Heyneke Meyer

He has been keeping a low public profile during the 1st half of Super Rugby’s ordinary season … and it is probably just as well.

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer must be scratching his head worriedly already over how to construct his national side for the 1st assignment of the 2015 Test season, against Australia in Brisbane on 18 July as part of a condensed Rugby Championship.

Presently several Boks are either injured, suspended or undergoing rest periods (the sudden pulling of Duane Vermeulen from the Stormers’ overseas tour after only 1 match has tongues wagging despite official statements that it was “always planned”), whilst other staple characters have suffered form dips in line with the general struggles of their sides in the local conference and overall.

It is difficult to envisage any SA team actually winning Super Rugby at this point – not the ideal state of affairs in a World Cup year, even if it is not always proved to be relevant — just as it is hazardous to predict which franchise will eventually top the ho-hum domestic pile.

It is true that a few additional players like overseas-based Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez and Francois Louw and a rehabilitating Pieter-Steph du Toit should brighten the Bok equation, fitness permitting, nearer the Test roster itself, and 1 or 2 outsiders like Stormers tighthead strongman Vincent Koch and some surprise-package Lions personnel have stuck up their hands.

Yet a look at the last Springbok line-up for a Test – the unpalatable 12 / 6 loss to Wales in Cardiff on 29 November9 last year – gives you an idea of Meyer’s quandary; things look considerably more unsettled than he would like.

Here, player by player, is that starting 15 from the Millennium Stadium, with a comment on current statuses:

15. Willie le Roux:

Clearly carrying an ankle injury for the Cheetahs, he’s not looking especially comfortable or contended. Still dangerously unpredictable, but also gaffe-prone.

14. Cornal Hendricks:

Some electric moments on attack, but all too infrequently, in line with Cheetahs’ 3-game losing streak abroad.

13. Jan Serfontein:

Has looked largely blunt as attacking source this season, and recent hip niggle has opened Bulls’ No 12 jersey to revelation Burger Odendaal.

12. Jean de Villiers (Captain):

Veteran skipper continues his gutsy race against time to be fit for RWC, but absolutely no guarantees yet. Organisation and awareness missed in Stormers’ midfield.

11. Lwazi Mvovo:

Few chances to get on front foot, as Sharks have spent alarming amounts of time in recent weeks without desired doses of possession or territory.

10. Patrick Lambie:

In fine personal form until the 10 / 52 Crusaders home shocker, when his own mojo went AWOL. Now gone anyway for 6 weeks with a neck injury.

9. Cobus Reinach:

One of desperately few Sharks players of late to be consistently wearing the colours with pride and energy – Bok credentials have lifted.

8. Duane Vermeulen:

Now you see him, now you don’t. 1 Overseas tour game for the Stormers captain, then a little weirdly sent home for more rest. Ordinary 1st half against log-leading Hurricanes, then a vigorous 2nd half, albeit after the horse had pretty much bolted.

7. Teboho ‘Oupa’ Mohoje:

So-so showings at flank for the Cheetahs, then he tore a groin muscle in Christchurch and was ruled out for some 3 months.

6. Marcell Coetzee:

Busy, rather than outright barnstorming, up to his mandatory rest weekend against Western Force. Then unusually listless in the CruSaders fiasco at Kings Park on the weekend.

5. Victor Matfield:

Subject of some cruel early-season observations from various critics, whereas a lot of others feels that he’s been playing well. Now the 37-year-old Bulls No 5 kingpin is sidelined for a few weeks to clean up some knee cartilage.

4. Eben Etzebeth:

He’s had a frustratingly stop-start campaign thus far, with vulnerability to injury a concern. He spent too much time pulling threatening faces in 1st half at the Cake Tin last weekend but came properly alive after the break. Still not quite back to the exciting force of 2 / 3 years back.

3. Coenie Oosthuizen:

Another of few Springboks right now to be shifting encouragingly northward and he seems to be learning the art of tighthead scrummaging after his more “permanent” shift to No 3.

2. Bismarck du Plessis:

He is far off his heyday! He didn’t deliver to his known lofty standards in the early Sharks matches, then the captain got that costly 4-week ban for a foot to the face of a Chiefs player.

1. Tendai Mtawarira

A couple of fire-and-brimstone showings at scrum-time and in ball-carrying, then as anonymous as any team-mate in the Crusaders horror show.

Of the designated replacements when the Springboks played in Cardiff, the “pluses” include Adriaan Strauss, coming into his own as a Bulls pack figurehead, versatile Trevor Nyakane, gradually getting to grips with the tighthead role at Loftus, Francois Hougaard (some sprightly displays on the Bulls right wing) and the increasing maturity of Handré Pollard and Damian de Allende.

On the more negative side, Julian Redelinghuys is struggling to get 1st-choice status at the Lions, Nizaam Carr has gone notably backwards in 2015 thus far, and Lood de Jager is still rehabbing from an elbow injury.

Sport24