The South African Springboks squad, to take on the world’s best in England, at the 2015 Rugby World Cup was officially announced at 18:00 SA Time (16:00 GMT), live on SuperSport 1 on TV in South Africa.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer is on a hiding to nothing, no matter which squad he would have selected, whether it be from lobbyists saying that there are not enough players of colour in the side OR whether he is accused of player bias OR choosing old favourites… OR not choosing players on merit.
I urge everybody to accept his selection prerogatives, even though you or me would have done it differently, and to get behind this Springbok side for the Rugby World Cup, where they will be representing their country to the best of their abilities.
The “Ghost Squad” has already been discussed ad-nauseam, the announced squad is exactly the same and feature the inclusion of fringe players like Zane Kirchner, Rudy Paige, Siya Kolisi and Morné Steyn.
Injured or previously injured players like Fourie du Preez, Jean de Villiers, Duane Vermeulen, Coenie Oosthuizen, Jannie du Plessis is also be included in the squad.
A number of players are hugely unlucky not to be selected, they include Heinrich Brüssow, Steven Kitshoff, Marcel van der Merwe, Vincent Koch, Marcell Coetzee, Jan Serfontein, Frans Steyn, Cornal Hendricks, Cobus Reinach and Francois Hougaard.
Here is the Springbok Rugby World Cup squad for 2015, which is now official:
Springbok Rugby World Cup Squad:
Backs:
- Fullbacks: Willie le Roux
- Utility: Zane Kirchner
- Wings: Bryan Habana, Lwazi Mvovo, JP Pietersen
- Centres: Jean de Villiers (Captain), Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel
- Flyhalves: Pat Lambie, Handré Pollard, Morné Steyn
- Scrumhalves: Ruan Pienaar, Fourie du Preez, Rudy Paige
Fowards:
- Loose Forwards: Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, Willem Alberts, Francois Louw, Siya Kolisi
- Locks: Eben Etzebeth, Victor Matfield (Vice-Captain), Lood de Jager
- Utility Lock & Loose Forward: Pieter-Steph du Toit
- Props: Beast Mtawarira, Jannie du Plessis, Trevor Nyakane, Frans Malherbe, Coenie Oosthuizen
- Hookers: Bismarck du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Schalk Brits
90 @ Pietman:
Die vroutjie, ou Handbriekie, werk haarself oud… siestog.
Ek is nog baaaaie varser as sy deesdae!
90 @ Pietman:
BonzaiGBS is op pad hierheen saam met daai oulike meisietjie van hom…
Hel, my seun het mooi gekies met die meisietjie.
Sy is ‘n ene De Vos, Pa is ook Afrikaans en die Ma is Engels, nes ou BonzaiGBS.
@ grootblousmile:
Van daai predikant De Vosse seker, van WTvl en Vrystaat? Hennie, Dirk de Vos (Springbokskrumskakel) se broer, was saam met my in die klas, Maties vleuel gespeel.
Ds Dirk de Vos was bekende leraar in Bloemfontein.
Starting 15 to play us (NZ) in the Semi’s:
15- le Roux
14- Mvovo
11- Brian. (Captain of Vice)
13- Kreil.
12- Allende.
10- Pollard.
9- Paige (he has to be a better option than zimmer frame Du Preez or Ruin).
8- Duane,
7- Alberts.
6- Louw.
5- de Jager
4- Elizabeth.
3- 666
2- Bizzy.
1- Doc Jannie. (Capt).
Now that Ladies is a very very good team.
One that could go all the way.
In the semi’s that Team would frighten me.
I’d rather face them in the final.
So Mr Heinekin………………………………..do a me a favour, and lose a Pool Game or two.
My team make the 30% Threshold on merit. (IMHO).
93 @ Pietman:
Sy bly aan die Suidkus in Natal, so ek weetie of hulle Natalse De Vosse oorspronklik was nie… maar iewers sal daar sekerlik ‘n link terug wees na die De Vosse wat jy noem.
@ cane:
People love to complain. But that team is pretty much as good as it gets if we have any title aspirations.
@ MacroPolo:
The only player I can think of from outside “The Named 31” to make my starting Bok Line-up is Hendricks on the wing for Mvovo.
