuizen for example has just disappeared to make a place for a new favourite.  It was only last year that Coenie was a favourite

 Yeah ... and like he says "I stand by my takes 100% and that will never change." ... that's until his next lengthy list comes out with a new set of names ... 
The poor dear forgets who he's pipped for greatness from list to list.
I seriously can't keep up with him any longer.

 Saffex sticks by his team, I don't recall an occasion where he wanted them to fail. He does have a somewhat "dynamic" approach to his lists but no one can accuse him of being stuck in the past

 Agreed JW, Saffex's passion for Bok rugby is comparable to a premature -ejaculator. ..no problem with the passion but get's ahead of himself at times. ....Running for cover!

 Haahahahahaha!!