Sacha

What can we say about this lad - special talent is not enough

Razzle dazzle with an astute rugby brain, with a hunger to be involved

He is certainly equipped to go down as the best 10 the Boks have ever seen

There is generational talent and then you have this guy

That out of the back of the hand bullet pass to put Hartzenberg away, him ghosting through with ball in one hand for his first try then the chip and collect for his third

WOW

Ala Carlos Spencer who was probably the most insanely gifted to ever live but got too often caught up with fancy rugby. The kid is young, I’m really impressed and the fact that he can 10, 12, and 15 is insane. Similar to Willemse, but a much better 10 and probably more gifted.

glad to see he is back. Now the only question is what you do with Libbok. I hear the Stormers are offering him up to foreign clubs and may potentially go to Leicester. He will struggle up north and probably revert to his old inconsistent type. Only Rassie and Dobbo know how to get the best out of him.

Sasha has to be the Stormer first choice 10 and understudy for Pollard. I hope he can learn how to develop with age. Pollard has become a general, but less ball in hand player. I think Sasha has it. He has great vision and a feel for game. I like the fact that he was sitting in pocket a lot, but managed to see gaps and take the line or just get the ball out. Some 10s are either in the pocket and rely on kicks and others play a bit flat to get the backline going, but SFM does well is to delay his backline to get the backline to come up and fold in. He was great at manipulating Connacht on Saturday, I hope he plays the remainder of the games at 10.

Dave

I support you on that one and supporting him is weirdly enpug Mozart as well.

By the way when he was laying in the Under 20 RWC I saw him play and ever since then I was supporting Sacha as a special player - a very special one at that.

I think Erasmus realized that as well and when Sacha was injured in 2023 Erasmus phoned him and told him he must be patient and recover fully sinec he had big plans for him in future, What Erasmus was mad about last year was that Sacha was carrying an injury which he hid from Erasmus and he told him to be more careful in play in future. So Sacha will be back and under the best coach in the world he will be better than he was even when playing for the Sringboks in 2024 and even better than he was on Saturday.

KC

Be realstic - last year Sacha was Erasmus/s firat choice flyhalf with Pollard on the bench in cases where he played against the AB's. Pollard is not the player he was in 2019 anymore and his age needs to be considered as rarely used enabling him to be available to play for the Sprinboks in 2027. Pollard is injury prone and I beleieve he will be more on the bench in tests than starting.

There is a new Under 20 series starting on 1 May 2025 and I am particularly keen to see whether we have another Sacha in the Juniors squad, Hope so since aside from Pollard and Wolhuter we have no depth in flyhalfs in SA,

Yes Sacha shone in a poor Baby Bok side that year

King - Rassie has Sacha ahead of Pollard already and rightly so - Pollard is great but Sacha is next level

He must only play 10 and not get messed about like Willemse and Frans Steyn are/were

I would suggest you have another look at Sacha's performances and you will see he was no different from his normal performances in the past. Fact is ot shows vasrious other abilities he displays as well;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2-hLQOztRg

The fact is that he ses the whoefield and instantly realize what the best option in attacking is nd it works very much in his favour,

Stav has a look at the following video with scene from the Irsish est last year as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2-hLQOztRg

If we're leaving out the guys over 30...

9) Williams, 11) Arendse 10) Sacha, 12) Hooker, 13) Willemse, 14) Moodie, 15) Fassi

I know some will complain and want Hooker on the wing with Willemse and Moodie in midfield.

...but I like my composition a bit more. I feel like hooker is our next 12 in wating. He's a big guy and quick. I feel like he'll give us the most milage at 12.

Willemse can play 12 but he's a racehorse and I feel like he'd do the job but we wont be getting the most out of him.

