South Africa:
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 JP
Pietersen, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ruan
Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor
Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du
Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Gurthro Steenkamp, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Fourie du Preez, 22 Johan Goosen, 23 Lwazi Mvovo
Lets evaluate the abortion he place before us as the Springbok team:-
15 Willie le Roux
Probably one of the very few sane selection in the team. This guy had a very good Super 15 and could hardly have been left out.
14 Cornal Hendricks
Was in the main a bench player for the Cheetahs – reason – they preferred Raymond Rhule to him as starting wing. Did some good things when coming off the bench – but is still a bench player for his franchise and according to Meyer that is good enough to select him.
13 JP Pietersen
Played a number of games for the Sharks where he produced nothing at 13. Was so bad that Jordaan was brought in to play at 13 and he was moved back to the wing. Has never made the grade at 13 – what the hell does Meyer think to pick him for that position – he is a wing for havens sake.
12 Francois Steyn
This is the guy with the wacky knee – who has the worst defensive record of any SA Center in Super 15 and he is known to be run around by opposing players without even a slight attempt to tackle them. Slow and a regular crashballer who never made a single linebreak in the whole of Super 15 when playing at center. The main reason why the Sharks backline misfired completely.
11 Bryan Habana
One of a very few decent selections.
10 Morne Steyn
The Stade Francais bench player who had minimal game time for his club. Because he is clueless about flyhalf rugby. The bugger with the worst defensive record in tests last year as a flyjhalf and buggered u the Ellis Park test like it is unbelievable.
9 Ruan Pienaar
The older the better insofar as Meyer is concerned. Thought he would have gone for Du Preez – but he obviously thought that he is better because he is older. This bugger is slow and kicks like a robot – way past it as a good enough scrummy
8 Duane Vermeulen
One of the very few decent selections
7 Willem Alberts
The laziest and slowest 7 in world Rugby. Stands around behind mauls and never enter same. Never do ball protection in tackle situations and is incapable of breakdown ball recovery, while he is also ignorant insofar as passing of balls is concerned. He is also known to miss tackles frequently when he attempts same – but is the inventore of the Alberts Treeby tackle technique.
6 Francois Louw.
One of the very few decent selections
5 Victor Matfield
A job for pals selection of a oplayer that spoecilizes in line out ball recovery ansd is a flop in virtually everything else. This guy was debated on the site already and is one player that should not be near the team. Way past it.
4 Bakkies Botha
This one played in two tests last year was piss poor at Murrayfield and barely average against the French. Way out of league insofar as tests election is concerned – another jobs for pals selection
3 Jannie du Plessis
The world record holder in giving away penalties and yellow cards – in two recent games he gave away 7 penalties and amassed 2 yellow cards. Miss tackles like it is unbelievable and a poor ball carrier. Way past his best.
2 Bismarck Du Plessis
Deserve selection n merit
1 Tendai Mtawarir
Deserve selection n merit
16 Schalk Britz
Maybe justified because of the absence of Strauss – but we have several other SA based players that could have been considered.
17 Gurthro Steenkamp
OMG – the man must be crazy to pick this one – a bench player for his club – need I say more.
18 Connie Oosthuizen
Deserve selection n merit
19 Flip van der Merwe
Anytime a better a lock than Bakkies Botha
20 Schhalk Burger
The Best 7 at present in SA – but his injury record in Super 15 is a major problem.
21 Fourie Du Preez
If he is not good enough to start – what the hell is he doing in the team.
22 Johan Goosen
One of the few decent selections
23 Lwazi Mvovo
One of the few decent selections
SUMMARY
I battled to find the players who are not already overseas based or will depart for overseas club contracts before the CR. This is a massive vote of no confidence in SA Rugby and an insult to SA based players. Meyer must be crazy to do what he is doing – but then the answer is always – you are selected virtually automatically if you have a Bulls contract or was an ex-Bulls player.
If that load of mostly 30 plus age players are going to be the future of SA Rugby in 2015 – I can only say OMG – they failed in 2010 and 2011 and he still sticks with them.
Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha again give the Springboks a dimension that has been missing since Heyneke Meyer took charge in 2012, writes MARK KEOHANE.
So many are so quick to want to see new faces in the Springboks set-up. Why? The best should play.
Matfield and Botha are, in my view, the best lock combination to have played the professional game. I think it unfair to compare the heroes of the amateur era with those who now play the sport as a profession.
Eben Etzebeth is freakish in his talent. Similarly Pieter-Steph du Toit. No other country is as blessed with two senior statesmen like Matfield and Botha and two successors like Etzebeth and Du Toit.
What a luxury to have a phasing in and phasing out of such talent. It is this type of quality in player that defines a great team and sets it apart from a very good one.
Matfield is without comparison in his intellect of lineout and kick-off play. And he is up with the best when it comes to other aspects of being an international lock.
Botha is one of the rare breed of enforcers that just gets better with age. He was a presence in Test rugby as a youngster. Now he is a colossal presence.
