Published in the Roar
When Heyneke Meyer was named the national coach of South African rugby, with his staid kick-chase Bulls pedigree, the adjectives most used to describe him were ‘conservative’, ‘traditional’, ‘structured’, or ‘disciplined’.
But now, after his second season, he is thought of as ‘passionate’, ‘bold’, ‘a risk-taker’, and ‘attack-minded’.
His rabid pressbox demeanor, red-blooded, vein-popping howling of the anthem, the fireworks at Ellis Park, and endearingly honest, unvarnished press-room machine-gun delivery after matches have radically altered how the rugby world sees the man.
No one but Meyer and his inner circle knows how he truly interpreted the Boks’ showing in the Rugby Championship and, in particular, the meaning of Eden and Ellis Parks, as it translates to selection of an end of year tour (EOYT) squad, and a style of play on the EOYT.
Coach Meyer definitely believes in continuity. But he has shown tactical flexibility, and a real interest in teaching young players instead of waiting until they are fully formed by provincial coaches.
He should continue to expose youngsters to the Springbok culture, and experience top-flight Test rugby, in Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Paris, not only because he is thinking about the Rugby World Cup in 2015 in the same corner of the world, but because many of his experiments have worked.
No one seriously questions whether Willie le Roux or Siya Kolisi belong at the highest Test level any more.
On the other hand, there are world-class players returning to health who might be steadying influences in the face of what may be three very serious physical challenges by a powerful Welsh team, a difficult Scottish squad, and the mercurial but always dangerous French.
Last year, on a successful, but uninspiring tour, for his backs, coach Meyer selected fullbacks Jaco Taute and Zane Kirchner; utility backs Francois Hougaard and Patrick Lambie; outright wings JP Pietersen, Lionel Mapoe, Lwazi Mvovo, and Raymond Rhule; midfielders Juan de Jongh and Jean de Villiers; flyhalves Morne Steyn and Elton Jantjies; and scrumhalves Ruan Pienaar and Jano Vermaak.
Taute, de Jongh, and Hougaard have struggled with physical issues. Jantjies has been awful this year. Kirchner was poor at Ellis Park, but very good at Brisbane and Newlands.
Meyer seems to have a lot of faith in Kirchner, but I am hoping he lets us see Willie le Roux at 15 on this Tour, with Lambie getting more time at 10 (perhaps against Scotland and France) and brings Rhule, Cobus Reinach, the super-elusive Cheslin Kolbe, and the promising Stormer Damian De Allende.
Meyer seems to have settled on a pack. Last year, he had a few guys I do not see making it this year: Schalk Brits, Marcell Coetzee, and CJ van der Linde.
I am hoping we see Kolisi start a Test, with Willem Alberts suffering from that very bad neck injury at Ellis Park and in need of a serious rest and reconditioning. I’d take Pieter Labuschagne, as well.
Also, we need to see how some new props go (Lourens Adriaanse, Frans Malherbe, Pat Cilliers) and this may be the time to have a younger lock combination (in a Test or two) than NZ: Pieter-Steph Du Toit with Eben Etzebeth.
The composition of this squad may give us an inkling about coach Meyer’s mindset.