And maybe there are options at 1/2 back.
But You Mothers are not going to get the ball wide anyway…………………………………………are you!
😉
@ cane:
Only if we really have to 🙂
The All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad is: (with province and Test caps)
Forwards:
Hookers
Dane Coles (Wellington, 30 Tests)
Keven Mealamu (Auckland, 126 Tests)
Codie Taylor (Canterbury, three Tests)
Props
Wyatt Crockett (Canterbury, 40 Tests)
Charlie Faumuina (Auckland, 27 Tests)
Ben Franks (Hawke’s Bay, 43 Tests)
Owen Franks (Canterbury, 72 Tests)
Tony Woodcock (North Harbour, 115 Tests)
Locks
Brodie Retallick (Bay of Plenty, 41 Tests)
Luke Romano (Canterbury, 20 Tests)
Samuel Whitelock (Canterbury, 66 Tests)
Loose forwards
Sam Cane (Bay of Plenty, 24 Tests)
Jerome Kaino (Auckland, 60 Tests)
Richie McCaw, captain (Canterbury, 142 Tests)
Liam Messam (Waikato, 42 Tests)
Kieran Read (Canterbury, 77 Tests)
Victor Vito (Wellington, 28 Tests)
Backs:
Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr–Barlow (Waikato, 15 Tests)
TJ Perenara (Wellington, 15 Tests)
Aaron Smith (Manawatu, 41 Tests)
First five–eighths
Beauden Barrett (Taranaki, 30 Tests)
Daniel Carter (Canterbury, 106 Tests)
Colin Slade (Canterbury, 20 Tests)
Midfielders
Malakai Fekitoa (Auckland, 11 Tests)
Ma’a Nonu (Wellington, 97 Tests)
Conrad Smith (Wellington, 88 Tests)
Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau, 26 Tests)
Outside backs
Nehe Milner-Skudder (Manawatu, two Tests)
Waisake Naholo (Taranaki, one Test)
Julian Savea (Wellington, 35 Tests)
Ben Smith (Otago, 41 Tests)
cane wrote:
Excellent squad.
@ nortie:
That Fijian medicine is miraculous stuff……Naholo is a Lazarus….
Good team….. some unlucky guys missing out…..Messam very lucky, but rather him than a fourth average lock
robzim wrote:
Get them on a plane to Fiji…… pronto
cane wrote:
That’s about right Caner…. but I predict Morne to pull a Beaver…. but in the quarters…..
Well, looking at the Bok squad, the HM disciples has one silver lining.
When the Boks exits, they can blame COSATU, Tony, Kolisi and Page and abscond HM from any wrongdoing or blame. Even though the latter two will probably not see much game time, if any at all.
As Nortie says, criticism leveled at HM does not equates to non-support for the Boks. The two are mutually exclusive.
Well done to those who got selected. Feel sorry for those who are more deserving to go to the RWC but will have to stay behind.
105 @ Nama:
Or otherwise known as trolling according to HM’s nr 1 apologist.
Put your faith in the coach Nama, just like Jan, Marcell Coetzee and Reinach did 😆
His trust is boundless and he will regale you in tales and parables usually found in the children’s bible and Hans Christian Anderson stories about coal being turned into diamonds and the like
107 @ nortie:
http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/world-cup/68352-meyer-banking-on-world-cup-diamonds
@ nortie:
One of the problems HM still faces, is the fact that we play Japan first up. Now, obviously he would like to select his best team to set the tone for the rest of the RWC. After that, it’s Samoa, who can’t be underestimate, and then our “strongest” opponent, Scotland.
How is he going to use his “spare” players? Throw them all in against the USA to give them game time? What if Samoa or Scotland, at that stage also still has a chance to top the group? Some players in the group did not even get game time during the recently concluded test season and that included a non-test against a World 15 and a friendly test against the Argies. Is he now going to “risk” them in the RWC?
@ nortie:
Dit vat mos miljoene jare vir die steenkool om in diamante te verander. Geen wonder hy kies sulke outoppies nie.
Hoop maar net sy diamante is nie topaas nie. Baie diamantsmokkelaars het al hier weggegaan en geglo hulle het die jackpot geslaan, net om in Johburg of Kaapstad te kom en te ontdek dat hulle vals klippe gekoop het.
