Coach Heyneke Meyer has named his team to take on England in the first of their three-Test series at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday. Kick-off is at 17:00.
The team contains three new caps in Eben Etzebeth, Marcel Coetzee and Juandre Kruger.
South Africa:
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jean de Villiers (Captain), 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (Vice Captain), 1 Beast Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Pat Lambie, 22 Wynand Olivier
So, who’s going to squeal about this one now….
Suppose Zane Kirchner will cop the wrath of everybody now…
Personally, I think it’s bold to play Adriaan Strauss on the bench, and Coenie should be able to play both sides of the scrum as a sub… so no problems there either.
Keegan Daniel is a versatile Loosie, can play 6 to 8… and has been in form.
Lambie on the bench, covers 10, 15 and even possibly 12. I would have started with Lambie though.
Interesting Vice Captain…. Bissie!
no surprises there
..
couldve done with a few more stormers though!!!! 😉
If I was Stuart Lancastar, I would target our locks. Bold move to play two uncapped guys in the engine room. As good as they have been in Super Rugby, they still have to experience international rugby. Otherwise this team is a decent team, and should do us proud.
Huge surprise for me, I never thought Strauss would make it ahead of Chilliboy. Congrats to Strauss, he deserves that spot. Am very pleased for him. Also very surprised with Bissy being VC, would have thought Spies would have taken it, so well done Bissy.
I really like the team chosen – from the squad, that is, and hope that we have some game breakers amongst the likes of Kirchner, F Steyn, Hougie, Coetzee and Spies. If we don’t it could be a long afternoon!
We ALL need to get behind the Bokke now…. even the Heyneke detractors in the Cape Of No Good Hope!
Some dynamism and definite game breakers on the bench in the form of Pienaar and Lambie.
4 @ Lion4ever:
No choice but to go for NEW LOCKS for the Bokke… Matfield (retired), Bakkies (Toulon, France), Danie Rossouw (Japan) & Andries Langbek (injured) all out of consideration really.
So who were the form locks in SA this year… Eben Etsebeth & Juandré Kruger, that’s for sure… and they were selected!
Die beste en mees ervare span wat ons kan kies.
Ek sou met Lambie en Flip begin het, maar HM het sy redes, seker skrikkerig Lambie wil te veel hardloop en te min skop ? 😉
Let me warn you guys early… don’t expect thrilling and highly innovating rugby, expect the Bokke to stay within strict structures, first out. Expect the Bokke to try and execute as best they can with the side only together for a few days.
All in all I’m happy… and excited for the new era.
@ bdb: Ek ook. Ek dink Estsebeth sou ‘n goeie impak speler wees. Plus Flip penalties weg, en dit wil jy nie in die laaste 30 min he nie. Moet se (dalk blou brille) maar ek rate Juandre hoer (higher, not prostetute) as Andries.
Ek sou ook met Lambie begin het. Maar ek voel veilig met hom op die bank.
Moet se vir al die suur gatte: Jy kan seker ‘n paar slegte goed se van Meyer, maar een ding is verseker, hy HET ‘n plan, wat 1 plan meer is as die vorige Bokke bestuur. Ek is seker elke bestuurs lid en kaptein en onder kaptein weet wat van hom verwag word. As ek Viktor se boek lees kry ek die indruk dat dit nie altyd die geval was nie. Lyk my Dick Muir het sy eie boodskappe gestuur.
11: as jy ‘hoër’ wil tik met die deelteken, dan hou jy die ‘alt’ knoppie op jou sleutelbord in en druk dan 1,3,7 direk na mekaar (hou die alt knoppie in terwyl jy die 3 nommers intik), of is jy op ‘n selfoon ?
Hier is die vrae wat die volgende paar weke beantwoord gaan word:
1. het die Bulle HM se gameplan gespeel die afgelope 13 wedstryde of FL s’n ?
2. Indien HM s’n, gaan die Bokke daardie gameplan beter kan uitvoer terwyl dit lyk of die Bulle sukkel daarmee ?
3. Is die gameplan self verkeerd, of het die Bulle net nie al die personeel om dit tans uit te voer nie ?
4. Of kan HM spelers net beter help om dieselfde gameplan uit te voer ?
5. As die Bulle bokke skielik skitterend speel die komende Saterdae, wat beteken dit ? Hulle het teruggehou vir die toetsreeks en/of HM kry dit reg om daardie iets meer uit ‘n span/speler te haal ?
As laasgenoemde wel waar word, fire HM dadelik dat hy die Bulle kan gaan afrig ! 😉
bdb wrote:
ALT + 0235 werk ook – hoër
grootblousmile wrote:
I think he will field these guys lets say 20 minutes before the end. Fresh legs on 2 eager to run forwards against a tired English front row. Looking at last weeks posted stats, Coenie has done really well stealing ball at the breakdowns. I think we can see a hard attacking front row in the 2nd half
3 new caps, and Coenie to make his appearance later on. Bold moves by HM, and good on him too. A mixtures of youth and experience is a bold move for him in his maiden outing. Agree with C4e, Poms will target lock pairing, but with Krugers experience already, and Etzebeths mongrel talent, they should be fine.
