Ruan Pienaar
Eben Etzebeth
A bright sunshiny but chilly day greeted the Springboks when they arrived in Dublin on Sunday, where they kick off the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour against Ireland this weekend.
The South Africans left Johannesburg last night and travelled via London Heathrow to the Irish capital for their first visit to this part of the world in two years.
Eben Etzebeth stayed behind in South Africa and will join the squad on Tuesday following a family bereavement, while there will be more clarity on Ruan Pienaar’s fitness situation in the week.
“I know Eben will slot back in seamlessly as he’s been with us for the last two weeks’ preparation in South Africa – our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“It’s great to be among fellow rugby lovers here in Ireland, which is a wonderful country and we can’t wait to get going tomorrow.
“This is a big week for us. We kick off the tour against the Six Nations champions and we’re only focused on Saturday’s game now. Although three tough games follow, we’re not looking further ahead.
“Facing Ireland at the AVIVA Stadium will be a massive challenge and we simply have to be 100% switched on for the match. A lot has been said and written about the conditions we’re probably going to face but we simply have to adapt if we’re going to take our game to the next level.”
The Springboks kick off their preparations in Dublin on Monday and the team for Saturday’s Test will be named on Wednesday.
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The Springboks will put Ulster scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar through his paces in training this week before making a decision on both his availability for Saturday’s Test with Ireland and the remainder of their northern hemisphere tour.
Pienaar is working his way back from a medial ligament injury picked up against New Zealand in Wellington in September and will test the knee in training over the next few days.
Springbok doctor Craig Roberts told reporters on Monday that Pienaar would struggle to make the Dublin match, and that if he was a doubt for the match with England at Twickenham a week later, the team would consider calling up a replacement.
“The biggest decision we have to make this week is around Ruan Pienaar,” Roberts said.
“We have assessed him and we’re relatively happy with where he is, but we are going to have see when he is running on the field in training.
“At this stage it does not look like he will be available for this weekend, but we are hoping to have him ready for England.
“If he is not going to be ready for that then we may need to look at a replacement for the tour.”
Pienaar, who is the only doubt, has played his club rugby at Ulster since 2010 and his experience in European conditions is seen as useful for the World Cup in England next year.
With first-choice scrumhalf Fourie du Preez also missing through injury, the Boks will almost certainly start with Francois Hougaard at scrumhalf on Saturday should Pienaar be ruled out, with inexperienced Cobus Reinach on the bench.
The Boks will play four Tests in their northern hemisphere tour on consecutive Saturdays.
After Ireland and England they take on Italy (22 November) and Wales (29 November).
Give Cobus the Start
He Brings a whole new Dimension to the Game.
Cobus at 9 and Pollard at 10
looking forward to the world cup with that great combination! ❗
Please let Ruan not be fit. Hopefully that will show Meyer some other options…
Stormersboy wrote:
Are you suggesting a freak yachting accident ?
@ gunther: Well, far be it for me to wish ill on a person,……BUT…….
I was thinking more like a freak Irish whiskey drinking accident….
But guys, Ruan Pienaar plays very well for Ulster, so maybe he will do ok in this test match? He does owe us a brilliant one now, as he hasn’t done that much lately. He normally plays the first test match in a series very well, does ok in the next one and then hits the lows in the last couple of matches.
@ Lion4ever: We need to move on from Ruan and not count on him delivering one of his one in a million games when we have other players who can develop very nicely into the position if given the game time…..
@ Stormersboy:
The trick is to let him play the first game in the series or competition. LOL Actually agree with you. We need a more consistent no 9. There are a few scrummies in SA who are better than him. Two are on tour. Super Sarel is another name that springs to mind.
Ruan, and all the other scrum halves on tour, are just stopgaps in any case while FdP recovers.
HM is taking a huge gamble IMO by relying so heavily on FdP.
At the start of the year I’m sure he would have bet his house that Morne would be his 10 at the WC, but look what has happened this year, both Pollard and Lambie has overtaken him…..so maybe he should think more seriously about his back up 9 as well?
So Pienaar is out and will be replaced by Jano Vermaak
Hi guys
Jano can’t be worse than Pienaar
nortie wrote:
I agree and Fourie isn’t getting younger
before jano left he was always my first choice anyway
@ nortie:
if duane vermeulen were to get Injured… wouldnt the next three guys also be stop gaps?
MacroBok wrote:
I haven’t seen him play since he left
How is he playing at the moment?
MacroBok wrote:
We can play without Fourie, without Victor, without Bissie, without Flo, hell even without Pollard
But NEVER without THORmeulen
@ MacroBok:
Duane wasn’t specifically brought back from Japan (and offered the captaincy to return) because in HM’s opinion there isn’t another 9 who he rated highly enough.
Whoever is now nr 9 is 3rd and 4th choice behind FdP and Ruan.
@ Victoriabok:
Hence my statement… Before he left. No idea how his form is now.
@ nortie:
And if fdp is fit he will play… if he isnt he wont play, same counts for basically every first choice player in the world for every single coach… In the world.
Amy person in keiran reads place will also be a stop gap till he is back. same for vermeulen.
hmm the all blacks also have 4 flyhalves on tour now
@ MacroBok:
And to think of all the arguments we had on voldy as to whether Vermeulen was good enough to be a Bok.
Carthorse, they said.
Pfft, I say.
End of argument.
@ IAAS:
HG was the main protagonist that said Duane was fat and slow.
Wasn’t close to his Daniel and Kankowski.
@ Jeraldjay:
Yeah, him and rangerman. Anyway, life moves on.
In other news, I’m not a great fan of T20 cricket, but I’m kind of looking forward to tomorrow. Only because it’s Australia.
@ IAAS:
Yeah. I’m a test match guy.
But I want us to win a world knock competition once in my flippin life time.
Going to the World Cup in Feb so hope they do well.
@ Jeraldjay:
Me too as far as test cricket is concerned.
You’ll enjoy the experience of watching cricket in Aus. I was at the SCG in Jan 2009 when the Proteas were already 2 – zip up. Man, what a feeling.
@ IAAS:
Haven’t been to the SCG but watched games at the Adelaide Oval and the MCG.
Flip IAAS, were you there when Smith walked onto the field with the broken arm.
@ Jeraldjay:
Will you stop off and say howzit to our kiwi mates?
😆
@ gunther:
Would like to say hello to Poepa in Sydney… and throw him off the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
@ Jeraldjay:
You’ll need a crane.
😆
@ gunther:
😆
I’m sure his security buddies will help out.
He must have been driving them insane all the years on the graveyard shift.
@ Jeraldjay:
I was just there on the 1st day only. Was at the airport when Smith walked out – I was the only guy that demanded that the TV volume be turned up.
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