I liked the look of Bulls no 6 Rudolf.
Maart on the wing for the Stormers looks useful.
Schickerling looks like a decent lock.
2026 is the year to largely finalist the 2027 world cup squad so a lot should happen Plumpster.
Bye the way your boy Esterhuizen look pretty ineffectual this week end. Just saying!. Looks to be a better option at 6.
Missed most of the Sharks game Beeno...but who does look effective when playing for them? Even Eben and Bongi look like amateurs in that Durban clown show.
Perspective
Ruben van Heerden should have been a Bok already...
You mean Paul De Villiers, he is about two bricks high (180cm, 5'11) and weighs 101 kg and only 22, will be 23 in January. I think he is a must for the boks and a replacement for Kwotalisi. Kwotalisi is such a coward when it comes other the ruck. Just watched him again over the weekend literally over the ball and saw two players coming to clear him and instead of latching on he jumps back to avoid contact. What a coward and never a menace over the ball.
Paul is the the biggest, not the fastest but he sure knows how to get around the park. His stats are phenomenal as an opensider and I would say the reason why the Stormers are able to rack up wins with a player that is so disruptive and effective. Very useful as a ball carrier and support players. Makes phenomal tackles. Not as explosive as a Kwagga but he is sure build like an olympic wrestler.
The rest haven't really impressed me for bok hopefuls. Will take a while for Louw and Hannekom to make a come back.
Jacque Rudolph is 32 already and won't have the engine for test rugby
We haven't seen much of those 3 junior springboks, Batho, Hasheem Peed and that black hooker. Jooste has had a few games and scoring. So I was hoping to see these boys get on the park.
I like PDV fine, but no, I meant Ruben van Heerden, the Stormers lock who's been playing good rugby for the past 3 seasons now...more physical 5 lock who does the hard yards.
Fuck off
It is a rather difficut situation since there are aother factors to bear in mind:-
For the rest I tink the exossting younger players wil make the grade in 2027.
Snickersling….you can’t be serious!
Schickerling is very good but at 30 it’s too late for him
He is better than Mostert ever was and is better than Nortje
Do we like Hooker for 12?
For me, the MVP this year was Wiese. Incredible that he was barely noticed by most here, until he wasn't there and the Boks could barely cope. Note how David called him Dumb muscle - imagine a dumb person being that important to the best pack in the world LMAO ;)
The reason I bring him up is because most here, myself included, are probably looking at Hanekom as his replacement but Hanekom is totally different player. So, assume that you had to replace Weise tomorrow and Hanekom was fit and in form, do you pick him?
Honestly, I'd instead be looking at Hanekom as Siya's long term replacement.
And who do we rate as PSDT's replacement? Looking purely at PSDT's role in the current Boks...out wide, occasionally carrying up middle and generally used as a hitman, I'd probably say that Roos, Elrigh and few others come to mind and could do most of that. (Liked how Roos had a shocking start on Saturday but never went away and ended up being heavily involved in closing out the game. That kind of heart in a player is what wins me over.)
Point is, one could arguably find very decent, if not better replacements for most of the guys. Everyone but Wiese. When I look at what he does, nobody jumps to mind as a natural replacement. You guys will hate this but I'm honest when I say the best I can think of is Marco Van Staaden, and he's 30 already.
Agreed Plum...Wiese will be very difficult to replace...Hanekom, Roos main contenders for 6 and 7 in my book...with PDV maybe getting the Kwagga role from the bench.
"As a back-up flymhalf ny fst choice would be Jurie Matthhee."
Please no...rather Manie or Pollard for the short term.
Wiese is dumb muscle there is nothing subtle or creative coming from him. It’s just head down and bash - I don’t think I’ve ever seen him pass the ball.
But as I keep saying, he is very effective dumb muscle
He is not the MVP - that goes to Ox and Marx, followed by the likes of Eben, Wiese, PSDT, Wilco, Thomas, Willemse and Sacha
If I was going with the Wiese, Roos and Hanekom combo the obvious would be 6 Hanekom 7 Wiese 8 Roos…. the least creative / ball player of the 3 is your 7 hence Wiese at 7
"Wiese is dumb muscle there is nothing subtle or creative coming from him. It’s just head down and bash - I don’t think I’ve ever seen him pass the ball."
Just to confirm, Dave - Dumb muscle = no passing?
No dumbfuck - dumb muscle = a player with limited ball skills, natural talent and rugby IQ.
Your perfect 8 needs to be both skilful and physical. Wiese is only physical
He offers dominant carries and tackles nothing more, nothing less.
It’s effective
Hope that helps, but I suspect not
Plum
During the years the AB's rei g supreme their looisie and even hooker had major roles to play iro open-fields attack and defense. The idea that loosies was an extension of the Tight 5 ruled the S pring b ok teams for decades and weakened the tam.
One of the main apppointees of Erasmus was Browne - an expert in the wider roles of loosies, The onmly player that espouse that element of the game is Du Toit, Although he is blamed to be wider out it is a fact that many of the tries scored by the Srpingbok backline stemmed from assistance by Du Toit,
It is a problem that Wiese is an old style loosie - not really pacy enough to beccome invovlved in teh wider game promotedd by Browne, Wiese is a crashballer and not of much value other than that,
Two of my many comments my father - a rugby fanatic - made was
The latter relates to a instinctive bball sense - particularly when it comes to this issue through the years produced utstanding loosies like Rob Louw, Shalk Burger and Du Toit. From what I have deen of Hanekom and Roos are players with an advanced sense of ball sense - but e Villiers is a top class palyer in that situation.
