This week the Springboks are in camp at Hazyview, where they are preparing for a game against Scotland on the weekend.
Scotland, as we know, have some players out on tour with the British & Irish Lions and have additionally sent a considerably weakened side to South Africa this June. Testament to this was when they lost, for the first time, to Samoa on Saturday in Durban.
Is this then not the ideal time for South Africa to see EXACTLY where they stand as far as depth is concerned, as well as to give some players the time to get back to form after reduced game time or poor Super Rugby form? When will a golden opportunity like this, to experiment properly, again present itself?
If Heyneke Meyer has the conviction to choose players in his Springbok group, does it not then follow that he must have the conviction and the will to play these players against weaker opposition?
In light of this and in an attempt to increase the core of players ready to take on The Rugby Championship, my feeling is that this is the opportunity to experiment and indeed to cast his net wider. I would play the following side and I will expand on my reasons below:
Starting 15:
1. Loosehead – Trevor Nyakane
2. Hooker – Adriaan Strauss (Captain)
3. Tighthead – Lourens Adriaanse
4. Lock – Flip van der Merwe
5. Lock – Eben Etzebeth
6. Openside Flank – Francois Louw
7. Blindside Flank – Pieter “Lappies” Labuschagne
8. Eighthman – Arno Botha
9. Scrumhalf – Francois Hougaard
10. Flyhalf – Patrick Lambie
11. Left Wing – Bjorn Basson
12. Inside Centre – Jan Serfontein
13. Outside Centre – JJ Engelbrecht
14. Right Wing – Bryan Habana
15. Fullback – Willie le Roux
Replacements:
16. Hooker – Chiliboy Ralepelle
17. Loosehead – Coenie Oosthuizen
18. Tighthead – Jannie du Plessis
19. Lock – Franco van der Merwe
20. Looseforward – Siya Kolisi
21. Scrumhalf – Piet van Zyl
22. Flyhalf – Morné Steyn
23. Centre – Robert Ebersohn
The only Overseas player I would play would be Francois Louw. I would play no other players who willingly choose to go earn their money at the money pots of the Euro, the Pound or the Yen.
In the starting lineup, certain players have played a lot of rugby this season and in previous seasons, none more so than Jannie du Plessis, Morné Steyn, Jean de Villiers, Juandré Kruger & Pierre Spies.
Choosing a few fresh rookies like Lourens Adriaanse and Lappies Labuschagne and blooding Siya Kolisi, Piet van Zyl and Robert Ebersohn from the bench will give them Springbok caps, making them inaccessible for any other future National side, increasing the chances to keep them in South Africa longer.
The Springboks need a good captain and Adriaan Strauss deserves that honour this year, so he would be my captain, to lead by example and to provide that experience to the front row.
At lock I would use the experience of Flip van der Merwe and I would experiment with Eben Etzebeth at No 5, seeing as both Andries Bekker and Juandré Kruger will be exchanging their fortunes in South Africa to go after the lucrative lure of money. South Africa needs to find a good No 5 lock going forward.
Amongst the looseforwards one has to be careful to keep the balance amongst the combination correct, with a fetcher at openside, a hard-tackling and strike-running blindsider and a man with hands of gold at the back of the scrum. Leaving Pierre Spies out, serves two purposes, firstly to rest him and secondly to replace him with a harder edge at No 8, in Arno Botha. Let’s see if Arno Botha can possibly be the ideal No 8 the Springboks are looking for, going forward – without compromising the blindside by giving the hard man, Lappies Labuschagne, a go on the blindside. For me a fetcher at openside is non-negotiable, therefore Francois Louw’s inclusion and discarding Marcell Coetzee off the bench in total.
You might ask why I would prefer to start with Francois Hougaard at scrumhalf, and the reason is simple. During the recent Cheetahs / Bulls Super Rugby match, Hougaard (even not in the best of form) totally overshadowed Piet van Zyl (who looked like a deer in the headlights in that game), bettering him in every aspect of that important crunch match. As I already indicated, Ruan Pienaar does not feature for me, he is an overseas player firstly and secondly is terribly slow as the base of the scrums and breakdowns, something we in the Southern Hemisphere simply do not want and cannot tollerate.
Patrick Lambie needs to find his mojo again and I would have Morné Steyn on the bench only as security. I would not play Morné from the bench unless it is imperative to do so in the actual game situation.
I would rest Jean de Villiers and play the Bulls centre combination of Jan Serfontein and JJ Engelbrecht without hesitation, they’ve been a good combo all season. I would have Robert Ebersohn on the bench to cover both centre positions… and I would give him a run with 20 minutes to go to blood him.
In the back three I would keep the weekend past’s combination together, with Bryan Habana in trememdous form on the right wing, Bjorn Basson on the left wing with his sheer pace and with Willie le Roux the X-Factor from fullback.
The gamble in my selection, I guess, comes at scrumtime… but at least I would have a full Cheetahs front row who know one another, playing as they have trained and played all season. I would go to war with this side!
