It seems Meyer has no place in the squad for a small fetcher.....like Brussouw. He appears to be in accord with Jake's view (which I agree with) that fetching is a team responsibility. Meyer no doubt would never have picked Watson either.
Instead tall physical loosies appear to be the flavour of the day. It will be interesting to see how this all works when the Boks face Pocock.
Likewise in the backs, all the "small" players are out....and rangy types like Basson are in. There is no doubt Basson trumps a player like Aplon in the air. But Gio is a defensive rock....he makes all his tackles in space. And out wide it's more important you make the tackle versus denying a metre or so of kinetic movement. And Aplon has vision, aggressiveness and instant acceleration.
I also believe you need size and physicality in your inside positions.....but on the wing I'd choose the guy more likely to crack open defences and make his tackles. That's Aplon.
The problem Meyer has created stems not so much from the philosophy of big backs and no fetchers....but from the choices backing up those philosophies. Olivier, Kirchner, Basson and JJ just aren't going to strike fear into AB hearts. In fact they are unlikely to play much. So to select the Bools he feels close to, but wont play much, he has left us with a vast sense of inequity.
If you don't believe me read the Keo reader comments or the Rugby 365 comments. Guys are pissed. And all for no purpose. The stupidity of that should bother us most.
National coach is exactly that. A person who draws together the vast rugby resources in a proud rugby country. Unnecessarily rubbing WP faces in it, by leaving out superior players like de Jongh and Aplon, who he never needed to start anyway, reads like sheer stupidity. And a complete failure to understand the job.
