SA laden Sarries front Sharks

Take a look at this. How many of the sarries squad is English. No wonder the poms don't beat the SH sides much and don't reach the top levels of the IRB rankings.

What depth we would have had but for the sliding Rand!!! Fielding 8 super 15 sides would have been a walk in the park.

ex Keo

Saracens have named 10 South African-born players and Namibian Jacques Burger in their 23 match squad for the historic match against Jake White’s Sharks.

Veteran scrumhalf Neil de Kock and hooker Schalk Brits have played for the Springboks and Brad Barritt and Mouritz Botha and Matt Stevens have played for England.

Saracens have been the most consistent English Premiership team in the last three years and currently are the league leaders.

They have been a rejuvenated club since Brendan Venter took control. Venter currently has an advisory role with the club. Venter was also responsible in guiding the Sharks to Currie Cup glory in 2013. (And we sit with Allistair Coetzee and shun Dr Venter!!!!!!! - see what quotas do to ones success!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be assured Allistair will never get a coaching spot like that of sarries! Who is pdv coaching now for example. Compare that to Jake who got the boot after wining a world cup. The wee abs would stru ggle to stay in the top 5 if they operated like we do).

Sharks CEO and former Springbok captain John Smit played out his last two seasons at Saracens and he wants to establish a strong relationship between Saracens and the Sharks.

Former England captain Steve Borthwick will captain Saracens in the January 25 match in London.

Saracens
Backs: Chris Wyles, David Strettle, Michael Tagicakibau, Marcelo Bosch, Brad Barritt, Duncan Taylor, Sam Stanley, Charlie Hodgson, Neil de Kock, Richard Wigglesworth.

Forwards: Richard Barrington, Nick Auterac, Schalk Brits, Jamie George, Matt Stevens, Petrus Du Plessis, Steve Borthwick (captain), Alistair Hargreaves, Mouritz Botha, Jacques Burger, Nick Fenton-Wells, Justin Melck, Ernst Joubert.

Australia's Western Force on Thursday announced the signing of Sharks back-rower Brynard Stander, the eighth South African on their books, as they strengthened their squad ahead of this year's Super Rugby season.

Stander's recruitment for two seasons continues the Perth-based club's move away from a reliance on Australia's east coast-based player pool.

Stander, 23, joins fellow senior squad members Wilhelm Steenkamp, Chris Heiberg and Marcel Brache, and extended squad members Dillyn Leyds, Dylan Sage and Francois van Wyk as newcomers to the Force.

Flyhalf Sias Ebersohn returns for his second season with the club.

Stander is an abrasive and physical back-rower who can play either side of the scrum or at number eight.

"Moving here from South Africa was a big decision, particularly moving away from my family, but it's been such a welcoming atmosphere," Stander said.

And the bucks are much better of course!!

I would love t o take a look at a complete inventory SA players playing overseas. On ecould then  attempt to evaluate the player drain. 

Beeno

Since Solomons took over in Edinburgh the flood of SA players have increased o such an extent that even their captain are moaning about the fact that hey do not take young Scottish players on Board.

As to the players who went to the Force - I do not really rate most of them - they would be hard-pressed to make any SA franchise Super 15 side.

I do not think it is the wisest thing o have an opener against Saracens.   The wet English conditions and the fact that most of the Sharks players have not had a match since October last year whilst Saracens have had ample matches in the same period could really impact negatively on the Sharks.

I am also worried about potential injuries under such negative playing conditions. 

Ceradyne - the stupid klei os se gat

Can you read?   Then try and read the following:-

"It is nothing more than a few distant murmurs at the moment, but there are already dissenting voices over the influx of South Africans at Edinburgh.

Alan Solomons, who left the Southern Kings last year to take up a role as head coach at the Scottish outfit, has plundered his home country for talent to help the team based in the Scottish capital back to its feet.

When Solomons arrived in Edinburgh last August, prop Willem Nel and lock Izak van der Westhuizen were already on the team's books.

Over the months since he has added prop Wicus Blaauw, flank Cornell du Preez, centre Andries Strauss and flyhalf Carl Bezuidenhout, the last-named pair arriving in the past few days.

Solomons has also brought in Tony Fenner, an English scrumhalf, and Tomas Leonardi, an Argentinean loose forward - both who played for him at the Southern Kings.

However, the absence of any Scottish recruits has caused a stir.

The concern is that the short-term goal of resurrecting the team's fortunes may be undermining the stated desire to be and out that can develop players for the Scottish national side.

Edinburgh captain Greig Laidlaw made it clear he was not criticising the coach when he was asked about the issue, but the Scotland scrumhalf acknowledged that there was scope for disquiet.

"What is happening is happening," Laidlaw was quoted as saying in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper.

"Alan [Solomons] feels there is a need to bring in a few people he knows.

"That is out with my control.

"I came through the [Scottish club] system and was very grateful for that.

"We need to be careful where we are going because there is a lot of good young talent in Scotland that can come through and will come through."

The suggestion is that it is just a temporary state of affairs.

When Solomons took over at Ulster just over a dozen years ago, his quick-fix solution, then as now, was to sign some of his countrymen.

Over the next few years, however, the focus changed, and by the time he left – for a brief and unhappy spell in charge of Northampton – the accent of the side was, quite literally, more recognisably that of Northern Ireland once more.

In recent weeks, Solomons has hinted that he is looking at a number of players in the amateur Scottish club game, just as he did with Ulster.

And as well he might.

For all the merits of the players Solomons has brought in – the best of them, unquestionably, has been Du Preez – the fact is that the brightest talents in the Scottish game in recent years have been those who have served some time with Scottish clubs before making their breakthroughs in the professional ranks.

Richie Gray, Stuart Hogg, Dave Denton, Matt Scott and Alex Dunbar all emerged that way.

In a recent Pro12 game, against Ulster, Solomons sent out a side in which only one player, wing Dougie Fife, had been born in Scotland.

In their last competitive outing, against Glasgow, only two of the Edinburgh pack had learned their trade in Scotland. Five were effectively products of the South African system; the one remaining pack member was Australian.

A number of the players Solomons has brought to Edinburgh are thought to be on short-term contracts. Within a couple of seasons, things could be very different again.

"There are foreigners in every squad all over the world and Edinburgh is no exception," Laidlaw said.

"We are all one here. But with there being only two Scottish based teams it is very important to have as many Scottish boys playing as possible."

Comprehende?  Or is it still beyond your level of understanding?

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Ceradyne

You are 100% correct about Solomons being low life - but he has to produce the goods in the short term.   I have heard of and seen some of the younger Scottish players and also the Scotland performances in the Sevens - they even reached the quaterfinals in the latter recently beating - if my memory serve me correctly - England in the group stage.

They should be able to produce good players  and be competitive. 

By the way I saw in a recent article that Wales will play SA in June and Scotland will play us in one test.   Wonder why they did not schedule Wales for three tests?