Springboks Squad for the Rugby Championship

Springbok squad:

Props: Thomas du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Wilco Louw, Frans Malherbe, Ox Nché, Trevor Nyakane.

Hookers: Joseph Dweba, Johan Grobbelaar, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi.

Locks: Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Franco Mostert, Marvin Orie, RG Snyman.

Loose forwards: Siya Kolisi, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden, Duane Vermeulen, Jasper Wiese, Dan du Preez.

Utility forward: Rynhardt Elstadt.

Scrumhalves: Faf de Klerk, Jaden Henrikse, Herschel Jantjies, Cobus Reinach.

Flyhalves: Elton Jantjies, Handré Pollard, Morné Steyn.

Midfielders: Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel.

Outside Backs: Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Sbu Nkosi, Rosko Specman.

Utility backs: Damian Willemse, Frans Steyn.

Pity about the absence of Pieter-Stef du Toit.    He is going to be missed seriously.   In view of the iffy performance by Mostert at 7. I think  Dan du Preez or Jasper Wiese will play at 7 - with Vermeulen at 8 

The biggest weakness  in the team will be at flyhalf - where there is no real replacement for Pollard if eh ahs an off day - like happened on Saturday  -  the other two flyhalfs are really hopeless.

I wonder whether the coaching panel are not thinking of sending the main players to Australia before the Argentina tests or between the two Argentina tests like happened in 2019 - when Mozart had a hissy fit about it.  

The likely team against Argentina on Saturday will be  as follows:-

15     Willie le Roux

14     Cheslyn Kolbe

13     Lukhamjo Am

12     Damian de Allende

11     Makhazole Ma pimpi

10     Handre Pollard

  9     Faf de Klerk

  8     Duane Vermeulen

  7     Dan du Preez

  6     Siya Kolisi

  5     Lood de Jager 

  4     Eben Etzebeth

  3     Frans Malherbe

  2     Bongi Mbonambi

  1     Steven Kitshof

16     Malcom Marx 

17     Trevor Nyakane

18     Vincent Koch

19     Nicholaas Janse van Rensburg

20     R G Snyman

21     Kwagga Smith

22     Herschel Jantjies

23     Damian Willemse

If you would care to look, the squad has already been posted and commented on.

I missed the item - it was quite far down - so apologize.   However - the above has been broken wn much further to include the positions so it may be of help for some.  

Selecting a side to play Argentina is a bit of a conundrum.

Resting star players makes a little sense but on the otherhand we don't really know how good Argentina will be because world rugby is rather at sixes and sevens because of pandemic and although some are getting through it bit by bit it has interupted the momentum.

Franchise Los Jaguares were up at the top in Supers before the lockdowns and indeed generally Argentinian rugby was looking good (they managed their first victory over NZ).

It's a bit of a gamble, apart from Pollard I'm not impressed by the other stock (10's) in reserve overall, either too old or too young.

If Pollard gets injured we are in trouble. I like Goosen but maybe he's a little too old. Elton is good when he fires but blows hot and cold. Willemse is similar.

Why do we have so little depth in 10's...whatever happened to youngsters not so far back...that Maties captain who joined Sharks, Jordan Chait?? Don't know why he was not developed by Sharks, who favoured Bosch in the bigger matches? Saw really good potential in this youngster...find it difficult to swallow why he was not used more in Sharks games.

I like Chiat a lot too - but the Sharks are not using him so he does not get exposure at all.    /   

i do not think so Dave.   I personally think that the team for Saturday will include Vermeulen and RG Snyman after injury absences - the present coaching staff would not repeat what  Meyer did in 2015 by emptying the hospital wards to find players.   They would not want either Vermeulen or Snyman to start playing against the Aussies or the AB's.

I also think that after Saturday's  test - probably as early as Sunday or Monday - the top 15 players will leave for  Australia like Erasmus did in 2019 and a lot of the abck-up players wll play in the second test  against the Pumas.   

Chris Smit looks like ghe most promising 10 in South Africa ATM.

Dave 

Put yourself in Erasmus and Nienaber's positions.   In the WC thy used Du Toit to disrupt the  opposing backlines - it was pertinent in all games - but especially so in the final.   Mostert at 7 did squat like that giving the Lion' flyhalf a free run and time to decide  on how to use the ball.  

Mostert's open field tackles  sre seriously defective anyway - that is why he was dropped to the bench  in the WC.     He missed four tackles on Saturday and they were basically all open-field  tackles.

His contribution at breakdowns is minimal and that is where his lack of physicality is most noti ceable.               

I would not have him in the team for any money.           

So why does the genius coach include him….and why are many picking him as Player of the Series. Rant away,

Took the words out of my mouth. Is Josè a bad selector of talent? Is that why RG, the best lock we have never able to crack the starting 15? Why he selected a 37 year old habeen for the Lions tour? Or a 38 year old habeen for the WC? Selects the useless Kwagga? Interesting. The first time ever that a coach, sorry physio (because Josè entrusted the entire defence with a physio not a coach), is not being held accountable for selections. Mysteriously, some shadowy unnamed figure is making all these dud calls. Meyer? 

Yep, we see now the cult of Josè is not made up of Bok fans. 

The majority of the many are you and the Kindergarten Imbecile.    The majority of Erasmus fans allegedly are cultists - and the majority of Meyer and Coetzee fans are idiots.   Rather be a cultist than an idiot.   

Kindergarten imbecile - the problem is Brits was selected in the main for team building purposes, but did play in 2 WC matches and did score two tries, so the exercise was not a repeat of the Matfield craziness - especially since Matfield was a liability whenevr h playd - bar the Argentine "B" team in the Bronze medal game.    

As to the selection of that total failure Steyn - there is no real playing flyhalfs around  other than Pollard and  here obviously was something wrong with Pollard on Saturday and he did tak the better of the two failures Jantjies and Steyn to be on the bench.   Otherwise he would have done his normal and only select two backline players to be on the bench,    So Morne played for about 17 minutes - converted one rather difficult penalty and one virtually in front of the posts  (a sitter)  while doing squat  and being a failure in other aspects of the game.   

Seems that Erasmus has no other option  than to pick the two failures for the RC squad in the hope that they will not be needed  to play in the RC.    

Anyway - I do not think age should ever be a factor determining selection of players - performances are the only norm irrespective of age anyway.  Aa s to the future selection of flyhalfs - Goosen is making hay for the Bulls and he is on a longer term contract with them - which Morne is not - so he is no option for the future - while player like Chait should be pushed to play more often on provincial level  since he is not used by the Sharks at all and I would despite his shortcomings prefer Bosch  and Steyn anyway,    The selection of flyhalfs has been abused by both Meyer and Coetzee so other than Pollard no one else  really showed real flyhalf qualities.  Both Steyn and Jantjies are in fact from an overall performance perspective super shit.