The popular Bok backline

WillieHougaardSerfonteinDe AllendeHabanaPollardDu Preez
FafLambieKriel 
My starting team and bench, I'd have Serfontein play in the same way he did last year with defending from 12 and attacking from 13 but I believe Mapoe deserves a chance in the RC showcase his talents. Also this team was with disregard to the quotas that HM has to fulfil, so we'll most likely see either JP or Hendricks at wing instead of Hougaard.

For starters his pass to either side is better than De Villiers and equal to De Allende's, there has never been an issue with his passing because he excels in that area. He's experienced internationally now, played in the game we against the All Blacks where his defence was superb, and has played matches against Scotland and Samoa who are both in our group. He's the best defensive center in SA and is a very smart player, he needs to improve on attack but he has the ability to compete with the best of them there as shown by his 2013 Super 15 season.
After the RWC I would forget any foreign based players and stick to the home based players as there is no longer a problem with our depth.

 And yes he does have ability to break the tackle, go back to one of his most recent games against the Cheetahs where he bounced Michael van der Spuy and Joe Pietersen. It always takes two players to bring him down and he often beats the first tackler.

He often goes through  whole matches without beating a tackle. If there was a centre that beat fewer tackles per run in last year's RC I dont have a clue who that would be. De Allende dominated him.... Odendaal added more value.

 Because I mentioned that Vorster is showing massive potential Mozart suddenly said he is the popular choice at 13.  But look at what the real situation is about various popular choices:-
Full Back
Fact is there are two choices for selection at full back and a number of players that could cover the position as well - but could also play at flyhalf.   Basically I think that Willie le Roux remains the main contender - with Jesse Kriel also a possibility.  I do not think that it is a cut and dried case - but it is definitely a good situation to have to such good candidates.
Wings There is no problem with Habana - he remains the first choice wing.  On form Hougaard has been very good on the wing - but there are other contenders as well.  I would think that Pietersen could be in the picture and other contenders could include Kolbe and Van Wyk.
My own choice would be Habana and Hougaard - with Pietersen as the outsider in the race. 
Centers

Here we have a problem.  In the modern era the time for centers below 95kgs are gone and in that category Mapoe falls - a good provincial and Super 15 player who would be inconsequential on higher level.   We have in 2012 learnt a bitter lesson when another physically smaller in De Jongh played in two tests and went AWOL.  The same may happen in future with both of the two players mentioned.
If we look at the center stock I would look in the first instance at De Villiers.   If he is match-fit and can regain his 2013 performance level then he would obviously be the first choice no 12.  If not the second candidate would be De Allende.  Now for the harsh one - I think Serfontein played a brand of rugby that did not bring out the best in him - probably as a result of the playing style of the Bulls.   I showed a great degree of promise as an Under 20 player - but over the past two years I have developed some doubts as to whether he is the top performer we require.   That leads to some doubt whether he should be in contention - but I assume he remains a candidate for selection.
That brings me to the critical no 13 position.  As mentioned earlier two fo the candidates mentioned previously - De Jongh and Mapoe - are not really physically strong enough to play at 13.  They look good in open field play when others have created opportunities for them - in other words they are good finishers and problematic when they have to create space for others.   On defense there is also a problem - even though some people denies it.   One has to look at their tackle stats over a period to determine whether they are not defensively deficient - and that in both cases is a problem. 
So who is left?  Very little.  While playing for the Stormers and WP De Villiers has always preferred to play at 13 with De Allende at 12.  If De Villiers is in fact available and performing well enough - he may be the first choice 13 - even though in the past he was not as good at 13 as he was at 12.   The other option would be Serfontein - but he was not a good attacker when he played in that position last year - while his defense was sound.
Of the younger generation Vorster looks an outstanding prospect - since he did very well against the AB 13's (especially Fekitoa) - but it is doubtful whether Meyer would be prepared  to consider him as a 13.  Jesse Kriel was very good in that position last year and he may also be a contender.
Flyhalfs
There are various candidates here and I think that Pollard will have the inside lane in this case, with Lambie as back-up.  The third choice flyhalf would be Goosen - bearing in mind that both Lambie and him can also play full back if the need arises.
Scrummies
Here again there is a problem and the problem is Fourie du Preez.   He has been very good in the past - but since he went to Japan serious question marks has arisen.   In Japan players play only on alternate weekends and their fitness level is geared to meet that requirement.  To play week after week stretch their fitness level to a substantial extent - and on return the players generally perform poorer in Super 15 level and take time to recover to a proper level of fitness.   Some never makes it - since they are injured early because of deficient fitness levels after return from Japan.  This does not apply only to De Preez - - the list of players are long.
Insofar as Du Preez is concerned - he has not played any matches since the end of March and even though he is in his own words he is quietly training at home - I think his match fitness will be severely tested in the upcoming RC.   if the past is anything to go by I doubt whether Du Preez will get through the RC without an injury as a result of match-fitness deficiency.
The other foreign club player in potential selection as a scrummie is Ruan Pienaar.  He was also seriously injured in September last year and I did not keep track of his progress last year at Ulster.   He did not feature much in the few matches broadcasted locally this year.  Some of the UK members may have a better insight on what he produces at present.
That brings me to the other two potential candidates Reinach and De Klerk.  Unlike Mozart - who hates the sight of Reinach - I have no problem with him.   Faf is a very exciting player and he is very good in what he is doing - very much a player in the mould of Super Sarel.  Not sure whether Meyer would take him ahead of other contenders though.  
                             