Up to 1986 the Springbok backline was the strength of the team - after 1992 the sotiationcanged totally and backline attacking play vanished from site, In 1997 there was a new approach introduced by Carel du Plessis in the 6 months he was the coach. He had to elect backline player with the necessary abilitiy - the first few months it did not work out and the peoples had to go through a transition stage. In the end in 1997 the S pringboks beat the Aussies and BRI Lions by record margins/ Mallett inherited that backline and made two chan ges - he broughtin Mooore at 12 and moved Montgomery to full back. That team won 17 tests in a row in 1997-98. However players started retiring and Mallett failed to find replacements. So for the next near ro two decades it was back to 10 man rugby - with the loosies being an extension of the Tight 5,
It is the latter aspect which will result in a major change of the structure of loosies in future Du Toit is still the best loosie in the world - but I like a lot from what I have seen of the three youngsters mentioned That is why I support players like Hanekom, Roos and De Villiers as loosies.
If offloading is discouraged you might as well have maximum muscle….hence Wiese.
Interesting - so you are saying that Wiese has limited rugby IQ and talent?
Yes he does not strike me as someone who uses much brain power on the field - it does not take much to put the head down and head for contact or smash someone in a tackle
Hardly the kind of player that gets into definitive positions, or runs great lines or plays a great linking role with deft touches - your Roos’s, Hanekom’s, Read’s, Perisse’s, Skinstad’s, Big Joe’s, Savea’s or Doris’s of this world
Actually Plum I’m agnostic on Wiese’s intelligence….but Lucky’s game plan requires none, so muscle max is the idea.
"Actually Plum I’m agnostic on Wiese’s intelligence….but Lucky’s game plan requires none, so muscle max is the idea."
Hulk Smash...doesn't need Bruce Banner for the mayhem.
Mozart
What is Lucky's game plan?
What bullshit that Rassie’s gameplan does not require rugby intelligence. We’ve scored more tries, made more clean breaks and beaten more defenders than any other side in 2025
Is that not good enough for you?
We see far more offloads than in the past, far more balls passed than in the past, far more interplay between backs and forwards than in the past, We have wings with the best strike rates in the game
But hey ho, no intelligence needed - pathetic really
Lucky’s game plan is to win matches based box kicks, penalties, turnover ball, defense and above all scrumming. The ball is not used from set pieces and standard breakdowns, it’s hoofed in the air where it becomes a 50/50 proposition….if the opponent knocks on, there is the scrum…..often followed by a penalty to the Boks. Then there is the maul.
It works primarily because the opponents are being outscrummed in every game and because the likes of Kolbe, Edwil and Arendse are deadly on turnover ball.
This style of play depends heavily on opponents making mistakes under pressure and tends to produce close contests….eg in crucial games like Oz2, NZ1, Bargie 2. All these games were decided in part by random events.
Then there is the window dressing. When players are allowed to express themselves. NZ2 which was a shot in the dark which came off….Dud Toit running like a snail on the wing.
What suddenly made us effective when we had possession was Sacha. His deception and acceleration added a dimension to our attack which was absent and decided several key games….this is not a new strategy it’s individual brilliance.
Where does that leave our opponents . In a deep, dark hole. The Bok defense is the best in the game and the Bok scrumming is the best in the game. With the addition of Sacha to these fundamentals their challenge can’t be finessed. They have to be able to scrum…without that they are pretty much lost. But they also have to be more disciplined.
France had 20 minutes of dominating after the red card…which they threw away with extravagant ill disciplined play and the moment they were challenged they collapsed. There is going to be no easy way to beat the Boks, teams will have to step up and show some courage.
For the Boks Sacha is now indispensible and scrum dominance is almost assumed in the game plan. And our team has many old players 10 of the starters against Ireland were 30 and over. That means with the same team at the WC 10 of our starters will be 32 or older. Change has to happen, but it’s not happening among the forwards.
So there it is, the whole thing laid bare. We still play the same narrow tactics in big games, we rely heavily on a few elements, our team is aging. Our opponents seem almost unprofessional and incapable of addressing obvious needs like scrumming.
Do we win in 2027….perhaps, we have 10 times the resources we had in 1995 and all our opponents seem to be going backwards. But we haven’t evolved from scrappy winners to the dominant world’s best. So it’s likely to remain a close run thing in all the big games
Every side uses the box kick - why do our wings have such high test strike rates
Why did we score more tries, beat more defenders, make more clean breaks than any other test side in 2025?
We thumped NZ in NZ, we thumped France playing with 14 men
And you see us as one dimensional? That is utter bullshit based on your childish bias against the best coach the Boks have ever had and that is another fact unless you would care to point out a better Bok coach ever
Why did we score more tries, beat more defenders, make more clean breaks than any other test side in 2025?
Because we dominated at forward and in field position would be my guess. It certainly wasn’t because Dud Allende did anything with the ball.
