Taute
JP
de Jongh
Jean
Hougaard
Lambie
Pienaar
Beast
Strauss
Jannie
Louw
Etzebeth
Flip Flop (reluctantly)
Alberts
Vermeulen.
That's not a strong team....but the reserves are a bigger disaster. Frankly there is hardly one I would give the Bok jersey.
WE wanted to go to the UK to watch the games next month....but we are rather going to Maui to sit in the sun , relax, eat, drink and drink enough to forget about HM and his Luckyboks.
What a shambles he is causing in SA rugby...
When I was at school we had an afrikaans teacher who had a saying: A boer maak 'n plan.
Well it appears that, that saying died with HM's appointment.
Mozart
All my life long I have put my country before anything else. As part of the believe in SA - I have always supported the Springbok team through thick and thin - whether they were successful or not. There always was a believe in me that somehow or other commpn sense would prevail and we would overcome the problems we are facing.
Todays announcement of the Springbok team was for me a rude shock and a realization that my dreams about a better rugby future should rather be forgotten and that it is not worth while to support a team that can only be a disgarce of the Springbok jersey and of our country as a whole.
I will not support the Springbok team in future and rather spend more time watching cricket - hoping that our cricket team will not be similarly destroyed by rank stupidity
great team there moz.....but i dont think meyer has the vision nor the mental capacity to broaden his views nor his dogged mindset. there will be those who harp on about injuries but we have enough depth to atleast be on equal footing even with a second string side. to be fair i watched the 1988 currie cup final just trying to compare the era's and to be fair the 1988 final was more entertaining for me. sad to see how our rugby has been degraded over the years to the meyer high defense kicking only style. no skills not attacking rugby will not yield results. with the type of coaches we have i dont see us be domnating as we should be so.
i am in the same boat as mike. www.youtube.com/watch and by hearing leon's comments as well it seems we are not the only ones
Carpetmuncher
Thanks for posting that interview with Shuster. Whatever they say about him as a comedian - he always was a serious follower of rugby and he has proven this again in the latest interview. I share his opinions completely and I think what he says is even more appropriate after seeing the latest bungle in Meyer's selections for the EOYT.
i know he is not technically minded but his basic core views of the desired game plan shows some rugby IQ. its very frustrating as i am a coach and and see where the technical errors are on a weekly basis but not team is perfect but blatant issues that hamper our results are a common theme week in and out and the worse part of it seems that its not being attended to. that to me is even more profound.
we are very boom and gloom i know but its only due to the fact we know where we need to be and if meyer can get us there then we need to look elsewhere. even the best players in the world can look ordinary with inferior skills and tactics. the skills they have is in benchpressing and lifting weights
My starting would be:
15. Lambie 14. JP 13. Taute 12. Jean (reluctantly) 11. Rhule 10. Jantjies 9. Hougaard 1. Beast 2. Strauss 3. Jannie 4. Flip 5. Etzebeth 6. Louw 7. Alberts 8. Vermeulen 16. Pienaar 17. de Jongh 18. Mvovo 19. CJ (reluctantly) 20. Brits 21. Kruger 22. Coetzee
My starting would be:
15. Lambie 14. JP 13. Taute 12. Jean (reluctantly) 11. Rhule 10. Jantjies 9. Hougaard 1. Beast 2. Strauss 3. Jannie 4. Flip 5. Etzebeth 6. Louw 7. Alberts 8. Vermeulen 16. Pienaar 17. de Jongh 18. Mvovo 19. CJ (reluctantly) 20. Brits 21. Kruger 22. Coetzee
Saffex
Whatever the starting line up is - The Springboks with that team will lose two - and possibly even all three - of the games they are due to play in. There are some possibilities if they play Lambie at flyhalf and Taute at full back - but then they end up with duds at center.
Amongst the forwards they are going to suffer as well - epecially as to the props and one of the locks. I forsee an aimless kicking performance all the time and will lay one bet. Meyer will not play Janthjies at flyhalf - he will play Morne Steyn with the excuse that in the NH conditions Steyn would do better with his kicking game. He will leave Lambie on the bench.
I have posted the possible team elsewhere and will repeat it here:-
15 - Kirchner
14 - Pietersen
13 - De Jongh
12 - De Villiers
11 - Mvovo
10 - Steyn
9 - Pienaar
8 - Vermeulen
7 - Alberts
6 - Louw
5 - Van der Merwe
4 - Etzebeth
3 - Du Plessis
2 - Strauss
1. - Beast
Bench - I hear here will be 8 players on the bench)
16 - Rallepele (or Brits)
17 - Van der Linde
18 - Steenkamp
19 - Kruger
20 - Coetzee
21 - Jantjies
22 - Taute
23 - Lambie
The problem is - we are back to a "dead" backline - end of story.
@mike yeah it seems that is what we are going to be stuck with that team
Such doom and gloom.
I for one expect the Boks to do well. Forwards should be dominant, especially with Louw, Vermeulen, Alberts and Strauss in the loose. Can't wait to see what Guthro has left in the tank. Only real problem spot is the second lock position opposite Etzebeth. Flip Flop just needs to keep from screwing up. Fourie is very unlucky not to be considered.
Pienaar definitely needs to be at 9 - has experience in the NH from the Heineken Cup. Hougaard was a mess back there - his only hope is on the wing.
JP needs to provide the spark in the abscence of Habana.
i dont like being so negative but we are playing with the cards that were are being delt with.
Not Mvovo, not Taute at centre, not Jantjies, not Hougaard at scrumhalf, not Brits........lets at least learn from past mistakes.
So Moz in your books a great test against Oz and and average one against NZ has a player down as a mistake - if that is the case, you are clearly a fool.
Same of Hougaard as a 9 all of last year and the year before - funny how these was never and issue then. So he has suddenly become a poor 9????
When did Jantjies fail at test level and please dont make this one up?
Not a great test Dave....an acceptable test against Oz. ....and a disaster against NZ.
As for Hougaard at 9 ......I thought he would be great. But an honest evaluation is he gets poor marks at all the scrummie specific things.
As for Jantjies he was given a half to win to beat NZ. Instead we saw his kicking implode, his trademark defensive hesitancy......and his confusing play result in him being cut out of the action by his fellow players. He was actually irrelevant by the time the game ended. Captain Confusion.
