Post the RWC.....

what chance is there of the following players retiring from international rugby, almost all of them will be pushing the mid 30's going into RWC 2027 - Malherbe/ Marx/ Kitshoff/ De Jager/ Etsebeth/ Kolisi/ Louw/ Mostert, Kwagga/ De Allende, Le Roux and Mapimpi.....a staggering 12 frontline players. The concern is a lack of suitable replacements for a seamless change but obviously that won't happen as there's been no preparation to prevent the pending implosion of Bok rugby. It won't be Rassie's problem....he won't be there to face the mess he'd created.

Etzebeth and Marx are the only ones I'm concerned about. 

The rest are very replaceable. 

Really?.......ok, then name10 test standard replacements in the respective positions, players who have international experience and are test ready.

Denny - there was an implosion after the   2015 WC and the same could obviously happen i=after the 2023 WC.     As a result of viciously poor team selection by Meyer  there were a collapse in performances going back to the 2014 EOYT already.    

So any replacement policy is necessary and even though the coaching staff may go - Erasmus  will remain as Director for Rugby and the situation would be different from what it was in 2015.    

Oh I see.....it's Meyer's fault even though Meyer is long gone and we're now dealing with Erasmus.

Got it!

But the "situation will be different" because Erasmus will remain Director if Rugby sans 12 front line players with no test ready replacements to fill big shoes.

Got that as well!

Tx.

Actually Mike, the implosion started under Pieter De Villiers way back when. The last coach to leave us with decent players were Jake White. 

But agree, looking at the team. There are a lot of players that should be rotating with a younger version of themselves. 

I'm really concerned about Lock to be honest. Although, Etzebeth can play up to 35, but will he be as effective as he is now or will he just take up space. I don't see any Lock under 23 pushing hard. I know when Etzebeth came on the seen as a 21 year old, he was immense. JJ Mescht had promise but couldn't get his weight under control and look too baby face to me to have scary eyes like Etzebeth. 

We moan about not having quality players, but it actually come through exposure. 

As Saffex would rightly point out, there are a lot of quality players. Remember, Faf was a lions discard but International exposure both playing abroad and in test brought the best out of him. 

Willemse is also benefitting, but I agree. I don't see who Rassie is earmarking. But then again, I don't see Moerat as a clear replacement either and he has been given some caps already and been in the system for a while. The Stormers had the worst line outs thanks to both Moerat and Orie. 

Which players under 23 should have been given more exposure that are performing today, or even those that are 25 now. I think Saffex did a piece a while back

Point has been made by several posters that Erasmus failed to grow the squad and there's potentially 12 players who won't make the 2027 RWC. Forget Etzebeth, Father Time doesn't cut anyone slack......just ask Vermeulen.

A lot of quality players?

Really?

Stupid said so?

Who?

Please don't tell me you rate Willemse as a quality player ... or Gelant ... or Dweebs??

The reason Wiese looks so good is because all those round him are useless passengers.

Compare Wiese to Vermeulen in his heyday ... or Juan ... or Schalk ... or Alberts ... or Teichman ... or Skinstad ... 

Wiese shines cause he has no one of quality around him. He's the light in the darkness. 

There is nothing special about him.

Who else is there?

Roos was thrown under a bus. THE most talented player in the country was thrown in at the deep end and after an unsurprising ordinary performance he was hung out to dry.

I guess ou Mike would like to blame Meyer.... .or perhaps Joe Biden.

But let's not forget, Erasmiss and that Dope Nienaber's idea of growing the squad was to select  Dinosaurs like Deon Fourie, Frans and Vermeulen instead.

Good job!

SA rugby have no future other than their termination.

Terminate rugby in SA.

SA rugby The Traditionalist have no future other than his termination.

Terminate The Traditionalist  rugby in SA.

Kitsie should should still be up to it in 5 years...

To be realistic to think that far ahead might be wishful thinking and hoping for some of us I'm afraid.

Really?.......ok, then name10 test standard replacements in the respective positions

Oh Dense... they don't have to be test standard to replace non test standard players. Don't you get it you big queen? 

Dave good Squad of players.....so much talent left out in the cold its frightening??!!

Denny

Please note I just compare the potential 2023 situation as to what it wss in 2015 - when the Springbok WC squad was the oldest ever taken by the Springboks to the WC.  That was followed by 2 years of total decline of the Springboks caused by by idiotic selections by Meyer and total incompetence by Coetzee.

At the begining of the 2018 season the Springboks were ranked no 5 in the world and destined  to be down and out of the 2019 WC.   Erasmus - who is now totally condemned by the people on site - iused the 2018 season to try and find replacement players for the under-performers and poor left to him in the Springboks squad.  position in the team and built a team spirit from a totally demoralized squad.   At the start of  2019 nobody in World Rugby gave te Springboks a winning chance in the WC - but they did and he was the Coach of the Year and the team was the Team of the Year in 2019.

Erasmus ahs one problem and that he tends to stick with some under-performing players from the 2019+ WC squad to date and he is the key to the selection of players,    However, Erasmus according to sute members is an utter fool that must be got rid of.    As Director of Rugby Erasmus is responsible for development of Rugby players throughout SA and Franchise coaches report to him on player identification and performances.   Unlike you and others believe, Erasmus is recognized worldwide as a rugby thinker and definitely not a fool.

Erasmus will have a list of people even longer than Dave\s as a replacement program and he would know exactly the attributes and abilities of players and follow their progress carefully. H would be phasing in players slowly and when necessary to replace under-performers in the team when necessary. 

We are all impatient and want to see changes immediately especially the prejudiced site experts will be shouting and screaming on site,    Players like Du Toit and De Allende will not be replaced anyway and are regarded world wide as top class players -but our local "experts" claim otherwise.   

Good squad EX Saff... a nice big list of things. Bigger the list the bigger the nothing. XD

You can't be as good as Matfield AND as bad as Ebenezer... doesn't make sense Bilbo. You also rate Jager... so that doesn't say very much about your prospects now does it?