Not a bad team…selection is a bit better…I would have gone with Jean Kleyn instead of Orie…he had a good impact in the OZ game…Esterhuizen 12 and Willemse 13…with DDA of the bench….him and Kriel together, means much less play making….this combination has been tried before, not much coming out of it.
I would prefer Jean Kleyn over Lomp. Lomp appears to be in the dog box, and may slip out of world cup contention completely.
If Esterhuizen was on the bench, then Delande could move to outside center in the second half.
The last test that Kriel played in he was hopeless. He started his match contribution by missing a routine tackle that led to a try. Then he got knocked out a few minutes later with another poor tackle attempt.
What is our game plan with these 2 in the Mid field? They will stifle everything good that gets done by Libbok….Esterhuizen, Am and Libbok a better match.
Fucking useless Orie back in the side
Utterly fucking useless - I thought we had seen the back of this token player
Fuck sake
Fucking useless Orie back in the side
Utterly fucking useless - I thought we had seen the back of this token player
Fuck sake
Pointless selection for a pointless game.
Most attacking half back and back 3 combinations we have ever fielded…..glueing them together we have Dud Allende and Kriel.
So what’s the plan, Williams breaks, passes to Libbok at pace and Dud Allende tries to keep up with him?
Kriel is the only hope for the midfield. The heavily exposed Libbok is a fitting 10 for this kind of 12. The entire backline looks porous on defence. I haven't seen a more vulnerable looking Bok backline from 9 to 15 before. There's nothing happening in the loose forwards at all. A very poor selection. The bench is the strength of the team. Better hope Los Pumas habe one of their iffy performances, or Player 16 blows them off the field again.
Why on earth was Esterhuizen not given another run at 12 and why start Malherbe in every game?
Why not give Thomas a start at 3 and had the squad been a better one - Wilco Louw could have started
Why not cap the impressive Gerhard Steenkamp off the bench
Why not give Willemse a start at 15?
What’s the point of Jantjies and JL du Preez being in the squad if you are not going to give them some game time
Surely Jantjies ahead of Faf and JL du Preez ahead of Kwagga on the bench
Just such narrow minded selections that serve to tell the coaches fuck all
As for Orie starting - I just don’t get it - why the fuck would you not start RG???
Hmm, I have mixed response to this. Yes, we get a decent front row only for Orie to fuck up the 2nd row. The back row is solid but should we have not gone for Roos and give him a proper crack to start at home.
Williams and Libbok, will be curious to see how they combine.
Yup, absolute dead weight in the midfield. Maybe Willemse could have shifted to 12. At least Kriel could have had a decent run with some creative backs to see how well they perform.
Dud to suck up more minutes in the Midfield. Would have gone with Esterhuizen. My preferred Midfield is Am and Esterhuizen.
Interesting to see how we will cope with two small wingers and limo Willie on defence.
Our only back up 15 is Willemse. At least they have 3 back. Line players.
Still no closer what the coaches are thinking and who should be our starting 15. Looks like it will be Dud.
Orie, we know why. The pack was too light skinned. Orie doesn't come close to Kleyn or the other locks that we have.
I would rate our locks as follows
4 - Etzebeth, Kleyn, RG
5 - RG, Lood, PSDT
Oh well, we're fucked
Jason Jenkins should be in the lock mix ahead of PSDT who stays at 7 only to cover lock if need be
I prefer Jenkins over Kleyn. I rate Kleyn but prefer Jenkins
Fucking Orie is an insult - I can bear useless Mostert being in the side but I can’t when it comes to Orie - he is on par with the likes of Adi Jacobs or Juan de Jongh or Albert vd Bergh or Braam v Straaten or Ross Cronje kind of selections
Yup, Orie and Mostert can fuck off. I don't know all the hype about Mostert.
Yet again using test matches to play out of players into form.
We definitely need an A team to test these guys, not test matches
The plan must surely be to bring Willemse on at 12 in the second half, and with AM replacing Piecemeal Kriel.
Agreed King I don’t get the Mostert thing
I see right through all the heart and energy - there is practically zero physical productivity
A Bok lock or blindside needs to have grunt and physicality first and foremost
Mostert does not have that, Orie even less
Willemse won’t come on at 12, he will come on at 15 or 10
I was thinking about the omission of Esterhuizen. That is the decision that makes the least sense.
Perhaps it is to give Delande time to combine with Libock
Surely it would have been better to start with Esterhuizen at 12.
Then if AM was not playing, Delande could have started at 13.
Why play AE at all against Oz if your gonna snub him after that?
It makes zero sense.
What makes it worse is that he had great game.
It was just like 2019: Andre effectively wins us the RC with his outstanding ability to dominate Kerevi and totally shut the Wallabies down, but gets snubbed thereafter. Who in their right minds would want to represent a country like that, or play with the mediocre nothings that make it into the team on a consistent basis?
Esterhuizen will carry bags while DA bungles along at 50% effort in the starting spot until one of them retires, and then both will be past it. Sad waste of a far better player.
Agreed Pakie….Dud apparently is an automatic.
We had a golden opportunity to dominate world rugby after 2017, and it was urinated into a lowly gutter. since 2021 we have deteriorated alarmingly. Damian, and the likes of Kolisi, never deserved a single test for the Boks. Ever. South Africans love mediocrity.
18,428 posts
Springboks – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Lukhanyo Am, 23 Damian Willemse.
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This is a good team, and close to what I would have selected.
My only concerns are
1. Esterhuizen is not on the bench, at the very least.
Jessica Kriel is taking over the extra centre spot, and he is not a test-standard player.
I would have started Esterhuizen, and not in any way consider Kriel.
2. Orrie: Not the biggest concern as he had a good game against Australia. He also brings some colour to the t ight five for strategic transformation.
Perhaps the plan is to move Willemse to 12 in the second half.