If Faf wasn't injured last year I would of blooded him instead of Reinach and there's nothing wrong with Fourie Du Preez, he is neither injury prone or over the hill. He's a class player that still has another year of international rugby in him, he has a rugby brain like no other and knows exactly who to pass to and when / where to kick.
Jonathan Joseph, who to my mind is the best young center in the world after this years Six Nations (Even better than De Allende) is 90kg's and his defence is test rugby standard. Lionel is 87kg which is just 3kg's lighter which is nothing but here's a fun fact your weight can fluctuate 5 pounds from day to day, due to amount of water / food / poo in your body, so he could really be 90kg's. 
Either way it's been proven time and again weight does not equate to strength. Mapoe has had no notable problems with his defence this year or last so we won't know how he fairs in test rugby until he's given a chance.
Serfontein proved his attacking capability in the 2012 Currie Cup and the 2013 Super 15 and it's of test standard.

Pollard, aside from Morné is our only test quality 10. If Meyer repeats the travesty of selecting Lambie there ever again I will have lost considerable respect for him. 

 Funny enough we beat Wales twice with Serfontein at 12 in the June series but lost against them in the EOYT with De Villiers playing. 
And FYI Serfontein defended from the 12 channel when he played 13 last year. 

Serfontein was in fact dominated by Roberts. To say we beat them with Serfontein doesn't prove anything. We won a Tri Nations convincingly with Jaco at 10, yet it was clear he was not our best option at 10. We lost the EOYT primarily because of Reinach and Lambie, who were thoroughly outplayed, just as they were against England and Italy. I'm not a Jean or Serfontein fan, but to intimate that Serf played better than Jean is ridiculous.

Well he did play better than Jean for the Boks in 2014. And no he did not get dominated by Roberts, neither of them got the better of each other as they were pretty one dimensional on attempt, just crash ball after crash ball. 

You don't understand. The Welsh base their patterns on dominance from their three key ball carriers. It's not "just crash-balling", it's establishing dominance and momentum. We lost that battle, and that's why we struggled to win those games! With Jean, we don't allow them that kind of dominance. Look again at the Welsh tries on tour, they ran over him for a try in our 22. Serfontein only played well at 13.

Lestat your take on the role of 12 is on the money....it is the fulcrum....and the pressure there is huge. In the old days darty  steppers like Horan flourished. These days there are only two successful models. The power model , essentially crash ballers.....like Nonu, Roberts, Frans. The offloading model like SBW and de Allende. And combination types like Jean. 

Like it or not, the hard-as-nails 12 is a direct response to the speed of the modern game and the power of modern defenses. Fans need to remember that Super rugby is moving away from test rugby. What works at Super level quite often doesn't work at test level. Just ask Cheika! Our opponents up north play a purer brand in their domestic games.

 The first thing that needs to happen pronto is for SARU and Frans Steyn to sort their differences out. Frans was very good yesterday..........he and Sithole the standout Sharks backline players.

 On SBW & Nonu, neither of them are pure crash-ballers. 
Nonu has developed his game over the years & has a very good long pass & some crafty kicks. 
SBW came into rugby union determined to show he was not going to rely on his league crash-balling. He over did it with the off-loads but this was ok at s15 level. At test level it is harder of course (at least against the top countries). He is still learning & he is more integrated into the team's game plan these days. Less spectacular individual plays. IMO he is below par lately for whatever reason. Maybe he is injured, his knee seems troublesome. Nonu is playing better lately. Good that ABs have both of them as they will be needed.
We will see how the various back-line players that will be in the Boks fit together. Seems to me we should see some improvement in the Boks back performance as I think there has been progress over last year, at least at s15 level. I agree that Frans should be in the mix - sorry about that CleverMike

Absolutely Frans made a big difference to the whole  Sharks backline.  

I know what crash balling is, I just called it that because it is a label for what happens. This is just ridiculous, you're blaming Serfontein to why we "struggled" against Wales in June when I'm certain we blew them out of the water in the first test. Yes, we did struggle in the second test but that was not down Serfontein but towards a more competent Welsh pack. 
If memory serves correctly Morne Steyn had shockers in both games, this put's pressure on everyone outside of him and he's always been a below average defender that often needs help tackling. 

