Victor Matfield is over his injury problems and will rejoin the Springbok squad when they get together for the Australasian leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, while Marcel van der Merwe has been called up for the injured Frans Malherbe.
Furthermore, Willem Alberts has also been drafted back into the squad, pending a fitness test on Thursday when the squad gets together in Johannesburg. Both Alberts and Matfield were part of the initial 30-man squad, but missed out on the victories over Argentina in Pretoria and Salta because of injury.
sarugby
Van der Merwe will join the rest of the touring party in Johannesburg on Thursday. Malherbe will have to undergo surgery on his fractured ankle and is likely to miss the rest of the season because of this injury.
With Matfield and Alberts, if passed fit, returning for the two-week tour to Australia and New Zealand, Warren Whiteley and Juan Smith will drop out. Smith, however, will remain on standby if Alberts is deemed unable to tour.
“Victor is over his injury and has been declared fit to travel with us for the next two tests, while we’re awaiting a final verdict on Willem,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“It will be good to have them back. Willem has been part of the squad for the last number of seasons and Victor showed he can still add a lot of value when he returned to the Bok fold earlier this year.
“Losing Frans is a huge setback and my heart bleeds for him, because he’s done well since returning from a long injury lay-off recently which saw him miss the June tests.
“It’s also a big disappointment for Frans, whose involvement with the squad was cut short because of injury last November as well, but Marcel has been with us before and will slot in seamlessly. He provides specialist tighthead cover as Tendai Mtawarira, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Trevor Nyakane are specialist looseheads.”
Meyer added that Whiteley had impressed him immensely during his week with the Springboks and that Smith had made a massive contribution during his time with the squad in the last fortnight.
“Warren and Juan know exactly where they stand and it was great to work with them, even if it was only for a limited period of time,” said Meyer.
The Springboks returned from Argentina on Monday and will enjoy a short break before reconvening in Johannesburg on Thursday. They are scheduled to depart for Perth on Saturday.
Springbok squad:
Forwards: Willem Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Brits, Marcell Coetzee, Lodewyk de Jager, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield, Teboho Mohoje, Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Adriaan Strauss, Marcel van der Merwe, Duane Vermeulen.
Backs: Damian de Allende, Jean de Villiers (captain), Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks, Francois Hougaard, Patrick Lambie, Willie le Roux, Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Pienaar, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Jan Serfontein, Morné Steyn.
30 @ Loosehead:
Brussow is injured… again, chap!
Operations and all…
http://www.rugby-talk.com/2014/07/super-rugby-cheetahs-unchanged-for-lions-brussow-to-have-groin-surgery/
Look, I like Heinrich Brussow too, but he’s borderline to becoming a perrenial injury sicknote….
There was been a lot of comments about how poor the Bok scrum was player-wise, weak front rows etc but have not seen anything said about the scrum coaching staff. Is this because it is not in fashion (yet) to criticize Pieter de Villiers (unlike it was for his namesake the former Bok head coach). Surely Pieter de Villiers as scrum coach must also be making sure the scrum is functioning well…
Heyneke Meyer’s tenure has spanned 29 Tests to date, during which time he has capped 31 new Bokke, to wit:
Eben Etzebeth, Juandre Kruger, Marcell Coetzee, Coenie Oosthuizen, Jacques Potgieter, Pat Cilliers, JJ Engelbrecht, Tiaan Liebenberg, Duane Vermeulen, Johan Goosen, Jaco Taute, Elton Jantjies, Arno Botha, Jano Vermaak, Willie le Roux, Jan Serfontein, Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi, Piet van Zyl, Franco van der Merwe, Frans Malherbe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Lourens Adriaanse, Cornal Hendricks, Lood de Jager, Handre Pollard, Marcel van der Merwe, Oupa Mohoje, Marnitz Boshoff, Stephan Lewies & Damian de Allende.
1. That’s a tad more than 1 New Bok per Test – quite a high ratio about half way into HM’s 3rd year as coach;
2. Of those 31 ONLY 3 have been an unqualified success at Test level (Eben Etzebeth, Duane Vermeulen & Willie le Roux);
3. A further 10 of the 31 have generally given good account of themselves with the limited opportunities afforded them, & one can accordingly say that the jury is still out in respect of these ‘Possibles’ (Marcell Coetzee, Arno Botha, Jan Serfontein, Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cornal Hendricks, Lood de Jager & Handre Pollard);
4. 5 have only recently been brought into HM’s extended Bok squad and are yet to (dis)prove themselves one way or the other (Marcel van der Merwe, Oupa Mohoje, Marnitz Boshoff, Stephan Lewies & Damian de Allende);
5. 6 of the 31 have been tried and apparently discarded by HM (Juandre Kruger, Coenie Oosthuizen, Jacques Potgieter, JJ Engelbrecht, Johan Goosen & Jaco Taute);
6. 7 of the 31 have received insufficient opportunity/game time to be rated which leads to the conclusion that HM viewed them as mere lower down the pecking order emergency stop gaps (Pat Cilliers, Tiaan Liebenberg, Elton Jantjies, Jano Vermaak, Piet van Zyl, Franco van der Merwe & Lourens Adriaanse);
7. 5 of the 31 newcomers have been played out of position & of those only Marcell Coetzee can be considered a success;
8. Only 6 of the 31 new caps are ‘players of colour’ of which a mere 3 are Black Africans. None of the 3 new caps that ‘have arrived’ are ‘players of colour’, but 3 of the 10 ‘Possibles’ are. I don’t know what HM’s transformation targets were when appointed, but his tenure appears to be retrogressive, whether intended or not;
9. HM has only VESTED 3 New Springboks, none of them players of colour, yet he continues to seek success with ‘Dad’s Army’, most of them veterans of RWC 2007 – I guess time will tell whether he is vindicated or not.
