There's too much dead wood in that team.
There's too much dead wood in that team.
My broader squad would be:
15. Willie / Gelant / Fassi / Kriel
14/11. Mapimpi / Nkosi / Kolbe / Arendse / Tambwe / Zas
13. Am / JVR / Moodie / Xamlashe / Similane
12. de Allende / Esterhuizen / Willemse / Rickus Pretorious
10. Pollard / Libbok / Sasha / Jantjies
9. Faf / Williams / Jantjies / Hendrikse / Nohamba / Papier
1. Kitshoff / Ox / Steenkamp
2. Marx / Mbonambi / Dweba / Grobelaar
3. Malherbe / Thomas du Toit / Wilco Louw / Sadie
4. Etzebeth / Jenkins / Ruan Vermaak / Moerat / Ruben Schoeman
5. RG Snyman / Lood / Ruben v Heerden
6. Kolisi / Kwagga / v Staaden / Buthelezi
7. PSDT / JL du Preez / Vincent Tsituka / Ruan Venter
8. Roos / Dan du Preez / Wiese / Elrigh Louw / Emmanuel Tsituka
My WC squad right now would be:
15. Willie / Gelant
14/11. Mapimpi / Kolbe / Arendse / Moodie
13/12. Am / JVR / de Allende / Willemse / Esterhuizen
10. Pollard / Libbok
9. Faf / Williams
1. Kitshoff / Oz
2. Marx / Mbonambi
3. Malherbe / Thomas du Toit / Wilco Louw
4/5. Etzebeth / Jenkins / Lood / RG Snyman
6. Kolisi / Kwagga
7. PSDT / JL du Preez
8. Roos / Dan du Preez / Wiese
So on one hand, we have some fantastic 9's coming through and I have to credit Rassie and Nienaber for spotting Williams. I wasn't a fan of him and couldn't understand how he made the boks training team back in 2021.
We have no need for Reinach now. So the big problem is, do you go with Reinach or do you give Williams a crack. Both him and Hendrikse are completely different players and could complement each other really well in terms of the match day itself.
I'm a bit worried at tight head and our lock stocks. Nortje is there only because he has potential and can be useful if he bulks up.
Moerat, I'm still not convince but he has potential.
I'm looking for the next Etzebeth / Bakkies Botha.
No real contender for 13, Henco van Wye got a sniff, but was out all season.
15 worries me a lot too. Galant is nearly 29, still rate him. Fassi can be amazing, but he needs to sort out his tackling.
So I'm wondering if it should be Moodie only 20 and can have a long career at 15.
Just hope Rikus can find his way back to the Stormers
There are plenty of good locks about
Big fan of Ruben v Heerden and Ruben Schoeman
Ruan Vermaak has been very good for the Bulls
I like Moerat - he is big and gets stuck in
Jason Jenkins is a real option
Andre Smith of WP is a brute but got injured
Nortje has to bulk up to even be considered. Good player but needs 10ths extra on him. Jake has instructed him to bulk up
At 15 we have Gelant, Fassi and Richard Kriel
Williams at 9 is a weapon with his pace
We need more 13’s putting up their hands but equally we don’t see the coaches investing in them
I love Sango Xamlashe of Griquas - our next Am, has a good rugby brain
Similane looked good when he got a chance at 13 for the Bulls but Jake sadly showed no faith in him. Another poor Jake call
I like Marius Potgieter of the Sharks. He really impresses me but again we often see him played out of position on the wing
There is Sebastian de Klerk moving from the Pumas to Bulls next season - he is a try scoring machine, also sometimes wasted on the wing
I like Henko v Wyk but he might be too small for test rugby
Move Moodie to 13 where he played at school - he needs to bulk up a bit
Tighthead we have Thomas, Wilco, Sadie and Klopper of the Bulls looks good as is Ig Prinsloo signed by the Bulls from the Pumas - he is a square of a man 140kg
Moodie at 13 and Similane. Wow. Similane was exposed in 2019 for being a pretender and now Moodie at 13. Of course, the answer to everything seems to become fatter. What a coach you'd be Saddex!
It’s 2023 you stupid prick - Similane has added a bit of muscle and looked better than any of the other players Jake tried at 13 - problem is Jake was too stupid to recognise this. One of many poor decisions made by clueless Jake this year
Moodie played 13 at school you fucking ignorant prick
He is deceptively strong and with some bull, could be brilliant at 13 - in the Ione mould
Habana played scrumhalf at school, so what's your point? Not a test 13. Similane is not Bok material. Get a grip you pompous old gimmer.
It is a bit of stretch brining in players now that haven't been part of the international scene. There are a lot of potential. Dan Du Plesis was the best 12 in the URC and the highest rank player overall but he won't get a sniff of the bok jumper. He is already 29 and probably not a person I would have had in mind.
I'm looking for players that could potential help us with the world cup but also make sure that we have the next generation ready.
Of the current squad, looking at their ages. There will be way too many players over 30. The average age of the bok team is probably 32. Thanks do Duanne and Fourie pushing that number up. Trev, Bongi are no spring chickens. Dud is pushing 32 already.
Moodie, Libbok, Wilemse, Williams and Roos are our only young guns. By the way 27 is not that young.
So we need a decent number of player under 25, between 25 and 29 and then the remainder of the squad should be less than 20%.
29 is two years off full physical maturity. You don't discard these players, and you don't fill a team of nobodies because they are young with an eye on several years down the line. There needs to be continuity and progression. A blend. Erasputin did what Snor did: rely heavily on a number of payers and then leave the team without any development. Now we need to have a bumpy transition again like under the first year of Meyer.
Names of SA rugby players who must go to the world cup:
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Just looking at the current makeup of the World Cup team, it is pretty obvious that most of these players were fast asleep. However, I don't always think you should discount a player of age but this a physical sport and your body does take long to recover. Most of the team is past 30, so we will end up with a massive vacuum if we don't act now.
I would definitely only allow certain players if I know that they'll make the next World Cup or get us past the next two year. But I would prefer for my starting team to be between 26 and 29, 30 max. I would opt for younger players in the team to give energy and help the next crop.
We can't keep sticking with Mpimpi or Bongi, both have been terrible out of form and are over 30. Kolbe is pushing 30 now and not sure how long he will perform at this level now that he is going to Japan. Might get him to 34, but will he make the next World Cup?
So here is my picks.