I have no doubt though, that Heyneke Meyer won’t be as bold as I have been… pity.
Meanwhile the Bulls may have to fly a representative to France if they are to have the services of Juandre Kruger for the rest of the Super Rugby season.
Kruger’s contract begins in France as of 1 July and this oversight on the Bulls part could become a costly one as Racing Metro are currently refusing to budge on his starting date.
While nothing has been officially said, it would only be natural for Racing to want compensation from the Bulls for Kruger to play the remainder of Super Rugby, but it could well be that unless the parties come to an agreement that Kruger may have to head to France as his teammates prepare for their final games in this year’s Super Rugby season.
sien ek “incompetence” of het die spelers eenvoudig geld mal, geld honger geword. Waar is die ou lojaliteit???
14 Overs to go….. Pakistan is on the halfway mark in the runs
31 @ superBul:
Jong, Juandré Kruger moet maar gaan, hy was nou nie juis hot Saterdag nie….. en die Bulls fabriek sal nog ene deurbring!
Flip, Grant Hattingh en Wilhelm Steenkamp kan die ding deurtrek vir nou.
@ grootblousmile:
30
nee kyk ek like die Proteas en veral die manne van die Titans wat hul kant bring, maar ons deliver eenvoudig nie
109 Needed off 75 balls
@ grootblousmile:
Fork ek is vanaand moerse beginsel vas , so ek like nie wat aangaan met die helse uit tog nie
Pakistan need about 9 per over….
Pakis maak my ook nog meer moerig
fark die kinners het my aand weer erg opgedonner met hul geite
so hierdie blom man is vanaand a prickly pear
36 @ superBul:
Ek like dit ook nie… so hulle moenie oorseese ouens kies vir die Bokke nie.
En hulle moet so paar groot talente maar hou deur miskien effe voortydig ‘n Boktrui of 2 te gee… nie te veel nie mind you!
Pakistan 129 / 5 with 70 balls left (11.4 overs)
Umar Amin kleinkind van Idi is UIT , go Proteas
38 @ superBul:
Shame man…. moer die wetters…. al is hulle 30 en meer…. hehehe
Wickettttttttt!
What a catch, Faf!
Pakistan 134 / 6
11 Overs left
Pakistan need 101 off 66 balls
Required run-rate now 9.18
grootblousmile wrote:
jammer so min kinders het deesdae nasie trots, kyk Nasionalisme was nooit my pel nie maar lojaliteit is moertoe, vandat almal SA verlaat vir n “beter lewe oorsee” , kyk net hoeveel speel nou vir die vyand. Hoofveraad hoor ek die oues se. Veraaiers sal ander roep. Die feit is ons lewe nou in die global environment waar enige ding reg is. Hulle kan net sowel die “anthems ” skraap
O flok, daar’s ‘n 6
@ Morné:
Hello mater,
Ek wil net vinnig my straaltjie in piepie.
Eerstens, ek wil net se dat dit kon nie met n beter ou gebeur het nie, jy ken jou storie! Trouens, ek wou eintlik gesien het dat jy en TonyM betrokke raak by ontwikkeling van OP-rugby, soos wat ons destyds gesels het, maar nou ja….
Alles van die beste, ek het geen twyfel dat jy groot spore gaan trap in SArugby nie, jy is bestem vir dit, al lankal.
Sela.
Pietman
46 @ superBul:
Hulle is lojaal aan hulle Blackberry’s en Whatsup-shit… lojaal teenoor hulle duime en afhanklik van hul ouers se beursies.
Jy weet, dis tot ‘n mate ons eie skuld….
Jis maar ons game is los, veldwerk swak, veral ingooie vir uithardloop. Boonop word 4 van ons vandag uitgehardloop. Erg swak
48 @ Pietman:
Vanwaar gehasie…. waar was jy heel dag?
Hello Pietman, hello PietVrou!
@ grootblousmile:
Hoekom ons skuld?
@ Pietman:
Thanks maat.
9 Overs left… 88 needed
Run-rate climbing to 9.78
52 @ superBul:
Ons bederf die flokken kinners….
Wicketttt
Pakistan 148 / 7
Goodie
Tsotsobe to Misbah-ul-Haq, OUT
Misbah-ul-Haq c Amla b Tsotsobe 55 (75b 3×4 1×6) SR: 73.33
Pakistan’s big hitter is finally gone… phweeew
@ superBul:
My pis is ook vanaand bitter, het my lanklaas so vererg soos vanoggend, ek is al heeldag ‘dikspils’, soos die Namakwalanders sou se.
Gevloek soos laas op voldy, daai kantoor is so stil soos n moskee toe ek vanaand daar uitstap. Nou weet Arabier se tjint ook hoe smaak n boer as hy rerig moer pluk, amper soos Bliktrommeltjie daar by Jowels Transport op Springbok destyds.
59 @ Pietman:
Mens MOET maar so nou en dan behoorlik moer pomp!
Dit sit hulle op hul plekke.
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