Official bok training camp announced

Props: Thomas du Toit (Sharks), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks).
Hookers: Joseph Dweba (Stormers), Malcom Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks).
Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Marvin Orie (Stormers), RG Snyman (Munster).
Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Evan Roos (Stormers), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Duane Vermeulen (Ulster).
Utility Forwards: Deon Fourie (Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat).
Scrumhalves: Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), Herschel Jantjies (Stormers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Grant Williams (Sharks).
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (Stormers), Damian Willemse (Stormers).
Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles).
Outside Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls).

Players from France and England weren't included. English clubs are not obligated to release players outside of the test window. 

France is still wrapping up their season.

There are still 6 weeks before our first test match. 

Question: Can you put a world class test team out of this group?

My team 

1. Kittshoff
2. Marx
3. Malherbe
4. Etzebeth
5. RG Snyman 
6. Kwagga
7. PSDT
8. Roos
9. Faf
10. Libbok
11. Arendse
12. De Allende 
13. Am
14. Mpimpi
15. Le Roux
16. Bongi
17. Ox
18. Du Toit
19. Lood
20. Van Staden
21. Williams 
22. Willemse 
23. Moodie 

This is weak. We'll have to hope that our opposition remain all time bad and that the 6Ns sides regress. Not the best situation. Our front rowers have been looking jaded the past two seasons, and the likes of Faf look unfit. There's a lot of work to do here. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Same old players over the hill and out of form.

Just what are the national selectors thinking.

The two named at #10 are useless and showed their true colours against Munster.

Vermeulen is over the hill and a injury seeking a place to happen.

The Stormers #9, 10 and Willemse do not deserve to be considered for the RWC squad nor does Kappie.

Sign of the times I guess down and out.

AJ, atleast they helped their team to reach the final...one bad match doesn't suddenly make a player bad...they'll bounce back.

The point is that the game demonstrated a vulnerability. If you are picking a side, you are looking at what you do well, and what you need to do against the opposition you are facing. These selections show a poor understanding of the players at hand, and the demands that are going to be placed on them. For the likes of Willemse, we have last season as some added data to fill out the big picture. They aren't doing a good enough job. They were abysmal last season, in the ragged and thoughtless Bok attacking game in all the years I have been watching them. Do you really want to take them to a WC? 

You want and need players who can deliver in any FINAL or RWC not a bunch of outplayed, outwitted and overrated players in the #10 position.

These two players are similar to Elton great at club and against second rated provincial teams but fail at international level. 

Not in the class of James, Honeywill and Pollard and not RWC winners either in my humble opinion.

Plus look at what they called up for loose forwards  besides Kwagga and Evan passengers at best.

The Springboks are going to a World Cup as defending champs but with what is happening thus far it appears to be a Circus.

I'd rather have Jantjies than Libbok. Libbok is the new Goosen. At a stretch, I'd rather have Jantjies at 10 and Pollard at 12. If that's what it takes to remove Damian, we'd be better off for it. We don't play off of 10 anyway. Our 10 is just a shuffler to the next pod. More important is 9, and aside from Reinach, it doesn't look good at all. We've never had such a poor crop of 9s. It used to be one of our deepest positions for decades. That's going to be the make or break of the Bok's ability to get into the opposition territory. Sadly, everyone seems to think the podgy penalty machine called Faf, who never could pass or kick accurately, is great. 

I was surprised to see that at centre, Kriel has a better strike rate than Am. Better against New Zealand and Australia too (when they were better). He has had some good tests, but he is no distributor. The question is though, how much are we getting out of Am's skill set? The ragged Bok attack last year didn't showcase his best rugby. He and Willemse looked a bit clueless, against very poor defending. Am has the higher ceiling, but he has taken a bit of a dip, like Pollard into 2019 to present day. Perhaps the players are in too much of a comfort zone. Imagine dishing up trash every test and never ever being called out for it? What is there to fear? You are part of the untouchables, so why push for better? Pollard has clearly bought into Erasputin's nonsense. That was an eye opener into the mentality of the team. Thinking they are better than what they are and too insular to listen and learn. 

15. Willie / Gelant / Fassi / Willemse

14/11. Mapimpi / Kolbe / Nkosi / Moodie / Arendse

13. Am / Kriel / JVR

12. de Allende / Willemse / Esterhuizen / Serfontein / Dan du Plessis

10. Pollard / Libbok / Jantjies

9. Faf / Hendrikse / Jantjies / Williams / Nohamba / Burger / vd Bergh / Papier

1. Ox / Kitshoff / Gerhard Steenkamp / Mchunu

2. Marx / Mbonambi / Dweba / Grobelaar / Aker vd Merwe

3. Malherbe / Thomas du Toit/ Wilco Louw/ Koch / Sadie / Nyakane

4/5. Etzebeth / Lood / RG Snyman/ Jenkins / Moerat / Ruben Schoeman/ Ruben v Heerden

6. Kolisi / Kwagga / Buthelezi / v Staaden

7. PSDT / JL du Preez / Ruan Venter / Vincent Tsituka / Liebenberg / Dayamani

8. Roos / Wiese / Dan du Preez / Marcel Coetzee / Emmanuel Tsituka

Italics: Players who need to seriously show something good immediately! 

I find that very reassuring. Thankyou.