I still feel we have the talent right here at home to be a top international rugby nation.
Our tight five of Kitshoff, Marx, Louw, Etzebeth and Du Toit are top international players. They will do us proud. Can anyone out there compete with them? I would seriously like to know who of the overseas based players can offer more than these boys?
Yes we can do with a serious upgrade on the bench but even that can be sorted out using home based talent ... such as Akker vd Merwe, Edgar Marutllule, van Rooyen, Dylan Smith and perhaps even Tank Du Toit. There will always be an exception such as Paul Willemse to consider but generally speaking we have it all covered with those boys still at home.
Looking abroad for our saviour isn't as easy as one might think. Both Louw and Vermeulen didn't impress at all. HouGat, Morne and Ruan Pienaar may be doing well abroad but for some reason cannot make the step up to southern hemisphere pace and intensity. They've grown soft. Even Bismarck can't keep up with what we have here. He is past his best and it's time we accept that and move on.
Then again ... the reality of it all is that we can't compete with the big money abroad. It's way beyond us. Times have changed and we should adapt to it's changes. Being stubborn and rigid with our out dated policies isn't going to do our rugby any good.
The Springbok has become a symbol of transformation. The thought behind our madness is to fill our national side with non white players. It's become a team of quotas ... of handouts to the undeserving ... all based on racist prejudice ... and the white man has taken note. The lure of the Springbok is no longer strong enough to keep our top talent home and so many more talented boys are going to be leaving.
They (the players) have us by the short and curlies and it's time we realize that we no longer dictate terms. We should leave the door open for all our players. It's stupid not to ... but let us not make the mistake in thinking that our overseas based players are better than what we have right here at home.
However ... all of the above comes to nothing if race remains the basis of our team selection.
I have hope that Rassie will have a strong enough character to stand his ground for the good of South African rugby.
First things first ... fire Alistair Coetzee. If Rassie allows him to stay on then we'll see much of the same nonsense we have these last few years ... and Rassie will be no more than just another puppet being dictated to.
CC
I agree with you about the above and must say Mozart is as per normal assess performances of foreign-based players on games he did not watch.
Of the foreign-based players he named I would only think Le Roux is doing very well.. Rhodes always was a good loosie - but to think at 30 years of age he is going to be a success as a loosie has just about a zero chance. The players may do well m slow NH surfaces - but that is about as far as I would go,
I am not sure how Erasmus is going to handle the quota system - but politics are in flux at the moment - with Ramaphosa less likely to play the race card and Zuma may be out this month. However there is a lot of noise from overseas sources about the negative impact on SA Rugby stemming from quotas - so they may be forced to tune down on the issue.
I do not know which Coetzee Mozart is referring to - I assume he meant Marcel Coetzee. The nutcase does not realize that Coetzee has been out with an injury and has not played for Ulster this year as a result. So what does he really know about Rugby.
As far as the Springboks is concerned - Coetzee with his selections caused major problems iro the loosies and the backline. That is where te upgrading is necessary. I would pick Du Toit at 8 leaving De Jager as lock. As to the two other loosies I think Kwagga should be one and the other one could be any of the local blinds iders.
As to the backline there is a hell of a lot to do iro virtually every position. Personally I think Pollard may make the grade if Mitchell can get him right from the damage caused by Meyer and Ludeke, At center I would look at Van Rensburg, Vorster, Odendaal and Jackson - all the others had opportunities and failed. On the wing I would look at Combrinck, Van Wtk, Mapinpi and Nkosi and at full back at Le Roux.
Mike ... looking at your choices at centre and at wing makes it quite clear that we have a lot of talent available to make the Bok name feared again. It won't take much to change the current status of "laughing stock" to "respected" again.
Have you seen the footage where Kwagga goes ape shit in tackle practice? He hits the bag carriers hard and you can see they respect his strength. He is an absolute must for the Boks this year. It would be a disgrace if he doesn't make the squad.
We will no doubt hear his detractors speaking of his size ... or lack of it ... as an issue. He is streets ahead of Louw, Vermeulen and Kolisi.
As for his partners in the back row ... well ... I'm a big fan of Jaco Kriel, who is just as physically strong and difficult to bring down. They both have a lot of pace. Who to play at 8 though? Whiteley? Du Preez?
Imagine a team of ...
Kitshoff, Marx, Louw, Etzebeth, Du Toit, Kwagga, Kriel, Whiteley, Faff, Damian Willemse / Pollard, Nkosi, Janse Van Rensburg, Odendaal / Vorster, Combrinck, Gelant.
That's what I regard as a good start to the coming test season. We can tweak it from there and have a formidable match 23 by the end of the year.
CC
There are two players (youngsters) I was following at the Stormers whom, I think will make better blindsiders as loosies - namely Wiese and Van Dyk. The latter is also a good line-out option/
I do not like loosies who are pace-deficient and not good ball hanclers and capable odf rweading the game as well. Kwagga meets all thiose req
Welcome back cc, as you see nothing much has changed in terms of banter but the site itself has had a pretty decent upgrade in terms of appearance and functionality.