But reproduce those stats if you would, that would be appreciated.
??
South Africa (Springboks) — Most tries scored in 2025 Tests
According to rugby statisticians tracking Test match data across the full year (not just one tournament), the Springboks scored more tries than any other tier-one nation in 2025. They averaged around 5.8 tries per match over the season — significantly higher than other top teams such as France or Ireland — making them the highest try-scoring Test side for the calendar year.
??
South Africa Springboks — Most Defenders Beaten in 2025 Tests
This is the only team-level defenders-beaten figure published for a major test-level competition that we can use as a proxy for the whole year. Because the Springboks also played additional international Tests (summer tours, autumn internationals) where they continued their expansive attacking style and strong ball-carrying, it’s reasonable to infer that:
? South Africa likely beat more defenders across all international Tests in 2025 than any other tier-one national side.
This matches broader reporting on their attacking dominance during the year.
?? Why South Africa Likely Leads in Defenders Beaten
1. Rugby Championship Dominance
2. Expanded Attacking Style
3. World-Wide Test Performance
??
South Africa Springboks
? In the 2025 Rugby Championship, South Africa recorded the highest number of clean breaks (48) among the four competing nations (South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina). In that competition they also topped tries and other attacking metrics.
That tournament is the only major international competition where team-wide clean break stats are publicly available, and South Africa led that category there. While no single global aggregated ranking exists for all Tests in 2025 (including Six Nations, summer tours and autumn internationals) published by an official source, South Africa’s attacking output trends—leading clean breaks in the Rugby Championship combined with high try scoring and defenders beaten—strongly suggest they were also the top team overall for clean breaks across the year.
It’s about the team not de Allende who himself had a good 2025
Chat GPT?
Dave ut is a wate of spxce tro deal with game plans and as NO idea what game plans entail as is indicated of his following comments and it shows himsekf up as an idiot:-
Lucky’s game plan is to win matches based box kicks, penalties, turnover ball, defense and above all scrumming. The ball is not used from set pieces and standard breakdowns, it’s hoofed in the air where it becomes a 50/50 proposition….if the opponent knocks on, there is the scrum…..often followed by a penalty to the Boks. Then there is the maul.
I do not udesrsrtnd why an ubntelligent person can cme up with shot like the above, Perhaps he should read the following and realize what he wrote ios idiotic shiy:-
"Rugby game plans are strategic blueprints guiding a team's attack and defense, built on core philosophies like physical dominance ("Physical Game"), structured kicking ("10-Man Game"), or fluid movement ("Motion Game"). They involve controlling set pieces (scrums, lineouts), exploiting opposition weaknesses, managing game rhythm (tempo), and adapting tactics for phases like turnovers or restarts, all while ensuring clear communication and disciplined execution.
However Mozart is just believing the shit he sputs because the is a suppoerter of Jake White - the superking of playing the game without any game plans loosely based on the physical game and gwent no further than the famus 10 man game - on other words a totally deficient coach.
You are right in you assessment. Under Erasmus backline players score more tis than they did in the period 2000 to 2017/ The Springboks imder Eramus use the physical game and fluid moving games as a basis for attacks and victories..
Well I’d appreciate you checking those numbers. I went back to the RC the only comprehensive stats I can find. Here are the results:
Australia bested us 37 to 19 on defenders beaten and equalled our clean breaks at 36..
We narrowly beat NZ 13 to 12 on clean breaks and substantially 68 to 58 on defenders beaten.
Bargie was 16 to 12 in our favor on clean breaks and 55 to 49 on defenders beaten
Which across all games put us at 65 clean breaks to us vs 60 to our opponents. They however beat us 144 to 142 on defenders beaten.
All of that suggests to me that despite the two blow up wins where our opponents collapsed, attacking stats were about even and we were in fact behind in the tight matches. Do you concur?
Yes Chat and no I do not concur especially when you talk of the opponents collapsing
We dominated the year but for the Oz glitch. We extended the gap at the top of the world rankings for the year
You don’t dominate like that without scoring more tries and beating more defenders and in the process play with supreme rugby intelligence
Your dislike of Rassie is shameful and serves only to cloud your reality. If only you could celebrate our success like the vast majority of Bok supporters do.
You really are a strange one - I sincerely would hate to be in your shoes and have your rugby outlook. Im so proud to be a Bok supporter right now - are you?
Let's try something...
Power without intelligence and talent is less effective than power with intelligence and talent. Do we agree on that?
A 10, on the surface and as general logic goes, would need to be of higher intelligence than a player in most other positions.
But is that the case?
One could argue that the things a 10 does are very visible but the complexity level of his role isn't necessarily higher than, for example, an 8.
A ten would have to call plays, decide whether to pass, who to pass to and if kicking then what type of kick has to be made. And then the 10 would have to make defensive decisions.
How many decisions does an 8 have to make and how complex is his role? An 8 plays most of their rugby without the ball in hand. Even the most linking of 8s still does most of their work off the ball. Either defending the ball or pressuring the opposition ball. This is, by default, doing to be less "visible" than the things a 10 does.
So the question, how much intelligence is required?
Some decisions an 8 has to make(GPT);
I read though these and while I don't agree with them all, it does demonstrate how "dumb" muscle wouldn't cut it in the best pack in the world.