 Shezza
This is a weird situation to be in insofar as the comments of Letsal is concerned.   You are correct about Morne Steyn's record over the last three years.  He failed badly in 2012 and Meyer was forced to drop him from the team, came back in 2013 and was bog-ordinary with a better goal kicking record than in 2012.   
In 2014 he came back from France and was poor in the two June 2014 Welsh tests - the second one can best be described as a horror story.   That was followed up with bench appearances in the 2014 Argentina test and a start in the Aussie test in Perth.  That was the worst decision-making and performance of any flyhalf in SA or overseas on higher levels of rugby in living memory.
The main problem is th fact that morne is robotic and opposing teams know he will virtually never personally attack the gain line and they take precautions to counter kicks by him and their defense against the unfortunate players to received balls from him i in serious danger of a possible serious injury.
Morne Steyn is still with Stade Francais mainly as a bench player and the logical question to be asked is how can a club bench-player be a serious candidate for Springbok selection? 
Incidentally I gave reasons and really good ones at that - why I do not thank Francois Steyn is a serious contender for Springbok selection.  His record since his return from France early in Mat 2012 can at best be described as a statistical nightmare.    He wet backwards badly from his glory years in 2007 to 2010 and to my mind he is not international standard anymore.
Fourie du Preez  
Read again what i said about Du Preez.  I do not deny his thinking abilities as a test player - but more especially his physical presence in matches.   He played in two matches in the RC as a starter - in the game against the Australians he was good.  In teh game the following week he was iffy at best.  This pattern was repeated in the EOYT matches in 2013.  He was up to standard in the  Welsh test - but a serious failure in the Scottish test a week later.   In the June Wales test he was acceptable in the First Welsh test and hardly shown anything in the second Welsh test a week later -= before he was injured and never played anther game of rugby in 2014.   He will not play a single game of rugby in the period April to early July and I stick with what i said about him earlier. 
Mind you I agree with you about Morne Steyn - for any player to play outside of him it must be terribly difficult.   On the other two players I differ from you for the reasons mentioned earlier in this thread.   Morne and Francois has the same problem in rugby - they are slow in reacting to circumstances and the rsult is they are both robotic and ineffective.                      

Another boring rerun.  

 CSerfontein0/001/2/5180000 12/10/010/0WHabana0/000/2/5541301 2/00/000/0FHSteyn0/0118/15/716020 2 8/00/000/0

 Another boring rerun of facts ignored by the BS village idiots on this site.     

I can scarcely fathom another round of parroting the same nonsense. When all was said and done the facts were that Morne remained our best defensive 10, who did not cost us anything in the Welsh test or any other test. Du Preez was a massive loss and one of the better players. Serfontein was dominated by Wales and literally run over inside our 22 for a crucial try. Footage of that on Youtube! The critics are yet again wrong for the same reasons as usual. Sing a different tune for a change

Your interpretation of those tests are warped and players even more so, I can't be bothered to debate with you.

 You quote the stats but there were several instances where Steyn buggered up badly and both those let to points for the opposition.   There was another case not mentioned where a rolling ball went straight through his hands - part of the bloody horror story.
I actually wrote after the match quoting four cases where he was utterly useless - so go back and stop your bloody stupidity - even confirmed by the stats you splashed above.   You did not notice that he caused ball possession losses by the Springboks - now did you? And you forgot about the consequences of those two - plus two other cases.
Why do you - village idiot - think that Morne was not starting flyhalf in the Argentinian tests by Meyer - who all along supported him and was nearly in tears when eh ahd to drop him ion 2012 because he was so hopeless?   It was because Steyn was piss-poor in especially the second Wales test in June last year.
When he brought Morne back to start in the Perth test, Meyer made a mistake that would cost the Springboks victory in that test - so one can only hope that Morne complete his sojourn in Paris successfully and have a prosperous retirement after then.
The most robotic and consequently poorest flyhalf we have had for the past twenty years.      

More mythical incidents in some game, by some player. 

 Mythical incidents that didnt match video footage. And they speak of twisted lmao!

