SPRINGBOKS – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 André Esterhuizen.
Yikes!
Can't believe Rassie has already picked the boks so far ahead. It just shows that Rassie is sticking to his plan and that he probably selected his team's months in advance.
This smells of Meyer when he already determined who will play when and how many minutes.
They forget that players form and time together plays a massive factor.
And have we seen any of these players play together.
Rassie hanging these boys out once again.
Fuck me this pisses me off
I have no problem with the team, but why did he not select then at the start of the year?!!
Etzebeth injured ?
I would be very surprised if this is the team that runs out on Saturday.
He has to be playing mind games surely.
And so the penny that should have dropped for the Baabaas and Italy finally drops right ahead of a desperate game to save the RC - against the All Blacks in Wellington. While this is an exciting side, it's also a gamble. Libbok on the bench is hardly a closer should it come to that. There could also be trouble in midfield as, for all the calls for him to play 12, Willemse hasn't played there much. Moodie for me has looked better on the wing than at 13 judged on the URC where he played both, and we'll have to see if he gets the defensive reads correct for the position, something Kriel has been excellent at despite his other shortcomings.
But hey, it's going to interesting, that's for sure.
I know the hybrid argument is there for AE, but I'd like to know what he has done wrong in terms of Rassie seemingly refusing to trust him at 12 in important games. He's not once let us down at 12, it's his primary position and he has had a good amount of time with Moodie. How much time have Willemse and Moodie had together, and now its do or die time and suddenly they find themselves as the midfield pairing.
"I have no problem with the team, but why did he not select then at the start of the year?!!"
Let's just hope this isn't some sort of scapegoat type of deal.
Ja, I think Rassies luck is running out. Now he is like a gambler that is losing and just making bigger bets to try and rescue his losses.
Esterhuizen and Moodie works. We saw against NZ a few years ago when we got a record score. I'm fine with Sasha at 10. I would have preferred to move Willemse to 15 or at least on the bench. It is unfortunate because Willemse is the best utility player but not the best in any position amongst other SA players. That is the fault of the coaches. He is not a 10. However, I see a lot of instinctive players on the field.
I know people are clambering for Fassi at 15 but I would have moved him to the wing and Willemse at 15.
However, nobody in the backline other than Reinach, and don't get me wrong on this one, reads composure and methodical. It is going to be all out attack. We'll see Willemse running into cul-de-sac and coughing the ball up. Our defense at the ruck is woeful. NZ has the upper hand there.
I'm not sure what is happening with the tight five.
Again, no Louw?!!! No Wessels is covering prop for this weekend? Marnus is back?!!! We are missing Grobbies for sure.
Then Nortje, like the guy but he is another Mostert. Why are we never seeing RG and Etzebeth together.
Is RG just a bench player?
Kokosi, fuck me. The one player that never puts head down. Marco was the best forward, doing the dirty and came up bloodied. I've never week Kolisi bleed for his country.
Nice to Wiese back, but he will he under cooked. PTSD is still there. He is not having his best season after long injury.
I don't expect much. Pure Rassie style.
I think Rassie needs to pack it in and let the next generation take over
" Moodie for me has looked better on the wing than at 13 judged on the URC where he played both"
I think that Rassie saw some of those monster tackles Moodie put in for the Bulls this year. And I must admit, of all the rugby I watched this season, two of Moodies hits really stand out. There was one in particular were I wasn't sure the guy was gonna get up.
Pity that 13 ranks so highly in terms of defence minded positions, Else the prospect of AE and Hooker at 12/13 could be nice. Not that I think Hooker is poor defensively, but just that he would need a much better understanding of the system and that only comes with time. In fact, I'd level him up from wing to 13 and ultimately to 12 by the time he is 24. He's 193cm and 98Kgs. By 24 he could put on another 5kgs...so an inch and half taller and 5kgs heavier than DDA...before you actually start talking about his real positives.
It sucks for AE that he hasn't gotten the respect he deserves and it sucks even more because time for him to build a legacy was used up and you can't get it back. By the time Hooker is 24, AE will be 34.
Lets see how Moodie goes with Willemse.
Still a favourite Moodie moment for me - timestamp 0:14
It looks like Rassie has thrown in the towel for this season's 4 Nations.