There are simply too many decisions to make for a guy that is "just strong". Wiese is by some distance the best 8 in a country packed with ridiculously talented loosies. There are 100% other 8s that are as stronger and faster than he is. So if he is dumber than most of them...why is he so effective?
I'm reminded of a story I heard somewhere, can't remember where;
A famous Samurai visits a feudal village in Japan. Everybody bows. One man does not. The samurai dismounts and asks the man why he didn't bow? The man replies that he didn't bow because he possesses a skill greater than the Sumarai's. The Samurai insists that he demonstrates this skill...
The man gets out a jug full of oil and with his other hand he makes a small loop, about the diameter of a pinkie finger, by curling his forefinger on the inner side of his thumb...
He then proceeds to pour the entire jug of oil into another jug, though this tiny orifice, without any of the oil touching his forefinger or thumb.
The Samurai gets on his horse and leaves.
The next year, when the Samurai again visits the village, he gets off his horse and bows to the man.
Um how many times a game does Roos have the ball in his hands as a 8?
He then proceeds to pour the entire jug of oil into another jug, though this tiny orifice, without any of the oil touching his for finger or thumb.
Ockay, but what brand of oil was it? Extra virgin olive oil, or just some cheap samarai-grade Canola?
Mozart
No response on game plnas village idiot? Usage of ESPN stats are for idiots who believe in inadequate ESPN stats and does not realize that it is a very poor basis for determianion of actual player and team performances,
DA
Dit was ninja olie bra.
hahaha
Yes I know I’m a pretty awful person thinking Geraasmus sold Eben down the river….the latest example of how it’s all about him. But I accept, a real fan would simply have ignored that. Or more likely not even figured out that he did it,
Let’s get back to the thing you really love……analysis. Let’s set aside emotion and deal with hard cold facts.
So we already know the Bok for the whole RC were no different to the opposition in two important markers of back play, clean breaks and defenders beaten. They led 65 to 60 on clean breaks but trailed 142 to 144 on defenders beaten.
But the Boks were playing to a different game plan in NZ2 and Bargie1. In those games we attacked rather than the rope-a-dope style that has been our standard in all big games. Let’s look at those two styles separately.
In the attack oriented style we led in both categories ….22 clean breaks to 11 by opponents and 80 defenders beaten to 58.
Now in the remaining games playing Erasmus ball we trailed in both categories…43 clean breaks to our opponents 49…..62 defenders beaten to 86 times they beat our tackles.
And so out of the dark cesspool of rudimentary analysis we have a stunning finding. Season as a whole we were not statistically different to our opponents on backline markers. But in the games we played Erasmus ball we lagged them significantly.
This finding lines up with similar findings in the past WC. Rope-a-dope rugby, or Erasmus ball, puts us at a significant attacking disadvantage….which we have made up by scrumming and penalties. And in the WC by luck and because our opponents never made their kicks.
Am I particularly excited by that….nope….how about them apples?
LOL LOL LOL LOL Mozart - you cannot be serious about the shit you spout in your latest posting.
Can't see the wood for the trees...cliche but if it fits...
What a load of utter rubbish
Always encouraging when my fans love my work. Especially when they are left speechless.
Your work of fiction is just that
I have always preferred fiction….happy holidays Dave.
It's obvious as all hell that Sacha is the difference.
Let's remember what happened at Eden Park when Rassie picked what he thought his best backline and strategy were.
Granted, if that game went on for another 10 minutes, the Boks could have won.
In the next game, he thought the RC was gone and decided to pick a team that he could label as experimental...and they hammered the ABs.
Say what you like, but after all of last year's experimentation and all season leading up to Eden Park, Rassie had no idea what his best 23 was.
but...
We did hammer the ABs, embarrass the French and bully the Irish into submission in a way hat exposed them as not close to our level.
For me, those victories, all being away from home, against the odds and emphatic, is sweet as hell. Especially the French game...I don't even know how many re-runs I've watched at this point.
Manie was on field for a significant time during the hammering of the Allblacks....Sacha is the better player, but Manie chipped in his part...
Fixed my typos above. Dang, I really shouldn't make posts from my phone.
Yeah, Manie was there, he didn't do too badly this season but he's just a much worse version of Sacha really.
What I really don't like is being forced to shift Sacha around to accommodate Manie. The Stompies tried that and it sucked. Sacha is our 10...end of. Fine, Manie can be the understudy, but I don't want to see Sacha at 15 or 12 just to give Manie time on the park.
It’s not that Manie isn’t talented….it’s that he doesn’t process pressure well. And he is a bit robotic.. the long pass ….the open side cross kick. Also his judgement is poor, the whole Australian collapse started with a telegraphed Manie skip pass.
Plum your conclusion about NZ2 is the same as mine. ..
‘In the next game, he thought the RC was gone and decided to pick a team that he could label as experimental...and they hammered the ABs.‘
Proven by the teams he picked for the remaining critical games….Ireland and France…..those were his highest conviction teams. No Esterhozen, no Moodie, Willemse at fullback, Etzebeth at 4. And the game plan in those matches went right back to our WC box kick style.
What we have now is the high conviction style and the window dressing style, to be used when the opposition is poor or when, for whatever reason, we aren’t committed to a win.
