Much have been said about the need to have experience as a criterium for selection - but very little is said about experienced players requiring to perform as well. Matter of fact experience without adequate all-round performance is really a liability and not abnn asset.
If we look at the experience and performance factor in respect of rugby played this year it is clear that in general the following experienced players who played in the test on Saturday showed real performance as well - not only in the test against Wales, but also in the preceding game and in Super 15-
Willie le Roux, JP Pietersen (as a wing), Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez, Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Bismarck du Plessis.
The following experienced players showed limited of very little abilities in all-round performance:-
Morne Steyn, Willem Alberts, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Jannie du Plessis, Gurthro Stenkamp
I think to the list of experienced players we can add the following:-
Jean de Villiers, Patrick Lambie, Tendai Mtawarire, Adriaan Strauss
We therefore has a core of 11 players who are experienced enough with more than ten tests to their credit and the need to look for alternatives are really limited. Now lets look at the alternatives:-
Full Back
Aside4 from Willie le Roux the situation is really very good. I would say that we have two flyhalfs-com- full backs that could provide cover here, namely Pat Lambie and Marnitz Boshoff, as well as Lwazi Mvovo
Wings
Here there are really no problem as well. The core wings are Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen. We have a number of back-up wings of which Lwazi Mvovo, Cornal Hendricks, JJ Engelbrecht and even players like Paul Jordaan can be selected. I like the little bit I have seen of Hendricks - but I think he would not make the grade in future. No problems in respct of the wings either.
Centers
Here we have a serious problem in particular with the 13 position. We are adequately covered in the number 12 position, with Jean de Villiers and Jan Serfontein in the immediate future and Andre Esterhuizen in the longer term.
In respect of the 13 position - the last two players at 13 (aside from Pietersen) have been JJ Engelbrecht and Jacque Fourie. Both showed reasonable defensive abilities (Engeklbrecht was better than he was in 2013) - but both showed zero in attacking abilities. Engelnbrecht shows nothing other than he is a fast and effective as a wing, while Fourie is as slow as a carthorse and way past his best performing years.
The only real option is to play Damian de Allende at 13. The alternatives are limited and I would say in the longer term players like Jesse Kriel and Paul Jordaan could be the back up 13's.
Flyhalfs
Despite all the h7ype after the game on Saturday - Morne Steyn played a very limited role in teh abckline performances of the Springboks. He was told to pass the ball - and he passed the ball. His defense was putrid and he never really played a role in any attacking play. That came after a seriously defective performance the previous week and the horro stry at Stade Francais.
I would still say the flyhalf answer could be the following players:-
Patrick Lambie, Johan Goosen, Handre Pollard and Marnitz Boshoff.
No problem at all in that position - all the mentioned player are way better than the pedestrian Morne Steyn would ever be.
Scrummies
Here we have a problem - both the present scrummies - Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar - are on the wrong side of 30 even though adequate at present - they are at an age where they are subject to more injuries and declining performances. I would say that Meyer should slowly blend in players like Cobus Reinach, Faf de Klerk, Nic Groom and Francois Hougaard to take over in future .
No 8
Here we have Duane Vermeulen with potential backup to be provuded by Arno Botha and Philip van der Walt.
No 7
The present incumbent is Willem Alberts - a one-dimensional player with a serious speed deficiency and no abilities insofar as all-round loose forward play is concerned. He is hyped up as a sound tackler. Being slow - his tackling is limited and at times seriously deficient. The same applies to his ball carrying capacity, whilst his ball protection, ball recovery and ball handling is non-existent.
The alternatives are numerous and include Arno Botha and Lappies Labushagne, while locks like Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jacques Du Plessis are also potential candidates. Another candidate is Schalk Burger, but he is unlikely to last in view of nagging injury problems and he is also at an age where those problems will not easily go away.
No 6
Francois Louw remains the top candidate and the back up is no doubt Marcell Coetzee. I do not think that Heinrich Brussow will make the grade in future and
Kolisi has been a disaster this year. I like Jaco Kriel as a future potential loosie very much.
Locks
Here we have Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield. Botha was deficient in the Scottish test last year and just about average in the French test. He was sub-par on Saturday - virtually invisible. He is obviously past it and should be shortlisted for immediate replacement. Matfield is still adequate in line out play - but in his heyday he took many opposition thro-ins which he does not d anymore. The rest of his tighyt 5 play is seriously deficient and he should also be written off as an investment in future.
We are particularly blessed with very good younger locks than brings much more to the game than the two present players, namely -
Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Flip van der Merwe, Pieter-Steph du Toit and in the longer term Paul Willenmse, Jacques du Plessis, Stephan Lewies and JP Schckerling. More than enough to choose from and the present two should be replaced asap.
Props
There is no way that players like Gurthro Steenkamp and Jannie du Plessis should be retained as Springboks. The list of props available are long and is lead by players who are already Springboks and really better performers than the above two.
Hookers
Bismarck du Plessis and Adriaan Strauss are still the ebst two hookers in World Rugby and I particularly like what i saw of Marx for the future.
CONCLUSION
The core team of experienced players ais in place - but the replacement of a few non-performers and limited capacity players would strengthen the Springbok team and could end up as the number 1 team in world rugby.