PS: I’m not an HM hater – I believe he is the best we’ve got & that he should at least see out his contractual term as coach. Notwithstanding, the above analysis does suggest that he has made several mistakes and that there is plenty of room for introspection & improvement.
Nothing will make me happier than HM winning the TRC & the RWC during his present tenure, but has he established a platform for success, especially future success?
Anyway, best of luck to HM & the Bokke for the rest of TRC campaign.
33 @ Angostura:
Would have been interesting comparing those figures, in the same type of detail to those of Steve Hansen & Ewen McKenzie… and also to that of the 2 previous Bok coaches.
But one thing we agree on is that some mistakes were made along the way, as is the case all over, with all coaches.
@ Loosehead:
Hiya Loosehead
Are you Ruck/Pedi?
35 @ Angostura:
No, he’s not.
Loosehead is an ex prop, Ingelsman and Cheetahs supporter (which in itself is a contradictio in terminis)… and chef…. and is a top dog trainer who loves dogs and dog shows…. and should often enough win the prize for dog and owner lookalike!
He was also an Ex-Voldy (Keo) blogger years ago.
@ grootblousmile:
Yes, thought he wasn’t – Ruck/Pedi would’ve been more loquacious & barbed 🙂
But I do miss her contributions
37 @ Angostura:
I remember Ruck from more than 5 years ago… she was a feisty one.
You guys should somehow invite her over here to R-T.
Bullscot wrote:
Incorrect:
See: http://www.rugby-talk.com/2014/08/springboks-jean-stating-the-obvious/comment-page-4/#comments
@173
” … I say I’ve NEVER SEEN or HEARD of a Bok scrum humiliated like that. Bokke numbers 1-8, but especially 1-5, together with their coaching team will be well advised to accept accountability for that fiasco, rather than spin $hyte about building character.”
@ grootblousmile:
I don’t know her, other than as a blogger – perhaps Nortie knows her (& can invite her), both of them hailing from the same side of the boerewors-curtain & supporting the same team?
33 @ Angostura:
A decent post filled with a combination of facts and opinion/perception, and a positive ending wishing good on Mr Meyer, seems like author material to me
39 @ Angostura:
thanks for the reference, seems like you have been a lone voice in this regard then which backs up what I posted that it is my perception that it must not be in fashion yet to ‘scape goat’ Pieter de Villiers or at least for the hoardes to be questioning how well or not he is doing his job.
Not technically incorrect as this was the first time I had seen something like this written, don’t have all day to read through everything
If we look at a likely Bok starting lineup
beast
bizzie
Janine
Eben
Victor
Flo
Alberts
Vermulen
Pienaar (sigh)
Steyn
habana
De Villiers
Hendricks
Le roux
How many of those are genuine dads army?
Vic
De Villiers
Habana
If that’s the case then consider this.
The lineout is a mess without Victor.
And habana was one of the better players on Saturday.
42 @ Bullscot:
I had also questioned the Scrum Coach of the Bokke, see comment No #5, at The Rugby Championship: Aussie public tip Bok win in Perth article:
http://www.rugby-talk.com/2014/08/the-rugby-championship-aussie-public-tip-bok-win-in-perth/
😆Bullscot wrote:
Ango loves a happy ending.
😆
@ gunther:43
who is your likely 13? de allende again or serfontein?
@ grootblousmile:
45
The bookies believe so too 😆
The short lived ‘resurgence’ of the Aussie Rugby was ‘propped’ by Joubert and Peyper, without them it’s back to ‘normal’ 😉
Money talks!
@ grootblousmile:36
seems there an awful lot of doggie lovers/breeders around there.
don’t tell me loosehead is also a rottie person?
@ Charo:
I thought de Allende was terrible.
Being Serfontein in or play Lambie at 12 and de Villiers at 13.
@ dWeePer:#12
That’s a spurious argument.
@ gunther:
Serfontein at 13?
He won’t be any better than Taute, Engelbrecht or Damian.
Play a 13 at 13.
What 13’s do we have?
40 @ Angostura:
Found an olllllddddd E-Mail Address for Ruck in my Mail Archives, and mailed her to come join you okes.
@ gunther:
Jordaan, Sadie and JdJ.
Make your pick.
49 @ Charo:
No, I believe it is German Shepherds… obedience dogs!
@ Nama:
All average.
Sithole
@ gunther:
Not kakker than Taute, Engelbrecht or Damian have proved to be at 13.
Why do you believe Janneman will be any better than them at 13?
55 @ Nama:
Jordaan is super fast but a terrible defender.
Sadie… pffffrtttt… then rather Jan Serfontein at No 12 and Jean out to No 13! Plus he is overseas now!
Juan de Jongh… might well work next to Jean de Villiers.
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