We may run rampant against the ABs in South Africa next year if they don’t wise up and replace their coach. But I guarantee if we are in the finals of the new world championship it will be Erasmus ball not Brown ball.
Wrong on two fronts - it’s common knowledge that the players know well in advance about the composition of the side for each game of a tour
Rassie’s hand was forced with the injury to Fassi at 15, forcing him to resort back to Willemse at 15 and therefore not being able to select the 2nd NZ team combinations
A bit of reality for you. We thumped the Kiwi’s as Rassie had discovered his best side and we are that good when we are on song
That makes zero sense
"In the next game, he thought the RC was gone and decided to pick a team that he could label as experimental...and they hammered the ABs.‘
Why would they think the RC were gone.?..they lost by 1 score against the Allblacks ...at their fortress, in atrocious weather? The RC was basically level between the 4 teams...we were still very much in it...their is no way that team was selected as a Hail Mary...
Th ere is one thing I do nopt undersdand about site contributions. Letsget this straight - there is no siiggle game plan for any specific matchesm Game plans depend on the strength and weakneses of opposition teams,
It varies from match to match and accordin g to Lets take the two AB ests in 2025. The Eden Park game was playd in very poor waaather conditions that routinely differ from a match played under better conmditions. In any event wnce a game plan is devised and the players coached to implment the game plan - the actual execution depends on players not fouling up what they were taight to do. In the Eden Park match it was lost within the frosttwo minutes by poor execution by Willie - he did try and recover the ball - neither did he try to defend - so the AB's scored an easy try.
Noe Iwant to g back to the eriod 2012 to 2015 amd especiaaly the difference in th e kicking game and hw that fits into any game pan. Lets take the ecxamples of Carter and Morne. Carter kickballs more ofen than Morne - but there was one huge difference The AB;s game plan had one integral requirement and tha was kicking that was part of their attack plan. Carter was making strategic kicks forming part of the attack plan and alwats accurate - Morney's kicking ws poor and without any idwa using ta a stregic attack mechnaism. No bak to the resent - Sacha kick balls aimed at accuracy - which make a huge difference both in accuray and results, t ollowing comments were stupid:-
"Proven by the teams he picked for the remaining critical games….Ireland and France…..those were his highest conviction teams. No Esterhozen, no Moodie, Willemse at fullback, Etzebeth at 4. And the game plan in those matches went right back to our WC box kick style."
There can never be a repetitive game plan as implied and it shows real ignorance and prejudice,
Soe time there is a facor that makes it diifficult to fathom for most people, It happened in the semi-final a gainst Wales, and the outcome was a tight victyory, Eramus himself declared that he decided on a box kicking match - especially when confrotned by the journalists/ But wa it real or jut anopther strategy. In the final it was clear that Jones expected the same game plan used against Wales.- but what came out in the final was a completely different appoach and a more ccurate attack system.
,
"Why would they think the RC were gone.?..they lost by 1 score against the Allblacks ...at their fortress, in atrocious weather? The RC was basically level between the 4 teams...we were still very much in it...their is no way that team was selected as a Hail Mary"
He had just lost at Eden Park with what he believed to be his best side.
He then picked a "long-shot" team for Wellington.
You don't pick a long-shot side unless your back is really against the wall and you are out of options.
So, perhaps I shouldn't say that he thought the RC was gone. Rather that he was of the mindset that he had very narrow odds of pulling it off - i say this because the team he picked reflected that mindset. Had he felt they were simply unlucky at EP, he'd have run out with the same side, confident that they'd pull it off that time.
"their is no way that team was selected as a Hail Mary"
Oh really? Willemse starting at 12, which i cant recall him doing for the Boks before(perhaps my memory fails me) - partnering with Moodie - How may minutes do they have in that combination together?
Hooker got his first proper start - away from home and against the ABs in a crunch match.
Fassi had been in poor form and recently back from injury.
Sacha had been rotated in and out too and hadn't started against the Ozzies or in the EP game - his only starts were against shyte teams at the beginning of the season.
You can call that a settled backline if you like, but its pretty obvious that it wasn't.
There, I've explained why i thought that side was "experimental"...can you explain why you don't think it was?
If that makes zero sense then that makes you stupid
Plum
He had just lost at Eden Park with what he believed to be his best side.
Have y ou got any proof supporting the above statement or is it just your assumption.
The fact is tha Erasmus selecte a team which he probably thought could beat the EB's at Edn {ark and ist had serious flaws in the team - the most glaring was he included Willie to play at full back - despite average performances by him in the whole 2025, but he has an injury problem with Willemse and Fassie out. That was the position where the match was lost and as it turned out it was Willies's last test as a Spring bok. That se;ection was the main reason for the loss at Eden Park.
The other dud selection was Van Staaden in the starting line-u[, up.
Simple question….if Wellington was his best team, why did he not pick his best team for France/Ireland.
If Wellington was his preferred tactics, why did he not use those tactics against France/Ireland.
Geraasmus launched refgate after we lost the first test to the Lions. He hates the embarrassment of losing, which is actually a good attribute for a coach. What’s not so cool is his reactions. I think he didn’t want to lose a second test with his best team, which he probably saw as a strong possibility. Losing with an experimental team provided far more excuses.