Boks are in limbo again re the coaching situation, they don't make it easy for the players or the fans.
How many Coetzee's okayed Springbok Rugby stupid? We have better players than the playe rs you identified above playing Club Rugby and getting unfit and useless in the process.
I not an expert on who is playinabroad of the south Africans but I am interred in the bview that none of them are any good. There's like 360 players playing abroad and the assumption is that foreign teams only pay a fortune for the bad ones. That sounds a little whack to me. Also ifnyou think about it, all those 360 (what ever number it actually is) players abroad have taken the place of a native! That's a lot of "stolen" opportunities to play the game. How many players gave up the game because they couldn't "make it" because a South aafrican was there? Must be more than a few. So thats expanded the player pool by loads. If they were at home, there are 360 players that may not have seen the light of day. So foreign players doesn't hurt Bok rugby but really hurts t countries they imvade . it only hurts the Boks because is a significant part of the player pool is being cut out. Its like a person refusing to use their right or left hand but complaining that they are disadvantaged. Its pretty crazy. Stubborn and proud as those dastardly Aussies. Wake up people!
This coming from a person who supported the selection of the talentless and loafing Alberts as a loosie.
None of the players like Louw and Vermeulen was worth much when they played for the Springboks in 2015 to 2017 for the Springboks and their performances last year was in par with that in 2017.
Is your rule that players must be above 30 in age before they can qualify for Springbok selection still applicable?
I agree with the soccer reference, its exactly the way to go and makes a lot of sense. Here's the other thing, if south African coaches are crap then isn't it better to be coached abroad in a true competitive environment? Europe has a pretty diverse mixture of philosophies and is actually closer to developing traditional Bok style than in south Africa right now in my opinion. But it wouldn't hurt any to at least have the option. Options are only a good thing. I could understand maybe being so strict if south Africa wasn't in such a mess and rindled with racism and the quality of coaching was superior like in new Zealand, but it really isn't. I think I heard France is putting a cap on foreign players because they're starting to feel the pinch in their player pool. Something I read a while back.
I think Albert's had some great moments for Boks. Maybe he lost some form at certain points but he was pretty important to the Boks for setting the foundation up front. I'm not saying he should be playing njow by the way, just saying he wasn't useless. Duane scored the match winning try against wales in the world cup. Its got to count for something right? What's his injury status? Seems like he is always injured . hard to tet back to form if you keep having time out of the game.
Thank you, JW. I hope you have a cracker of a year.
Has the margin issues been sorted out with the new face lift? Lol!! It certainly would lighten your heavy copy and paste load having not to worry about those pesky margins, huh?
Yes ... it looks good.
Functionality? Are there any additions that weren't there before? I guess I'll figure them out as I go along.
Mozart ... can't really argue with you regarding your loosie parameters.
Let see who we can fit into your mould.
A Mobile Fetcher Type - Undoubtedly the fittest of the three, as he needs to hit the deck hard, out muscle the others for ball possession and rise like Jonty Rhodes to do it all over again 30m away. He needs to do this the entire match ... among his other duties in the loose.
Word has it that these guys can run up to 8km flat out in the full 80 minutes. He also needs a lot of pace if he's to compete against the best in the world and with his pace a strong pair of hands and forearms.
I'll nominate three for the position.
Jaco Kriel.
Kwagga Smith
Chris Cloete
You can't argue that that's a solid bunch of guys to have competing for the 6 jersey and all three are vastly superior to SharkShit's favourite ... Kolisi.
A Line Out option and possible receiver of the kick off - Juan Smith had this role down pat. He was not only an excellent line jumper, but fits the mould as a very physical ball carrier and had an incredible instinct for cross cover defense. What a player. One could easily combine your second and third options into one man with him. I'd give my left nut to have him back in the mix. Ok ... maybe not mine ... but certainly yours.
I would also like to nominate three for this position ... but in truth find it a little difficult when using Juan Smith as the yardstick.
My only thoughts are ...
Jaco Kriel
and well ... um? ... maybe Pieter Steff Du Toit, although I would much prefer to see him at 5. I can't really think of a third option. Du Preez? He tends to blow hot and cold. Can't say I'm overly impressed with the man ... in fact I would prefer Ruan Ackermann than either of the Du Preez brothers.
My nominations are -
Jaco Kriel
Pieter Steff Du Toit
Ruan Ackermann
A Hard Man - hmmm? A Vunipola type you say. I don't think we have someone like that. Vermeulen in his day was potent. Easily within the top three best 8th men at the time.
Right now our closest to him is Du Preez and to be quite honest, I'm not a fan.
Warren Whitely on the other hand is our best captain and a very capable 8th man. He makes up for his lack of a Vunipola type with raw pace and a very high work rate.
As for nominating 3 for the position ... well ... I guess I have no option but to go with what we have.
Warren Whiteley
Daniel Du Preez
Ruan Ackermann
Any other recommendation?
Mozart
You mean Marcel Coetzee?
He was better than Louw and Alberts - so do not worry. He nowadays play at 8 for Ulster - but he is injured at preset and came back to SA for treatment. Don't know when he will be playing again.
