JP Pietersen
RWC winning back JP Pietersen will replace injured scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar for home Rugby Championship Tests against Australia and New Zealand, it was announced on Sunday.
Pietersen, who can operate on the right wing or at outside centre, has been playing in Japan and was unavailable for the first four southern hemisphere championship matches.
“JP has always been part of our plans and did very well in June playing at outside centre,” Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said in a statement.
Sport24
“We already have two scrumhalves in Francois Hougaard and Cobus Reinach and decided it would be better to bring in an outside back.”
Pienaar retired hurt during a 14-10 defeat by New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday and a scan on Monday will determine the extent of his knee ligament injury.
Pietersen, who played on the right wing when South Africa defeated England 15-6 to win the 2007 World Cup, joins a 30-man squad in Cape Town on Sunday next week.
The Springboks face the Wallabies at Newlands in Cape Town on 27 September and the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 4 October.
Defending champions New Zealand top the table with 16 points, South Africa and Australia have 10 each and Argentina three.
I wouldn’t be surprised if JPP is selected at 13, as per his last couple of test appearances.
@ Stormersboy:
We have nothing better to do
On a selfish note it would be great if HM releases Damian De Allende back to play for WP. We could use him at 12, and Jan will probably cover 12 & 13 for JPP and JDV.
As everyone has said above, he can hop on a plane and fly up if he’s needed. It’s the home stretch.
@ Stormersboy:
That would mean that Janneman should be dropped. You’re OK with that?
I know some people who won’t be.
@ MacroBok:
@ Nama:
You are never going to keep everyone happy.
I don’t rate Jan at Bok level. Not yet. His defence is sorely lacking and I would much rather have JPP at 13, followed by Juan De Jongh.
But that’s me.
@ Stormersboy:
I’d prefer JdJ, Mapoe and Sithole before looking at either JPP or Jan.
Jan still needs a season or two to acclimatize to senior rugby, let alone test rugby.
Sarel?
Who perennially leads the missed tackle stats?
NFW.
😆
@ Nama:
Mapoe had a good game on Saturday, he looked the part, but he hasn’t been all that consistent of late, and Sithole needs a good Super Rugby season under his belt before I would consider him IMO
Jan looked pretty decent to me these last two weeks.
Didn’t he top the tacklesade vs Australia?
Just saying.
😆
My 2c
I thought Jan had a decent game, defensively he was sound, if I remember correctly he saved a try by keeping Richie away from the tryline.
What helped was he and Jean rotated.
13 is such a specialist position, we miss Jacques Fourie more than we know, he was so good at marshaling defenses, we took it for granted.
Juan is playing well in the CC, maybe not last Saturday, but he has had a good season.
I have one major issue with him, and that is his exaggerated celebration when he scores. It’s not him per say, all players that overact like that irritate me. I wish he would get on with the job and drop the sideshows.
Jan is a 12 for me, not a 13, we need someone who can take the outside gap, and Jan isn’t that guy for me.
To be fair he’s had a couple of Ok games, I would have him on the bench as cover for 12 & 13.
JP at 13 to start.
11 – 21
16 – 32
15 – 29
27 – 38
10 – 14
While the 1st three scores indicate that NZ is nearly twice better than us, the last 2 scores suggest that we are getting closer.
Does our game plan in the last two outings against them have anything to do with it?
@ Stormersboy:
Agree.
If you want a battering ram at 12, then Jan is your man. If that is what you want…
@ nortierd:40
me three.
both mapoe and jdj were showboating as they went in for tries and both nearly saw their arses.
i had visions of robbie fleck all over again.
37 @ gunther:
Perennially leads the try scoring stats for scrum halfs as well. Scored two this weekend, didn’t he? How many points did he concede with his “miss tackles”.
Jan was touted as the guy to lead the Boks’ back line play out of the doldrums of kick and chase when he played for the Baby Boks. Some people were breathless every time they mentioned his name back then and could not wait for him to “take the international rugby world by storm”.
Now all you hear about him is his “tackle stats”, how he “dominated the tackle point”, how he “always takes you over the advantage line”.
When are we going to hear how he put somebody in space with a deft pass, made a clean break/kicked a grubber to put someone else away or anything like that.
@ Charo:
Yep, Juan almost got hauled in, and Mapoe got that ankle tap.
But it seems like over the top celebrations lately isn’t just when tries are scored.
This hyped up high fives when we win a scrum also gets me.
Jeez, isn’t it the job of the scrum to scrum, all of a sudden they celebrate like crazy when they win a scrum or scrum penalty.
@ Nama:
When Jan scored the match winning try in the 2012 Junior World Cup, it wasn’t with finesse or deft touches, he bulldozed his way through the Baby Black defense if I recall.
He is tough to grab hold of and put down.
I won’t always blame the 13 if he gets man and ball, it’s the job of the 12 to put the 13 into space, or at least a better position to continue the attack from?
nortierd wrote:
Only Brok and Tiaan are allowed to high-five constantly.
I must speak to the other unions about this.
49 @ Stormersboy:
Please do, they must know their place.
@ gunther:
Jan was clearly the star defender in our backline these last two weeks.
But im fine with Jpp playing in the name of rotation.
42 @ Nama:
11-21?
You mean the game where we lost because steyn missed 5 kicks at goal and nz got another penalty in the last minute to take the BP away?
Deifinitely not twice as good.
45 @ Nama:
tbf Sarel was playing against the sharks.
Aitog.
Predictable.
😆
Anyway how good was pollard on Saturday?
That must have been depressing for some people here.
😆
54 @ gunther:
Maybe one day HM will see the light and play Hougaard at full back…
@ Jeraldjay:
Tha would be awesome.
You know it makes sense.
😆
57 @ gunther:
Oscar is likely to get a slap on the wrist, so Hougie’s days are numbered.
gunther wrote:
If he can keep it up he is the answer at 10. Kicks like Morne and runs like Andre.
@ Jeraldjay:
😀
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