Three packs:
Ox 2. Marx 3. Malherbe 4. Etzebeth 5. RG 6. Kolisi 7. PSDT 8. Wiese
Steenkamp 2. Bongi 3. Wilco 4. Jenkins 5.Lood 6. Hanekom 7. Elrigh Louw 8. Roos
Wessels 2. AH Venter 3. Thomas du Toit 4. Ruan Vermaak 5. Ruben v Heerden 6. Kwagga 7. Ruan Venter 8. Manu Tsituka
15,650 posts
While Europe are importing, the saffas are exporting.
This is not to say that we're leaving nothing for ourselves.
Rather that we have abundance at minimum and an embarrassment of riches is the most suitable term to describe our forward depth.
Contrary to popular belief, I'm of the opinion that Ireland annd England are about on par in terms of packs. France is slightly better and slightly worse. Keeping an eye on the six nations, nobody's pack really runs away with first prize. They're all decent, all good at their own things...but all roughly on par.
I know nothing about the ABs but my guess is they have a better pack than any of those three sides.
As for SA, we are sitting very pretty at the moment. The amount of young depth is actually insane. Wiese just won us a WC and no other team would think of dropping him...but Hannekom isn't just looking like the best loosie in SA, he's looking like a top 3 loosie in the world. Roos who would walk into France, Ireland or England is actually gonna struggle to break in. Then there's the absolute monster that is Ruan Venter. Cobus Wiese is another youngster that would be handed a jumper the moment he gets off the plane in Europe. There are actually too many to mention.
I watched all the 6 Narions games at the weekend and I'm pretty confident that I could pick a 3rd string Bok pack that would massively trouble all of the Euro test sides.
Their two "best" teams are relying almost entirely on jacking and much less on blunt force. And that's all good and well but when you suddenly have chap like Ruan Venter running at you like a crazed Viking, and then the next and then the next...it's very difficult to get over the ball when you are getting thumped backwards.
Yes, I'm still worried about our prop situation but I have to concede that an appeal to tradition is very difficult to avoid in that we never struggle for props so answers will probably come in time.
Watching Scotland yesterday, every time they tried to rumble through the middle of the Irish pack, they made progress. They weren't smart enough to capitalise on that and I don't really care that they didn't.
...but what happens when a monstrous Bok pack starts picking and driving up the middle?
In all honesty, I think the English pack would be the best Euro challenge for the Boks.
...but all of that aside, it's quite something to see the gulf in depth between SA and Europe, as far as forwards go.
If our best backs can remain fit too, the Boks are good for the time being.
PS - If Rassie doesn't start Hannekom in almost every game this year then I shall be sending him death threats.