No chance in hell

Here goes

9 Williams 10 Sacha 11 Arendse 12 Willemse 13 Jurenzo 14 Moodie 15 Fassi

With vd Bergh / Jayden Hendrikse / Papier/ Nohamba / Jordan Hendrikse / Libbok / Hooker / Henco v Wyk / Tyrone Green / Horn and David Kriel fighting it out for bench duty

My choice would be

9 Williams 10 Sacha 11 Arendse 12 Willemse 13 Hooker 14 Moodie 15 Fassi

I would like see more of Jurenzo under better coaching - he still seems to be not really well-coached at present. I am also thinking of Van Wyk as a good prospect at center in future,

I also think that Sacha needs back-up and from what I have seen this year Wolhuter is the most promising of the yungstes in that role. I actually think hat playes doing well in losing teaams like the Lions ae actually in fact underrated.

Did you watch he video's I posted? There are two incidents that showed soemthing really special and those were the try he scored aginst the Lions when he dribbled the abaal usintig his knee, his upper leag and his foot to dribble the ball catching it and scoring - the other si teh tackle he put in on the Transvall Hooker who thought eh already scored a ry but wne down over the ideline. Not only is Sacha an exceo=tional attacker is is also a really god defender, One comment on a video is clear. Sacha has the rugby world at his feet. and in another video he is called the Ronaldo of Rugby,

.

Willemse was deficient in protecting that 12 channel from a big loose forward, he got ran over….

So you still want to play him in the midfield??

Better player than the deadhead Esterhuizem will ever be. At least Willemse scored tries and added points to the Springboks something Esterhuizen never did. Lacking pace Esterhuizen is a poor defender as well,I have seen many cases where Esterhuizen missed tackles and I also sww why he is a deficient defender - he is just not pacy enough.

Bullshit did Willemse get run over - defence is a strength of his - he loves the fight

Mike, Hooker at 13 over Julius is a joke

Willemse is versatile and can slot in at Flyhalf, Centre or Fullback….He has played his best for the Boks at Fullback.

I have not seen DDA or Esterhuisen get run over.

Willemse never got run over

Willemse’s best position is 12, we don’t need him at 15, we have Fassi

We don’t have a standout option at 12 coming through and therefore Willemse at 12 is the obvious choice

No he is not….players like Rickus Pretorius, David Kriel and even Hooker has more experience at inside Centre.

These Players get chosen more in that position than Willemse…..just because you say he is the obvious choice, does not mean that he is..:)

Besides that, Rassie has preferred him at 15 ….A playmaker like Willemse can make sense in the 12 channel, especially because we had DDA there, who is not a playmaker.

But Esterhuisen is a much bigger unit than Willemse and like Dud, they can stop loose forwards.

The Connacht 8th man like Moz mentioned, ran over Willemse.

His defence was otherwise not to bad, but I forsee a problem with his size for the 12 Spot.

Willemse is right up there with Fassi when it comes to skill….besides he was phenomenal at Fullback for the Boks before his injury.

Hooker is good, I dont think he has the pace for an international winger. Probably better at 12.

Kolbe beats anyone else for the right wing

10 Sasha (Backup Pollard)

12 Delande (I would start with power, and bring on skill Willemse in the second half).

13 Jessica Kriel (best defender, a backup or replacement is needed. AM seems over the hill).

14 Kolbe (Still the best, and he can play on both wings and fullback)

15 Fassie (The best fullback at the moment, a backup is needed)

11 Ardense

Um Rassie does not prefer Willemse at 15, it was the only position he could play him given his investment in de Allende at 12

No point in Esterhuizen at 12 moving forward given he is already 31 and de Allende is still being selected

So the search is on for the next 12 someone younger and Willemse is the obvious choice. At 98kg he is more than equipped to defend the 12 channel especially considering how much he likes the physical stuff

Rickus Pretorious won’t smell a Bok inclusion while he wastes his time playing in Japan

David Kriel and Hooker are good 12’s but Willemse is a far more impressive player

So if you had any rugby brains it’s pretty easy to work out where Willemse would be best employed for the Boks

Is it at fullback - no it is not given we have Fassi

Is it at flyhalf - no it is not as he is a shit flyhalf and we have Sacha

So where does that leave us - 12 - especially considering our current 12’s being utilised are in their 30’s