Bet he was amazed at what actually happened, but he still didn’t really trust that formula so he went back to tried and true for France/Ireland.
That’s obvious - he lost Fassi at 15 so resorted back to Willemse at 15 as he had no player prepped to replace Fassi given that Willie is now history.
No doubt that had that not happened we would have seen far more of Fassi at 15, Moodie at 13 and Willemse at 12
Im a little surprised you did not work this out - pretty obvious really
"pretty obvious really"
Not to a rugby noob it isn't.
Spot on Saffex.
Hahaha….I make Jabba the Hutt appear
No doubt that had that not happened we would have seen far more of Fassi at 15, Moodie at 13 and Willemse at 12
Like we did twice against Australia and the first NZ test? Stop talking nonsense Dave. The truth is Geraasmus still prefers Dud Allende to any other 12, and he seems to prefer Willemse to Fassi. He has played Willemse at fullback 23 times and at 12 only once. Is that penetrating?
Fuck me Moz stop being stupid - he went with the tried and tested in DA and Jessie to start with, which makes perfect sense
He went with the bold selection of Willemse and Moodie at centre in the second AB test and will have concluded from their showings that as a combo they were the way forward
Rassie is more rugby astute than most, he knows DA and Jessie’s days are numbered and that the display by Willemse and Moodie far surpasses anything DA and Jessie have delivered in ages and their performances on the EOYT would have reinforced the fact they are lagging behind Willemse and Moodie
The injury to Fassi put pay to Willemse being used at 12 - if you don’t get that then give up
And he really needed Willemse at fullback even against Wales, when he could have been slipped into 12 where Geraasmus really thinks he is world class? Sorry it just doesn’t add up….I don’t think the esteemed coach is persuaded that Willemse is his kind of 12.
Hard to believe that Fassi and Willemse are the same age.
Willemse feels like an old hand at this point while Fassi is still trying to prove himself.
Fassi's injury in the 2024 season was a real killer for him. He was in ridiculous form.
Meanwhile Willemse just looks like he can do anything he wants to.
I very much doubt that Willemse is Rassie's long term 12. For me, Willemse's balance makes him perfect for 15 and as Shark pointed out numerous times this year, Fassi's positioning was questionable at times.
Andre at 12 and Willemse at 15 until after the WC. After that, I'd go with Hooker at 12 for the next decade.
Wow Moz your rugby knowledge is really piss poor - against Wales the Boks had 8 backs left in in the squad in total. He was hardly going to play anyone else at 15 now was he? If he had wanted to play Willemse at 12 he would have to have played Esterhuizen at fullback or on the wing
Try wake up, in particular to the fact that the only reason Willemse was not played at 12 was because of the injury to Fassi
Only an idiot after Willemse’s display at 12 against the AB’s would want to move him to 15 and start old man Esterhuizen at 12, the guy who will forever be the hybrid bench option moving forward and rightly so
The only option for the Boks moving forward is Fassi at 15 and Willemse at 12 - it’s non negotiable and one of the easiest Bok selections to make
Rassie knows it after seeing Willemse operate as he did against the AB’s
Only a rugby noob would be stupid enough to discard Fassi at 15, move Willemse to 15 and start a second choice in Esterhuizen at 12 - it’s never going to happen - there is no way in hell Esterhuizen aged 32 will be the new Bok 12. Willemse is not quick enough for 15 for a start and bullshit is Fassi still having to prove himself - he is past that hurdle. Shark with all due respect knows very little about rugby - out of position my arse
DA will be phased out in 26 with Willemse taking over - I’d put big money on that
The injury to Fassi occurred 2 months before the YE tour….there were no risk matches where a sub for Fassi, who hasn’t recovered form in any case, could have been found if Erasmus. was anxious to play him there again. But he has only played him there once….not quite sure how you are so certain Willemse at 12 is his plan.
As for Willemse not being fast enough for 15, check out the tackle Draad posted under best tackle of the year. He has been a success at 15 and is getting better at reading the field.
But let’s look on the bright side Dave, you finally see what the rest of us have been saying, Dud Allende is a liability. Wellington could never have happened with Dud at 12. Better late than never!
"As for Willemse not being fast enough for 15, check out the tackle Draad posted under best tackle of the year. He has been a success at 15 and is getting better at reading the field."
Willemse has always been quicker than Willie.
Fassi is 28 next year. Will he have fixed his positioning errors by then? Or do we wait until he's thirty and then say "Fassi has fixed his positioning and now we need to start looking for a replacement because he's the wrong side of 30"?
AE at 12 till after the WC, Hooker after that.
Willemse at 15 until he retires and Fassi on as wing cover.
Hooker was born to play 12 for the Boks. Size, pace, mindset, fight, defence...he's literally the perfect candidate.
I wonder when JJ will become a Bok regular? He's way better than Hooker after all. Not next year, because the Boks have all the backs they need and Seb, along with a few others, are probably ahead of him in the queue. So, maybe 2028...provided he improves a hell of a lot and finds another 10% of speed somewhere haha. Guy has zero chance of ever playing on the wing, or at FB...and there are a good few 13, and incumbents, that are way ahead of him. Looks like Dawie's JJ magic will require some actual magic to materialise.