From the squad chosen this is the team that most expected.
I would have liked to see Lambie in place of Sideshow Bob, Alberts at 8 in place of Britney and Potgieter on the side of the scrum.
GO BOKKE!
It’s taken me a while to find it, but read a great article on Etzebeth back in April – http://www.greenandgoldrugby.co.za/the-terminator-from-parow/ – enjoy
grootblousmile wrote:
Noboby mein Führer!! Heil Hit….I mean GBS!!!
Just my 2 cents here. People get so heated up that they tend to lose all reason and perspective and it becomes an Us vs Them debate where you have to be on my side or your opinion is not valid or worth crap. Really people, EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion. We live in a free society not in an authoritarian dictatorship. There is no reason to take offense over different views as long it is expressed in a civil manner without uncalled for personal attacks. And here I address myself to GBS, do you really want only yes men and supporters to express their views and exclude all others that may have contrary opinions? Is there no room for criticism? Does everyone have to bow down and pledge a vow of loyalty to the “Great Leader” and his team? Or do want a site where different opinions and views are tolerated and even encouraged, as long as they are expressed in a civil and constructive way of course.
As fans and rugby supporters we only have the power of our opinions. We have zero right or say in the management of the team, players or game plan. We only have our words and our power as consumers of the business product that is professional sport. We only have our voice so I think it would be a shame to silence it, just because it disagrees with the establishment. Having said that, there is of course always some nut that expresses abusive or obscene opinions and they should be dealt with in the appropriate fashion.
As far as supporting the Boks and criticising the coach or gameplan or picks is concerned, you are dealing with two different and unrelated issues here. Supporting the Boks is one thing and expressing a hope that the coach will do things differently is another. One does not exclude the other. The coach has all the right and say to do what he wants – that is not an opinion, that is a fact. It is just stating the obvious.
Just For Kicks wrote:
He’s a big lad…plays really well. Glad to see him in the team
19@ The_Young_Turk:
+1!
@ grootblousmile:
Both have impressed, and could even eclipse Botha and Matfield. Flip has played for SA, but is a walking yellow card. Has Botha made himself unavailable for SA? If I was HM, I would have looked for some experience at 4&5, maybe started with Flip, and after 60 minutes play Etsebeth.
19 @ The_Young_Turk:
Hey Turkey… express what you want, as long as you are civil about it!
Let me be the last one to take that privilage away from you… but at the same time let me be to have MY opinion which differs from a negative and stoid, purely provincial biased opinion expressed.
Just like I thought that Peter Pienkdas & Dickie Muir were not good for SA Rugby and the Springboks, so you should be allowed to think and say what you want!
At least I see the glass half full now and have a positive outlook, at this stage, about Springbok prospects… take that as you may.
22 @ Lion4ever:
I suppose Bakkies is still available, but heck he looked lazy and out of form a week or so ago when I last saw him play for Toulon.
As far as my opinion of the team is concerned, I would have made a few different picks and followed a different gameplan but that is a worthless debate at this stage. We have the team picked and we know the coaches game plan, so it is a question of which players can best execute it as the goal of all of us is that our team wins. Winning consistently makes everything right. HM has his chance and should be judged on his results. That in the final analysis is all that counts. No one remembers how well you lost, except maybe the losers. History celebrates the victors and what goes down in the record books, ultimately counts. My goal is to see the Poms whitewashed, 3 – zip, humiliated, crying snot and trane like little babies. HM is my means to achieve that end and He has my unstinting support to realise that. And alternatively, if he farks up, I will let him have it with both barrels.
I will support the Boks like I support any team that represents my country.
Having said that, the narrow vision that has defined the game plan the Boks have chosen to play through successive regimes saddens me. Do we really have nothing better than skiet, skop en donner? No variation, no sublety, no deception?
As a soccer fanatic I believe that rugby can surpass the beautiful game in terms of entertainment. But to do justice to the game of rugby we have to be brave enough to risk losing. However, we are simply too skeitbang to try.
So, under HM its seems we will choose the limited comfort of our conservatism – again. And I will continue to support my Boks and long for what might have been.
25@ The_Young_Turk:Thats how I see it. Lets have something to cheer about.
26 @ fender:
Kitaarsnaar,
How would you have approached a first Test as new Springbok coach, with less than a week to prepare?
The question then is, would you be happy with a gradual conversion to a more complete game… to slowly fall into place as the next number of Tests unfold…. or would you have gone for immediate change, notwithstanding the results?
I’m HEAVILY in favour of a gradual conversion or evolution, for want of better discription.
I think we all just need to support the Bok coach and believe in the team he has picked. The last think they need now is for us as a nation to flame the selection. They have little time to prepare, and will need all the help and support they can get.
We seem to be in agreement, GBS – we both want evolution.
Are we sure that HM wants it too?
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