Losing to Australia at home was a surprise, and now with last week's loss to the All Blacks, the chance of the Boks winning the tournament is slim.
It would rely on Australia beating the All Blacks in at least one test, and the Boks winning their 3 remaining games.
I am not sure why Mandela Kolisi is in the team. Van Staden is much better at the breakdown - and still the Boks totally lost the breakdown over the weekend.
Willemse should have been at 15. 12. AE….Wilco should start, but being used as impact player.
The Backline is mostly for Running Rugby it looks like….so they going to run??
Its what a lot of people wished for with Willemse at 12 and Moodie at 13….Maybe Rassie read the Ruckers Comments??
But it might be Mind games as Crusader has mentioned…..
He must be Resting Eben? Eben and RG should have started…..I would have started Eskom In Kolisi,s place, but I read a lot of negative comments on social media about Jesse Kriel being Captain this past Saturday?
Lucky packet Weekend coming up….
A team with back to the future written allover it, should have happened months ago and now they're thrown together into the deep end.
Last week the Kiwis lay in waiting, they were well prepared as evidenced by a faultless display in diffusing the box kick, speed and numbers to the ruck and neutralizing the Bok scrum. Whoever dominates the ruck will win the game, the All Blacks rarely attack and score from set play. Gonna need more than Eskom.
If this team gels they'll have the benefit of speed and unpredictability but they'll need good ball.
To announce the team early in the week is stupid.
Last week the Kiwis lay in waiting, they were well prepared as evidenced by a faultless display in diffusing the box kick
Not to mention how they completely outsmarted the stupid midfield lineout we tried. I hope we never see that silly crap in a test match again, it's just embarrassing.
Shark has figured it out…the year is screwed and for the rest of the year every time we lose we are going to hear ‘we are building for the WC’ so don’t judge anything we do.
Not to mention how they completely outsmarted the stupid midfield lineout we tried.
Must be a Bok interpretation of thinking outside the square.
Think Rassie has flubbed bigtime, he had plenty of time to prepare, I suspect he's lost it. Boks should never have lost at Eden Park.
Man I don't even care as schlong as we see Tony's Balls on Saturday. Er, as long as we see Tony Balls. Tony Ball. That's what I meant, of course, some proper dangling Tony Ball. Proper dang Tony Ball.
The only way to beat the All Blacks is to deny them good ball, switch them off at the ruck. But the Boks are too damn slow to get there first and in numbers, it's about ownership, first man in.
Only then will Tony Ball kick in.
Rassie should have worked that one out a long time ago, I doubt whether he will.
Love the new backline it’s exactly my call but for Reinach at 9
Fuck Willemse at 15, we have Fassi, so what’s the point? We know Fassi is a class act so invest and show faith in him at 15.
We need to move on at 12 and 13 - fuck Esterhuizen at 12, it’s too late - sad for him but there is absolutely no point in investing in a 31 year old now. Willemse is the man - now it’s time to invest in him there and select him there in every test for the rest of the year and onwards
Moodie is better at 13 than wing - Pakie’s take that he is better on the wing is crap. His best rugby has been at 13 and it’s where he wants to play - again we need to invest in him there and select him there for the rest of the year. He is deceptively strong and a good defender
Stick with Sacha at 10 moving forward
Hooker on the wing is short gap until the return of Arendse and Edwil. When they return Hooker needs to be our bench option coming on at 12 or 13 to see how he goes
Wilco should be starting at 3 despite the good job Thomas is doing. Thomas is the better all round player and I guess he adds more all round value on the field while being solid in the scrums
Nortje at lock is the big no no for me. Rassie and his fucking blind spot at lock is frustrating. Eben and RG should be starting every game with a younger lock on the bench - one of Cobus Wiese, Ruben v Heerden, Ruan Vermaak or JF v Heerden
We don’t need another fucking powder puff, despite this one being better than the former who hopefully will never play another Bok game
I’m excited by the prospect of this new backline but away against the AB’s is not the ideal game to see how they go
I’ve loved the DA, AE, Kriel and Am journey but I’m bored of them now - time for the new
12 Willemse / Hooker / David Kriel
13 Moodie / Jurenzo Julius / Henco v Wyk
is the way forward.