That Tackle doesn't only prove Willemse's adequate speed, but also his excellent cover defense at Full Back.
Erasmus's positional selections to date indicate he prefers Willemse at Full Back.
He has tried him out at 12 with success, but if he is now convinced of Willemse as our future 12, we will probably see that shift in 2026.
JJ glides Plum dontcha get it?
I've not watched a many of the Sharks games this season, has JJ even been selected for them?
Geez Moz you really are acting dumb
Fassi has been Rassie’s succession plan at 15 post Willie with Willemse as an obvious option as well
His selection for that AB’s test clearly showed his future plans for the two with Fassi at 15 and Willemse at 12. Given Willemse’s display at 12 in that test, that would have further reinforced his conviction that Willemse is his future 12.
You say given Fassi’s injury, Rassie had time to find an alternate 15 - again your ignorance shines bright - who would that be? Gelant? Jordan Hendrikse? Quan Horn?
Unfortunately as Rassie knows as well as I do, there are no obvious options at 15 outside Fassi and Willemse so your call is utter ignorance
As for me not rating DA, what utter crap, he has been brilliant for the Boks and for most of his time there, been the best 12 in the game. My call for change is based on the fact that DA is now 34, get it?
Willemse is an exceptional talent and I do prefer the way he plays at 12 than the defaults like DA, AE, Aki’s etc
Willemse is all about the step and power, not pace, you never see him hit the line from deep with pace as he does not have that pace - we see that from Fassi all the time.
Willemse has the skills to play anywhere but that does not include pace. A great fullback needs skill and pace as part of his attraction is taking a line at pace and slicing through the defence. That tackle on Clarke from behind showed nothing as Clarke is not quick - his strength is physicality not pace.
Willie was never that either, his strength was vision and creating for others, not individual one on one success
AE will never be the incumbent Bok 12 and rightly so - he is 32 and has a new Bok role as a hybrid. Rassie is also not stupid enough to now elevate his 32 year old second choice 12 to succeed his not much older incumbent.
Its going to be Fassi at 15 and Willemse at 12
The 13 jersey is up for grabs - Moodie has the inside track and rightly so as he has shown his class and has caps under his belt, but he has stiff competition from Hooker, JJ and Henco v Wyk
Of these JJ walks it for me - that step, power and burst of pace off the mark, sets him apart - yes he fucking glides
Gliders, of course, being the slowest aircraft known.
‘Pace off the mark’….Dave trying to sidestep (does JJ have one) JJ’s lack of top end pace. The fastest man over two yards…haha!
Nothing wrong with JJ’s pace - he is quicker than Hooker or Henco v Wyk, I’m guessing he could be quicker than Moodie but not sure
But out and out pace is not what I’m after, it’s that explosive pace off the mark that sets him apart - it’s those monster thighs of his. With that pace off the mark he is able to exploit the smallest of gaps as we have seen on numerous occasions
I can’t wait for this kid to shut you ignorant fools up once and for all. Seeing Hooker at 13 for the Sharks of late has convinced me he that JJ is the far better option at 13. Hooker needs to stick to 12 where his size and strength is a bonus.
Dave, you told us that Hooker was a robotic player and JJ was so much better.
At some point, you need to be man enough to reevaluate a stance once time passes and more information is available.
There isn't a single person on this site that thinks Hooker is "robotic" or who would, as it stands, rather have JJ in the Boks than Hooker.
I told you in the 2024 season that JJ needs to do a lot more and you said I was wrong and that he was already good enough. Well, why was he nowhere near the Boks this year apart from an alignment camp where almost every player in SA was invited? Why was he often not even the first choice for the Sharks?
Meanwhile, Hooker has already done enough to cement his place with the Boks and would likely be picked for any of the top Test sides if he was eligible to play for them - Seriously, mistaking Hooker's ice cold calmness for roboticness is a proper low grade noob take.
...and for JJ to dislodge Moodie from the 13 jersey will take nothing short of a Herculean effort at this point.
As it stands, all I have seen from JJ is the odd half break. Nothing more.
Does anybody else here have some evidence or testimony to the contrary?
Plum Dave has a PhD in rugby, we are merely observers. So when we see Hooker outplaying his All Black opponents…it’s not a reliable reaction. You know his take of the high ball, deft offloads….50 meter break that sealed the game. All just conjecture.
Lol Moz
All the URC highlights are on YouTube.
Dawie simply needs to point us to a game where JJ was MOTM or even featured reasonably in any game.
I suppose that rugby PHD of his puts him beyond having to provide evidence to back his claims.
