First Andries Strauss, Sharks centre, and now Werner Kruger, Bulls tight head prop, answered the Springbok S.O.S. call to join the Springboks in the UK for the last match of the season against the Barbarians at Twickenham, this Saturday.
Andries Strauss was immediately named in the run-on squad and now Werner Kruger makes up the numbers on the bench in a surprising 5 – 2 forwards to backline player split on the bench.
The Barbarian sting no doubt lies in their backline potency and one would have expected the Springbok coaching staff to have a 4 – 3 forwards to backs split due to the nature of the Barbarian assault which is expected.
Kruger, who was a member of the Boks’ preliminary training squad back in October, departs for London late today, Wednesday.
The 25-year-old front row forward, who has played in close to 50 Super Rugby matches since making his debut in 2008 and 70-odd provincial games, comes in for the injured Bok hooker Bismarck du Plessis.
Du Plessis, man of the match in the 21-11 win over England last week, has not recovered from all the knocks he has taken in the four Test matches on tour the decision was taken to rest him for this match.
It left the Boks a player short, with Kruger being called up as additional front row cover.
Kruger, the Bulls’ foremost tighthead prop in recent years, is a former SA Under-21 stalwart and also represented the Blue Bulls with distinction at junior level.
He was also part of the Bulls team that won both the 2009 and 2010 Super 14 titles.
The uncapped trio of centre Andries Strauss, flyhalf Elton Jantjies and prop Coenie Oosthuizen will make their first appearance in the Springbok jersey on Saturday after being named in the starting line-up to meet the Barbarians at Twickenham.
In addition scrumhalf Charl McLeod and tight head Kruger, could make their debuts from the bench for the match which does not have Test status so no caps will be awarded to the players involved.
The line-up shows 12 changes to the XV who ended the Test series with an 11-21 win over England on Saturday – seven of them forced by injuries and unavailability, while coach Peter de Villiers has taken the opportunity to give game time to squad members who have not appeared to date.
Lock Alistair Hargreaves appears for the first time on tour along with late call,up Odwa Ndungane, while Pat Lambie, Adi Jacobs, Willem Alberts, Adriaan Strauss and CJ van der Linde all make their first starts on tour.
Hoekom call hulle ‘n voory op as hulle short is op agterspelers? Piet Snorre se kop werk nogsteeds nie!!
1@ KingPaul:
Ek het ook so geredeneer…
…. maar die vraag is, wie roep jy nader?
Meyer Bosman?
Stefan Terblanche?
Hennie Daniller?
Doppies Le Grange?
Ek sou ‘n veelsydige ou met ondervinding geroep het… Oupa Stefan Terblanche… hy kan alles hoër as 10 speel, m.a.w. enige vleuel, senter, heelagter…
Ek dink Meyer Bosman sou idiaal gewees het. Hy cover darem losskakel en senter, maar dan is daar klaar twee losskakels in die span, so Oupa sou ook nie te sleg gedoen het nie. Verstaan net nie hoekom hulle nie met ‘n UK based speler se klub kon onderhandel nie?
3@ KingPaul:
Ons het 2 losskakels, klaar in die span… Jantjies & Lambie.
Senters is ons dun… selfs met Andries nou daar, ek vertrou nie Adi se verdedigingsvermoë teen Nonu en Ashley-Cooper nie.
Vleuels is OK onder omstandighede…. Mvovo kan dalk weer shine Saterdag, Odd-one is te minste defensively solid.
Heelagter het ons nou vir Lambie daar maar ek dink nie Gio is so goed op heelagter nie, hy is heelwat beter in posisie op regtervleuel…. waar hy eintlik demm goed is en kwaai verdedig vir so kleintjie. Maar op heelagter skarrel hy rond.
Dis daarom dat ek eerder vir Oupa Terblanche sou kies…. senter en heelagter, no problem, miskien al effe stadig vir vleuel… maar daar het ons mos cover.
Anybody watching the carnage at The Wanderers
Highveld Lions want to square the semi finals today, hell wat a onslaught.
Titans 287/8 (40/40 ov)
Lions 100/0 (8.4/40 ov)
Lions require another 188 runs with 10 wickets and 31.2 overs remaining
Lions RR 11.53
Last 5 ovs 71/0 RR 14.20
Required RR 6.00
Titans RR 7.17
@ superBul:5 – Super, Sounds a great game, will go and watch a bit now.
@ superBul:Super, Two quick wickets there have changed that game fast. Titans could still win this one.
Highveld Lions 4 wickets down… finely balanced game, this
Another Lions wicket down… come on Titans, gaffel hulle!
dink met watse drama daar sal wees in new zealand as die all blacks vasval in die world cup 2011?
Kan ek net se… HOLY SH*T. Hulle moes iemand in vlieg net om die getalle op die bench op te vul…? Of verstaan ek nou verkeerd.
Ok, nou kan NIEMAND stry dat ons deur beserings geplaag is nie. Ek dink mens kan die DEFNITIEF as ‘n Bok derde span sien. Steeds nie ‘n slegte span nie. Gaan lekker lekker Champagne rugby wees met daai twee backlines!
Ek dink ten minste 5-7 driee in die game.
@ KingPaul:
@ grootblousmile:
UK en French based spelers se “internationale seisoen” is oor. Dis hoekom Steyn en Pienaar moes waai.
Maar steeds ‘n goeie punt. MARIUS JOUBERT is een van die beste senters in frankryk op die oomblik, het Bok ervaring en sou MAKLIK ingepas het… hoekom nie?
Gepraat van dun op senters, waarom nie Doppies Le Grange, of is hy beseer?
In elk geval, dis steeds ‘n opwindende span, dis ‘n Baabaas game, so dis net vir fun, en dis die laaste een van die jaar.
C’Mon BOKKE!
strauss was puik in die currie cup,die is sy oomlik van waarheid.
Congratulations Werner, hope that he makes it onto the field and doesn’t make the long trip over just to sit on the bench. Going to be a bit of a shock to his system coming from 30 plus Pretoria to snow covered London. Just a question, if this game doesn’t have test status will the likes of Werner and Oosthuizen still be elegible to play for another country if they choose? I guess its not a likely scenario for any of the ‘debutants’ but just more of a technicality question?
Hey, who says that Snor will play Kruger at prop? Knowing our coach and his backline assistant Kruger could well find himself playing in the backline.
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