Rassie names strong Argentina touring squad with only 7 players rested

Springbok squad for Argentina tour:
Props: Thomas du Toit (Bath), Vincent Koch, Ox Nche (both Sharks), Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls).
Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears).
Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (Montpellier), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls).
Loose forwards: Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Utility forward: Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls).
Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Grant Williams (Sharks).
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers).
Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles).
Outside backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Aphelele Fassi, Makazole Mapimpi (both Sharks).
Utility back: Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls).

I thought Rassie would leave more players behind but looks like he is going for the kill and want to make sure we beat the Bargies in bargie land. 

Don't see AE, did he play his last game or is he injured? 

Ebenezer is on the plane, thought he would get a break too. Sien sy moer Moerat is there, what a waste, but who else. 

Would like to see Stenekamp, Grobbies and Du Toit pack down against the bargies. What a front row or even better with Marx. 

I hope that the squad s compettive losing 2 of its top players - Du Toit and De Allende - as well as Shaca.    

I think Sacha has a niggle.    If Esterhuizen is injured it must have been while training - he did not play any rugby since his banning. The missing llnk in the squad is Willemse - so I hope he recovers soon.

By the way I do not think Erasmus rates Esterhuizen as a test level player and we will see whether  he is included in the November squad.        

I am disappointed by the lock selection.   As a lock on test level Moerat was really just about on par and not really a top class performer.    Both he and Etzebeth are no 4 jumpers and I would have prefered  Van Heerden, Cobus Wiese and Schickerling as locks.    Maybe we would get clarityon the lock issue if the Spingbks win in Argentina.

I do not think Pollard has the instincts to play 15 man rugby and they may start with Libbok and bring on Pollard as a replacement if Libbok messes up.

The fact that Fassi is in the squad aindicates that Willie will rarely play in future while Erasmus - a very decent fellow - will help him in reaching the target to get him to  100 tests/     .      .   

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Basically he’s resting Dud Toit, Bongi and Dud Allende.

Well I think Du Toit i well on his way t the he World Player of the year agan - so he is the best player for SA at present - with De Allende the best center in world Rugby at present.   h is also resting Malherbe and Kolbe - as well as Sacha - our best flyhalf in many years.  

But he kept lineout captain Nortje

BS  spreading again - according to you Erasmus is an idiot that is doing nothing to bring in new players into the team.   One thing he did not do yet is to follow Meyer's example and pursuade retired players to come back to play - with susequent diastrus consequences. .   \

In that squad there are 10 younger players most of them players with very little test experienmce.  How many more  do you want?

I am disappoinmted with some selections - like that of Van Rensburg and  dumb muscle Wiese and Van Staden, as well as Mapimpi.    But they will be ruled out sooner rather than later.  

It is only an idiotic coach - and we had three in a row in De Villiers, Meyer and Coetzee - that discard top performing players for replacement by inexperiencd youngsters or keep non-performing playes in their squads ,    Squads are  gradually built up not a  years time.

I do not remember any of you, Pakie and Mozart moaned about the idiot coaches I mentioned - so why are the site prima donna screaming about Erasmus week in and week out?                       

 ,    

Mpower

You want to see no changes and miss the plot totally.    If you lisgen carefully to Erasmus's comments you will fnd the way he implement change in player replacements.  Take the case of Wllie le Roux as an example.   Erasmus said two things about willie.  He said Le Roux is in the squad to mentor younger players  and he would like to see Willie getting to a 100 test caps in the process.

That process is followed in the case of the senior playes who knew they are on the way out.   All the senior players have been around for years and in their playing career they learnt a huge amoun of how to play better on test level - they leaned what works best and does not work.    In the case of for instance Pollard he has to mentor Sacha and Libbok.   Sacha is a different case - he have two elements that makes it less needed  for mentoring and he is already starting in tests for the Springboks - he has ball sense and pace as well.    Libbok does not really have the qualities Sacha has in abundance  - so the test in Argentina is for further skills development of Libbok in which Pollard plays a major role.   

That is happening in most positions where the more experienced players plays a leading role i helping wth the development of younger players.   Whether to start with the younger players in tests or use them to play from the bench to start with is different from player to player.   In the case of Shaca he starts in most matches he played in - in the case of other playes it is not so evident..    

The process is to phase out player based on the reaction and development  level of replacement player development.    In the case of De Allende the natural replacement will be Willemse - but he has bern injured so the development program is still to be implemented.   As to centers there are  both Moodie and and Willesme around and othe playes will be brought in as well,    Esterhuzen has limited experience to mentor replacements around and he is likely to be phased out soon.    In any event he is aleady 30 years of age and in 2027 he will be 33 years old,  

In the case of locks there as been no progress to date.   Mostert is not needed as a mentor/    So he will not be back in the squad next year,    At  the age of 33 and beng physiclly not a ideal lock - his departure is overdue.   However the problem is that Erasmus has not started with the lock development and he is wrong with the lo0sie program where players like Etzebeth and Du Toit is likely to last through to 2007 and De Allende and Marx is probably on that short list of players as well.  As long as the keep performing they do on their present level - they would not be replaced.   

I don't agree...the gradual phasing in of the next generation without compromising the cohesion of the team is the only way to stay at the top...the team must remain more than the some of the parts...there is no need for radical change.

Mpower

You deliberately  ignored  what I wrote above.  Some players arethere to help the development of the successors,   Willie is an example of it.   Malherbe is there to help his successors,  They do play in tests sometmes - they may even start - but they are replaced early - like happened toPollard on Saturday.   For the rest the only real renewal f teams are always done on a rationaal basis stretched over years - sudden changes toget of players lead to destruction of any team.     

The mentoring assistance is not on the playing field - it is part of the trainng program    On the playing foeld Shaca spent more time as flyjalf than Pollard did,   That is just an example.    In the final amlysis no coach will discard players who are still top performers - because he wants a younger team.   It just does not happen at all in codes of  team sport. 

Another thing a maul scrum is when payers score tries while attached to a successful forward going maaaul.   If the forward movement ends and the ball carrier separate totstally from the maul it is not a maul try anymore.    Inthe present year - the Springboks scored 3 maul tries.