The Springbok team for Satuurday

The team is as follows:- 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marcel Coetzee, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendi Mtawarira Replacements : 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Sija Kolisis, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein

After looking at the above team one has to reach the conclusion that Meyer was consistent in that only players from the first training camp would be selected for the June test series. He did invite some additional players to the second training camp - but of those only Willie le Roux is in the starting line up - basically because Meyer' first choice full backs Kirchner and Taute are injured - and Nyakane who is on the bench on Saturday.. The other bench selection is van Zyl who was not at any of the two camps - but the three who were are all out on injury. When inviting the players for training camp 1 who were selected for the Italian Test the following players had very poor or poor form in Super 15:- Habana, Spies, Kruger and Jannie du Plessis Habana showed massive improvement in the test last Saturday - while the latter three were in poor form or there was even deterioration in performances. Given the displays of the last three of the above, Meyer could have put them on the bench and try a different combination for the test against Scotland. He did not do that and his only changes were injury-enfoced and the fact that Louw is getting married. Now about his selection for this week. Last week Marcel Coetzee was on the bench and he had quite extensive playing time. Coetzee was very average in Super 15 this year and very poor in the test last week. One has to gain the impression that Meyer remains a bloody idiot at best. He rewards poor performances - if the fact that he ahs retained the under-performers in the team - they were poor in Super 15 and underachieving in the test - and then he promotes Coetzee to the starting line-up after a very poor show on Saturday. To add insult to injury he brings in Kolisi onto the bench. Kolisi had an average to poor season in Super 15 and should not have been in the squad at all. With those kind of selections - where performance is rubbished - there is no way that the Springboks would have ultimately a better winning record than they had in 2012 - the chance are that it may even be poorer.

A perfectly sensible team.

Perfect comments from one who is saying form means nothing and that players can continue to perform poorly because they are Springboks or were Springboks in the past- with a classic comment that a bench player needs not be test standard.

Not bad but Coetzee will have to have a big one. Spies ja well let's just keep quiet. Beast and Jannie will probably stand their ground against a understrength Scottish team which everyone will be believe they are our top scrummagers in the country. Can't wait to see Bissie again.

I am disappointed as I believe its time to buy some experience. Coenie and Trevor should have started.

Flip and Eben at lock. Labbers should have got a shot and Spies out. Kolisi is a joke.

Why not lay Lambie? Jean - well give the man a rest!

All the experienced guys could be on the bench.

Beeno I agree with you in this case. Meyer remains a complete dolt insofar as team development is concerned and he rewards under-performance - so lets continue this way and end up with another year of poor performance in tests. I cannot understand why he sticks with his Bulls Comrades when they under-perform. I would have played Lambie on Saturday and put Steyn on the bench. Although Steyn's goalkicking on Saturday was good - the rest of his game was average and his attempted tackle of the tryscoring Italian was weak and in fact very poor. His strategic kicking represented a way of handing over possession - nothing less. No wonder he kicked away balls when keeping them in hand , which kept the Italians in possession of the ball for a large part of the second half. Although I do not condone booing of Morne - it is not the first time that he got boo-ed by the crowd for sub-standard performance. Meyer's other favourites - Kruger and Spies - were both poor on Saturday - and after watcjhing the game twice I was amazed how really poor the two were. I do not mind to see any player of any franchise in the team - but to play under-performers and expect miracles s really to ask for too much. I was severely disappointed by the performance of Coetaee on Saturday and expected much more from him as well. He was always regarded as a good tackler - but that went out of the window on Saturday. The Springboks should win by more than 30 points on Saturday against a weakened Scottish tam - anything less would mean that we will have no chance in the Championship this year. Any big win will create an aura of false sense of superiority that could bring us down to earth in a big way in the Championship tests. I do not think that present indications are that Meyer has learnt anything from his past selection errors - which he admitted to in 2013 and my hope for reasonable success in 2013 is fading.

I would prefer this 15, although I know jdv and spies on the bench will probably not happen..

 

15 willie le roux, 14 habana, 13 JJ, 12 JS, 11 basson, 10 steyn, 9 van zyl, 8 botha, 7 lappies, 6 coetzee, 5 J kruger, 4 etzebeth, 3 coenie, 2 strauss (k), 1 beast

16 bismarck, 17 nyakane, 18 jannie, 19 flip vdM, 20 spies, 21 ruan pienaar, 22 pat lambie, 23 JdV

Welcome to the board Cheis and happy rucking!

I like that side and would only have Lambie and Flip in. Where are we going with Juandre. He has not got the grunt to play in the RC?

Morne will not always be with us so give Lambie a shot. We are in danger again of over playing guys - Morne and Jean come to mind.