The Golden rule followed by the last 3 RWC winners

Maintain continuity. Respect the current team. Make youngsters earn their places by showing conclusively they are better. All three of these winners made significant progress between the two RWCs.....the one before and the RWC they won. But the core team was maintained. Youngsters were not thrown in at the deep end.....they were developed. And by the time four years passed there were new faces....for us JP,  Fransie, Habana and Bismarck. But what would have happened if we ditched the other 13 guys on the field?

The same source that now wants wholesale changes thought Monty and Os were just too old.

Woodward, White and Henry......the most succesful coaches in the last 10 years all subscribe to this obvious regime.

The Sapp knows better.

Mozart

I do not subscribe to the golden rule - and let me explain why.   I went to the WC oin France and saw a massive SA team.   When they announced the SA team for 2011 I did not go to watch them play - because of the over-whelliming number of "rugby geriatrics"  in the team.  We had no chance with that lot.   Neither did the All Blacks  from 1987 - the Aussies from 1991 - the English from 2003.   No team ever won twice in succession and the reason is that the players began to play on reputation - not on performance.

It is absolutely essential that in between WC's the coaches start to built a team that could win the next WC - not just keep using the same players.   I think we are in the re-building phase now and there is a need for new faces.   At this stage we should accept that as a general rule no players over the age of 28  could necessarily be kept in the team for the next WC.   

There are players in the present  team that is playing on reputation and not performances.   I would say that age and performance issues would lead to replacement of the following in the team if we want to really perform next time around:-

Habana, De Villiers,, Morne Steyn, Spies, Bekker. Jannie Du Plessis, the Beast.

That mean we should try and identify the replacements now and work on them.   Some people shout about Brussow - but looking at Marcel Coetzee I say no way in the world for him to get back.

In respect of the replacement wing - there are a number of players to come on board, such as Engelbrecht, and even from the present under 20 group.   I would not do a Saffex and write a list a mile long.

In De Villiers place there are two really bright sparks - namely Jordaan and Serfontein.   Saffex harp on about Taute - but I am not sure about that one.

Insofar as Morne is concerned - I believe there are only two available options - Grant and Goosen, the latter probably the better of the two.    Jantjies is not a fly-half's ass or perhaps he is.

Spies - the best two playing potential number 8's are vermeulen and Alberts - my choice would be Vermeulen - since I would rather see Alberts at 7.

.The lock position is difficult.   You do not rate Etzebeth - but I think he is the best we have.   The other position is up for grabs, but ultimately the player with to my mind the best potential is Du Toit. The latter will have to be phased in gently - a year in Super 15 rugby and then the selection into the team will be based on performances in that year.

The props will be a major problem - but I would say there are youngsters like Oosthuizen, Kitshoff and Malherbe that coud fill that void ultimately, but it will not be possible until the year before the WC at the earliest.

There will have to be crucial changes if we have any hope whatsoever to win the WC again - if we don't we will be dead and buried.

Its simple, we will not beat NZ with Habana, Jean and Morne in our backline. These guys might be experienced but that is all they have going for them. Their best days are long gone, so why stick with inferior players for the sake of experience. Meyer will select them to start with, we will lose and he will then see the light.

I am not looking for wholesale changes.......but Morne and Jean have to go.

I'd be more than happy with this Bok side against NZ:

15. Lambie 14.JP 13. Taute/ JJ 12. Frans 11. Habana/ JJ 10. Goosen 9. Hougaard 1. Beast 2. Bismark 3. Jannie 4. Etzebeth 5. Bekker 6. Coetzee/ Brussouw 7. Alberts/ Elstadt 8. Spies/ Coetzee 16. Pienaar 17. Taute/ JJ 18. Mvovo 19. Coenie 20. Strauss 21. Steph du Toit 22. Brussouw/ Kolisi

Saffex

There are two things you missed out on - even in the last two Super 15 games and that is the tendency of Spies and Strauss to lose balls in tackle situations.   With both players that is a constant.   We need neither of the two in the Springboks - they are plain and simple not acceptable in that position.    I would be happier with Coetzee at 8 - than with Spies and Strauss, but that is a gamble that may not work out.

By the way - one of the best things Coetzee does is his ball off-loads in tackle situations - he is brilliant in that and it has lead to a number of tries - look at him during the Sharks win over the Bulls.   He was in that game showing that he is better than anyone else in the world in such situations.  After the latest games Mozart changed his tune on Coetzee and I am not surprised at that.  I think he is a star at 6 or 7 - will he be the same at 8?

I would rather play Kankowski at 8 - he showed class again against the Bulls - than to play either of the two misfits mentioned by you.

i agree mozart but its experience that wins the RWC and that one can only get by playing players as much as possible together. a lot of other things need to happen like NZ's blatent crooked hand in it the last world cup.

that is so important that HM pick a younger squad now and groom them for the rwc now.

great team saffex..the backline looks potent. i might just shift alberts to 8 and move coetzee maybe to the blindside for brussow.