Willemse at 13 - no, he never gets selected there and we don’t need him there given we have JJ, Henco v Wyk and Moodie as future options

Its soooo bloody obvious Willemse should be our 12 option moving forward with Hooker and David Kriel as back ups

Um Shark - Jessie and Am are the same age - 31 , so not sure how one can be over the hill and the other not

Am is better than Kriel

SB

It is a rare occurence - but in the above I only differ from you in one position and that si 13. I think Hooker would be an ideal 13 he has pace and is a good defender, I woud not be surpriaed if he uses Hooker at 13.

f you have not seen the video I posted uder the item about Erasmus here it si again:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWZ0_2hkj_o

The above analysis made i clear to me how Erasmus and Brown developed strategies that cause he Sringboks to score more tries than any othe test team in 2024. It give me clarity onm any issues thatmst TV watchers never realise/ The scoring of tries are not the result of one strategy - there are at least four diferent strateie sed and the defenes only realize too late on how to keep he Springboks out,

Sacha was out wih injuries in most tests - wirh him back the problems of the opponents will multiply, So all in all Erasmus is a shrewd coach hated by some - bu repected by most. Thatis why I hink by now Erasm us and Browne will kno exactly which players are ther n umber 1 choices in the team.

Age is not the only factor in being over the hill in such a physical sport, where the body will only last so long.

Kriel still looks at his best, whereas I have not seen AM be as consistent as he used to be.

The next World Cup is in 2 years, so I think 31 is still ok - assuming their form is consistent in 2 years.

SB

Don t get me wrong - I hav enot seen this year any matches Kriel was involved ni- in 2024 in tess he as better than he ever was before///. However - the July tests are against low=eanked teams and I think that is where expeimmental team changes bt Erasmus and Browne wil;l be made,

Jesse Kriel is in the form of his life...extremely dedicated...maybe not as much talent as some of the others, but what he might be missing in natural talent, he makes up for in hard work and dedication...he's all heart...great Bok.

Yeah I like Jessie Kriel have always done but definitely prefer Am - but reality is Am while still got the rugby brain, his body is not looking as agile - evidenced in that nice try he set up with the dummy and break - he looked a little pedestrian. But maybe that’s part of not being match fit yet as he is only just back from injury

By next WC we need new centres, not a bunch of 33 and 35 year olds by then

For Rassie, the number 13 position is the most vital player on defence. The 13 is responsible for creating the Umbrella defence to shepard the attacking team back towards the forwards, or get forced to pass to the wing that will recieve man and ball at the same time.

Yep and both Am and Kriel are masters at running the defence

Dave

I think that as long as playe are top class performers they will nt be replaced. As long as De Allende is playing on the elvel he did last year and mae the World rteam of he eyar he sill nt eb replaced by Erasmus irrespective of his age.

The latest report I saw ws that he was in a match in Japan he scored tw tries and set up ne for his club tea and as wa said in that video I posted he develped into a much bette 12 than he ws ever since 2019. He is to my mind the ebst defending 12 I have ever seen in the 2019 RWC final. H e and Du Toit disrupted the whole English backlie that was a majr factor beating the AB's in the semi-final,

Beside that he si also the best ball protector and recoverer at breadowns I saw playing at 12. He si well ah ead of any other present SA center in that regard. So I cannt at this stage see him being replaced by another 12. Unlike the other positios in the team where there is an abudance of competitors I stay with the comments of Pollard that he is the ebst 12 he ever played with during his playing career - and that include Jean de Villiers as well.

.

Even if a player is not a top class performer, Erasmus will keep them….

Libbok, V Staden, Nico V Rensburg, Jean Kleyn, Trevor, Moerat…etc.

These guys are definitely not at there best, but Rassie will stick with them even if there is better .

I have to agree Uncle Mike that the age thing, is not a issue for Erasmus.

So he will hold on as long as it takes to his “tried and tested “ players.

Also because they know his System and can play Erasmus style very well.