 Best advice - watch the video footage on the June 2014 second Welsh test and you will see where Morne buggered up badly - you useless bloody fools.   Morne was dropped by Meyer because he was USELESS in the second test against Wales.  He should have sent him packing back to Stade Francais after that test and not let him destroy the winning chances in Perth against Australia.
It is only dolts like you that try and portray a robotic player like Morne as a flyhalf.  If he was anything better than that he would not play second fiddle at Stade Francais.   But then you two idiots are unanimous that the role of a flyhalf comprise of 90% kicking - irrespective how aimless and inaccurate the kicking game of Morne and Francois is.   The robots must be programmed in advance how they must react in games and they do not know what to do when different circ umstances occur - requiring different actions.       So happy Fools Day to you two raving lunatics.

 clevermike
 
Status: Hall Of Fame 
Posts: 16668Is Stade Francais trying to get rid of Morne Steyn 
May 15, 2014, 15:31:02

A report and photo showed him together with the Paris St Germain Rugby Club and he himself posted the photo.   Could be - because he was a serious and very expensive flop for Stade Francais.

As I understand it both Stade Francais and Paris st Germain at one stage  belonged to the same owner - and the article on the issue quoted them as sister clubs.  

However, Paris St Germain is not a Top 14 club and it seems that they are a second level club with no representation in the French international team.  

If this arrangement proceeds I believe it would be a massive comedown for Steyn - a second level club in France and he is he to be considered for the Springbok team?   That would be a disgrace and I hope it does not happen.     

    

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Hahaha I was just reminded of this classic....what a toic!  

 The Village idiot at it again - stupid as ever and his comments on issues being discussed are constantly diverted to other issues when he has no further arguments to support his stupidity.
By the way do you remember that Stade Francais desperately tried to get other clubs to take over Morne - but could find no takers and had to deny the report afterwards.  He is still a serious financial embarrassment for them and will remain that for the coming year till May next year when his contract will expire.
They soon enough realized he is not good enough a flyhalf to play for them and you three village idiots have never answered a simple question.  Since Morne Steyn is at best a bench selection for Stade Francais - what makes him good enough to be a Springbok selection?        

"By the way do you remember that Stade Francais desperately tried to get other clubs to take over Morne - but could find no takers and had to deny the report afterwards.  He is still a serious financial embarrassment for them and will remain that for the coming year till May next year when his contract will expire."

Eish! An extreme lie of the highest order... Morne in fact received offers from three clubs that were interested in his services. Stade Francais said he will be released if the clubs were willing to pay the necessary money for him to be released from his current contract. Morne however indicated that he was not interested in leaving and would complete his full contract with Stade Francais, as he was loyal to his club and contract.

Lose against Australia. You mean the one where Australia scored the match winning try because Lambie was out of position taking an Aussie out off the ball and not where he should have been to stop the try? The one where 60m away from our try line several Boks failed to land a tackle. Yes, I remember that one. But then Morné is virtually a wanted criminal for those missed tackles, of course, everything boils down to him, Frans, Victor, Alberts, Du Preez yada yada bla bla bla!

The Trooth Fairy
Do you really think the 3 clubs you mentioned would fall over their own feet to take over the contract of Morne Steyn?  In view of the fact that he was the Stade Francais bench player performing totally sub-par in France - why would they want to take him over?  What really happened was that Stade Francais approached the Clubs with an offer to take over the remainder of the contract and they said yes - provided Stade Francais pays the difference between what they were prepared to pay him and what Stade Francais pays him.  That is where the negotiations broke down completely
Sure nothing came of it and Steyn is still a bench player for the Club.   Must enjoy the money - he has very little game time and gets paid a fortune to play mostly 10 to 15 minutes a game from time to time.  
Still no answer from any of the Morne stooges/groupies .  If he is not good enough to be a regular starting flyhalf for his Club - why is he good enough to be selected as Springbok flyhalf?  

Mythical footage? The amount of times I've been through clips where you have interpreted it wrong on purpose to reinforce your points is unbelievable, I'm not wasting anymore of my time.

The amount of times you have been left with egg on your face would be the key point.

"I'm not wasting anymore of my time."

Well thank the good lord for that! Though you could have wasted even less time just waving a white flag.

 Letsal
Who the hell made the bugger-up in the first place?  Habana was waiting to come on from a yellow card and PISS-POOR MORNE failed to find touch with a penalty kick.  The whole story you portrayed can at best be interpreted as an absolute load of BS of the first order.
Do you realize that in the event of a penalty line kick the team does not follow up the kick - since they expected that the kick would find touch.  When the kick was piss-poor the whole defensive line was in jeopardy and that is a fact.  The Springboks were still a player short because of the atrocious kick by MORNE, you stupid stooge.
What a joke you are - Lambie gets the blame for a complete Morne Steyn F#ck-up.      

 Idiot Mike,

So your version is now something completely different from the Stade Francais official report. It only took you 8 months to dream up this "new version".

And no, I don't think Morne should play for the Boks at this stage, as one cannot clearly judge his form from the limited amount of time he is playing.... but I don't believe in using lies to support a crooked view... Therefore this reply.

You are the perfect example of the lowest form of low-life scum there is... But don't worry, I won't bring your family into the insult, because I believe the fact that they have you as family is punishment enough!