Botha’s three years at Toulon have added to the legend because it is in Europe where forwards make their name. A player who dominates as a forward in France’s domestic league is worthy of every purple prose adjective.
Matfield and Botha will be managed in the next year and their international game time will be adjusted according to the fitness of Etzebeth, Du Toit, Flip van der Merwe and one or two others. No other international coach has such a lock luxury.
It is to be embraced. Building a World Cup squad means having 30 players of near equal pedigree. No team has ever been able to say they have this luxury. The All Blacks have come closest. Meyer is not far behind in what he has put together in experience and youth.
Don’t think of the Boks as a starting XV and don’t think in terms of Botha or Etzebeth. The demands of the game require two players per position, especially in Test rugby.
Just think back to the Paris international against France last November. Etzebeth lasted just 17 minutes before hurting his ankle. However, there was no respite for the French because Botha was his replacement.
That’s a different kind of wow factor.
There is always a place in Test rugby for a fresh-faced youngster but what should be non-negotiable is the investment in hardened veterans. Test rugby – and the play-offs at the World Cup – speaks more to grizzlies than cubs. The Springboks, as things stand, have the balance just right.
Heyneke Meyer believes that JP Pietersen can cover both centre and wing at the 2015 World Cup.JON CARDINELLI reports.
On Wednesday, Meyer named his Springbok side to play against the World XV. The Bok coach believes it is the strongest available combination, a statement that has raised some eyebrows considering the quality of centres who have not made the starting cut.
Both Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie would have started in the June internationals if they were not sidelined with serious injuries. Frans Steyn has always been viewed by Meyer as a strong alternative to De Villiers at No 12, but the Bok coach has been less certain of his back-up No 13.
JJ Engelbrecht started at outside centre for the Boks in the 2013 June Test series. Unfortunately for the youngster, he has lost form while playing for the Bulls over the past few months.
Pietersen has been favoured ahead of Engelbrecht and Juan de Jongh, who are both specialist No 13s. Meyer said on Wednesday that the selection has been made with the long-term in mind, and that if there are injuries, Pietersen may well start at No 13 at the 2015 World Cup.
‘I’ve been watching JP while he’s been playing centre for his club side in Japan. He’s a strong runner and I wanted to give him a chance in this match to see how he goes,’ said Meyer.
‘You are limited to picking 30 or so players in a World Cup squad, so it helps to have players who are versatile. I really believe that JP can be a great centre option. If you think about some of the great centres, such as [former All Blacks captain] Tana Umaga, they started on the wing before shifting to midfield.’
Pietersen has also played at No 13 for the Sharks, and it will help that he is playing alongside his franchise team-mate, namely Frans Steyn, in the fixture against the World XV. Nick Mallett’s side certainly won’t view that Bok midfield as a potential weak point.
Ruan Pienaar will partner Morné Steyn in the halfbacks. This is the same combination that played in the last game of the Boks’ 2013 season against France.
Meyer said he had made this call because of Fourie du Preez’s lack of game time in recent months, and with continuity in mind. He added that he will also be looking at what flyhalf Johan Goosen can bring to the mix over the next few games, be it from the bench or as a starter.
‘I didn’t want to make too many changes for this game, as we want to start the season strongly,’ he said. ‘I did consider playing Johan and even a guy like Damian de Allende [who was recently ruled out of the series with a serious injury]. Handré Pollard was also very close to [playing in] this side. The race for the No 10 jersey is still open.’
Hi gents...new in this forum pretty disappointed with Meyer's lack of flexibility when it comes to giving exposure to the plethora of young talent coming through SA right now.
I would have loved to have seen what Willemse, Serfontein, Sithole, Reinach and big Marcel vD Merwe could offer in a bok jersey this could have been the perfect time to give these players a chance.
Callie's call up to the bok squad has raised a few eyebrows, he hasn't been that bad at all but the third best hooker in SA IMHO is that guppie lad Kyle Cooper, Marx from the baby boks is an outstanding prospect, watched the lad at KES he's a star in the making.
I pleading with Frans Ludeke and Heyneke Meyer to move JJ back to wing he's got immense potential to develop into a world class finisher in that position, he lacks vision, tactical acumen and the 'feel' for the game at 13. I was against that move for JJ to outside centre since last year, William Small Smith deserves an extended run for the Bulls in that position the lad is pure class.
You sound like one ignorant conservative 38 year old......I feel for you....how anyone beyond Moz can find positives in this pathetic side is beyond me.
Hell, even his new boy Hendricks is a joke......this guy is not test standard at all, evidenced by the fact that he has played half of the season off the Cheetahs bench.
That side is nothing short of an insult
Welcome Blue machine!
My take on what will happen is Boks will win all their games in June. Meyer will gradually phase in new players after he gets the baseline of the state of play of the old timers in the first test.
Boks look fine to me in terms of talent and it is a matter of how Meyer integrates experience & youth.
We will see what happens. As usual there are questions about all teams.