Rassie has tried out a lot of players, but up till now, only a few of them became regulars.

Rassie is very slow in adding the new, and this will slow down the Rebuilding progress of our " Future Squad "

But let’s see when the season starts if Erasmus will be adding more to the regular incumbents and how soon??

Manpoer

Your ideas of performance is a bit twisted. The playes mentioned are all fringe players wih vey few tests played. None of them are in act regular starters and some are playing to replace other front line players when there are injuries,

As a team structure is solidiying less of the players mentioed above will be in the actual squads in major tests - the July tests against low-ranked opposition is apparently a different story and we will see new faces ni the squad with a rare mix of experenced fringe players.

Eramus and his coaching team made some serious mistakes in 2023 in selecting the WC squad - like inmcluding only two hookers and when both were injured the team was left without a specialist hooker, Bad and nearly fatal mistake,

As to Esterhuizen he was included in the 2024 July squad and was a serious embarrassment by getting red-carded 3 minutes om the first match he plaed in leaving the team to play with 14 players for the rest o he test. After a resultant four week ban Erasmus had the pportunity to play him in the latter part of the RC and in the EOY tour. He was left out and that is why I believe he will not in contention again in future. .

I think Erasmus will bring in new players into the squad and the real situation is that he will not be endangering senior players by using them against weak teams. The real squads will come out in the RC and November tests.

.

All those players I mentioned and more, are occupying a spot in the squad Hallo….

So regardless if they playing or not, Erasmus can choose much better and younger players in the squad, instead of these players.

And please stop the nonsense you speak about Esterhuisen, you are like a possessed person or something??

The facts is very clear, if you like it or not, Esterhuisen is playing very good Rugby and he is a important part of the Bok Squad .…Ende!

Mike's hate for Esterhuizen comes from his love for DDA...which comes from his bias towards the Stompies.

Mike, Esterhuizen literally held up three forwards on his own try line to prevent a certain try. He also won MOTM in that game.

The guy is an actual freak with great hands and easily the best 12 in SA right now. For me, he's always been better than DDA. But either way, Rassie has always kept AE very close.

He is to my mind the ebst defending 12 I have ever seen in the 2019 RWC final.

Made 7, missed 2. That's the best defending you've ever seen from a 12?

What is clear, is that the Boks have some serious talent at their disposal going into the next WC.

The fact we have guys like Nche, Marx, Hannekom, Roos, RG, Sacha, Willemse, Arendse...

...and fine, I'm happy with Wilco too, now ;)

It's crazy...like half the starting lineup are full on superstars. Let's hope Dave is right about JJ too.

Plum add Fassi and Moodie to your list

Mpower

I stay with muy statement the players you mentioned are fringe players in the squad and their rpesence is debatable, Some like Van Staden and Nyakane is unlikely to be in further squads.

Pakie and Plum

I have nothing against Est er huizen ther than his inability to make a real impact in the S pringboks backline. He had a very real probem in esecially attacking rugby and is not a line breaker opwning up further backline attacks, His ball skills are also defecftive.

If Erasmus really waned him in the team and squaxd -he would have had him back playing subsequen to his casrd and ban last year - but he seems to be at best a finge player etting into the suqad when nbody else is available, I do not "hate" any plaer - I do look critically at real player performances and that is why I do not support playes like him and Libbok in the squad,

,

"Plum add Fassi and Moodie to your list"

I can't think of a time when we had this much in the tank.

And I intentionally excluded Kolbe and Eben, due to age, not because I think they don't belong on the list.

...and unpopular option,

I think Swys and Akker would get much more out of these guys than Rassie ever could.

...and unpopular option,

I think Swys and Akker would get much more out of these guys than Rassie ever could.

No chance in hell - Rassie has proved his worth at test level, the other two have proved fuck all where it counts

Chalk and cheese

Evidence -

Razor at test level versus the Crusaders

How long did Rassie take to settle in?

How long has Razor been at the helm? You are underestimating him.

Big mistake.

His record is 71% thus far...