Plum I don’t care what you think or anyone else thinks - I know my players and stop lying about what I said about Hooker
I said Kriel was robotic - I said Hooker originally gave me the impression he was only about power play but I have seen enough of him now that there is more to him than that and I have said as much - so stop fucking lying
As for JJ - I stand by my take that he is a better prospect than Hooker - he is more talented and creative. More chance of him beating a defender one on one than Hooker
Hooker has power and size over JJ but not skill set. But at 98kg JJ is a great fit for a 13
Why is JJ not near the Bok set up and only seen a Bok alignment camp to date - for the same reason we ask the question about David Kriel, Tyrone Green, Tambwe, Henco v Wyk, Nohamba, Hanro Jacobs, Ruben v Heerden, Ruan Vermaak, JF v Heerden, Ludwig, Manu Tsituka, Augustus, Dayamani or the loss in favour in the likes of Jordan Hendrikse, Papier, AH Venter, Dweba, Jason Jenkins, Cobus Wiese, Vincent Tsituka, Buthelezi, Ruan Venter and Roos or why the hell the likes of Mostert, Nortje or Marco v Staaden find favour
What did Hooker do that has him outplaying his AB opponent - time stamp that for me - for it’s a complete lie
Taking a high ball - bwhaaahaaaaa so fucking definitive
Plum those URC games will show as much about JJ as they will Hooker - fat zero since the Sharks have been so damn poor that their coach got the sack
But whenever JJ has beaten defenders with the odd ball he has received - I have highlighted it
He has been more impressive than Hooker has
Just go see how ineffective Hooker has been at 13 in his last two games for the Sharks
Try catch a wake up
Look it up yourself Dave, you are the one with the faulty memory….here’s AI:
"Hookers Break against the All Blacks"
refers to South African player Ethan Hooker's sensational performance in 2025, where his powerful runs, skill, and line breaks significantly contributed to the Springboks' massive win over the All Blacks in Wellington, highlighting his arrival as a key player and fueling discussions about hookers (positional players) breaking the famous Black defense, though All Blacks hooker Asafo Aumua also took a break due to concussions.
Ethan Hooker's Impact:
Hooker is good but he has not beaten defenders through skill - he has been physical and very good under the high ball
But trying to tell me he has ripped defences to shreds and dominated the AB’s is nonsense
He is a great prospect wasted on the wing much like Moodie is
11 Ethan Hooker – 8.5
In his first start for the national team, the 22-year-old may have been a bit envious of the action that went fellow wing Kolbe’s way. But he grew into the match and did his job well, though, with some strong carries on the flank. His kick-chase and supreme strength in the air played a huge part in the outcome of the match, relentlessly coming out on top in aerial battles. Would have surely wanted the match to last longer as he was getting better and better.
11. Ethan Hooker (8.5)
Explosive on the edge: 11 carries for 99 metres, five defenders beaten, one line break and an offload. Asked constant questions in backfield kick returns.
Ethan Hooker 9: In just his third Test and first start, he was excellent out wide, in the air, jumping for balls. He carried strongly, with a few good runs, one from deep that led to a try.
That’s exactly what I said - he was physical and good in the air - what’s your point?
My point is Hooker was very comfortable on the international stage in key matches….as much so as perhaps any young player except Sacha who is a freak. Rugby is as much about the mental competency as the physical. Hooker is ready….a mental A. Julius has made a few nice breaks but much of the time he seems uncertain, more of a mental b minus. Will he get it….some do some don’t it’s hard to predict.
Hooker definitely has it and agreed he looks completely comfortable at test level. As for Julius, he just looks a great prospect, a refreshing prospect at 13, purely based on his ability to beat defenders one on one through skill - it’s definitely the acceleration off the mark that equips him differently.
But yes he is only a prospect who like Hooker has been labouring in a poor performing Sharks side
I much prefer centres equipped with the ability to attack space - which is why my preference is the likes of Willemse, Moodie and Julius. Hooker has shown elements of this but looks more inclined to rely on power over creativity.
Of our 4 established centres, only Am had the creativity and great rugby brain - Jessie is robotic and dependable, AE and DA are all about the power
Hooker fits between Am and AE, Julius is more Am
The problem is with JJ is he's a limited prospect. 13 is the only place he can play.
Hooker could be on the wing, 12, 13 and he also has all the attributes for 15...though we don't often see him kicking.
The only problem I have with Hooker at 12 is that he and Moodie are quite similar, both in build and style. I dunno, is that a problem?
Rugby is still a game made up of specialists with the odd utility player thrown in
JJ played on the wing in his first season for the Baby Boks and has played at 12
I also recall him playing the odd game at 15 for his school based on the YouTube tribute to him when he first burst onto the scene as a school boy sensation
Wht is vey material is that 2026 is a cucial year for moving up to t he RWC squad in 2027.
There will have to be a keen eassessment of which of the older players will make he grade to get through to 2027. Of those players the following will be under real scrutiny :-
Kolbe, Kriel, De Allende, Pollard, Reinach, Etzebeth,, Kolisis, Mostert , Kwagga and Esterhuizen.
Of the above I think Kolbe, De Allende and Reinach are likely to survive. The i gns in respect fo the other player were problematic at best in 2025.
Amn st the youn ger players coming through there are some that could start of t he Sprin gboks this year and thse include moving Hooker to 13. O the youg sters i think the players that could move up are the following :-
Hanekom , Roos and De Villiers, Van den Heever
.
17,798 posts
Somewhere around halfway through the franchise season, considering the Bok side is basically settled, outside of few looming departures that are already seemingly replaced, who'd you add to the squad for the 2026 season?
For me;
Seb De Klerk
Elrigh Louw
Cameron Hanekom(don't care if he's injured and hasn't played)
Maybe Ruan Venter if he continues to play well this year.
Papier if this was Reinach's last Bok season.
(Space) for the Stompies loosie you are all raving about ;)
Dave please don't comment because you are actually incapable of producing realistic lists.