110 @ Nama:
Dalk mis SARU n trick, hulle moes by De Beers aangeklop het vir sponsorship
109 @ Nama:
Didn’t you hear his speech about “how it was always his plan to use Paige against Argentina in Argentina, but then his best of his best got their arses handed to them in Durban, so he could therefor not trust Paige and the like to win in Argentina”
Daai ou lieg erger as n predikant, maar hy kry dit reg om die feeble minded te ooreed dat wat hy se die waarheid is.
@ Nama:
His biggest problem is that two of his biggest diamonds in FdP and JdV have together played the sum total of 1 test in the last year.
When last has Fourie even played any rugby?
Some will point out that the AB’s also have some old toppies in their squad, but that’s comparing apples with oranges and clutching straws, their elder players have all played SR and most of the 2015 tests, compared to our guys who haven’t even seen a ball and field in months, and in FdP’s case probably a year and a half
cane wrote:
Bad luck to sapoaga and broadhurst, who were probably two of the better players in superrugby this year with ardie savea, will still be tough to beat.
@ nortie:
I heard that.
So now he admitted that he didn’t rate Lambie as good enough to play against the Arg (in the 1st match in Durbs) because the losses against the Aus and AB meant that we “had to win” against Arg and therefor Pollard ahead of Lambie.
And now, the Paige comment not being good enough to play against Arg in the friendly because we “had to win” that one after we lost against them in the RC match.
The man is such a freakin joke. Almost makes oom Bob looks sane.
113 @ nortie:
Exactly.
None as blind as those who don’t WANT to see.
@ Nama:
Here is what I consider one of the best and truest comments I’ve seen on a rugby blog for some time….from a Blokkies Joubert on Rugby365
Eish! Heyneke, you speak in circles.
Too many contradictions have come from you in the last year. Our current team is not evolving and improving. How can you say this is the team that has done the country proud over the last few years?
We’ve lost to Ireland, Wales and Argentina (for the first time in Bok history)
We consistently lose to New Zealand and Australia and haven’t won a single tournament under your coaching!
Your record is deteriorating, not improving.
You continue to select players who are unfit, injured and off form yet you claim to only select the best players available.
Your lies are wearing thin and are obvious for all to see. Your misguided loyalty to once great players is jeopardising the team, our records, win/loss ratio and proud history as one of world rugby’s superpowers.
Matfield is still good but is he better than Etzebeth, De Jager, PSDT, Mostert etc.?
De Villiers is injured, clearly still favoring his knee in training and play. He is not match fit nor anywhere near our best centre. Where is the honour and dignity in selecting a player who is completely unable to play at present in the hope he might be fit enough, never mind good enough to lead the team in 18 days time?
Oosthuizen is injured.
Vermeulen is injured.
Jannie Du Plessis is injured.
Du Preez is injured.
Le Roux is injured.
Louw is injured.
Pollard is off form and inconsistent.
Pienaar is inconsistent.
And yet we have players who are fully fit, on form and playing bladdy good rugby in every one of these positions who didn’t even get game time let alone selection this season.
You have not kept your word to only select the best players available for each and every test.
You have not backed up your talk of wanting to win every test and therefore not using the test arena for experimenting. You played Morne Steyn when he was so badly off form he actually lost us away tests against New Zealand and Australia.
You did exactly the same thing with Pollard and yet you have had the excellent Lambie and exciting Jantjies at your disposal all this time.
I personally have lost faith in you but I will never lose faith in the spirit of Springbok Rugby.
I will always support the Boks and truly hope we win the world cup but it will be despite not because of your selections.
@ nortie:
I saw it. Also saw G10 concurred fully with it.
Blokkies really hit the nail on the proverbial here. Can’t dispute anything he says imo.
Check out the last sentence. Wonder how the Meyerites will feel about it.
@ Nama:
Great last sentence.
Well, judging by the full show of support here, I believe that some Meyerites will be packed at OR Tambo (or Jan Smuts as they prefer calling it 😆 ) waving their flags when the team comes home after the QF or semi with no bad words to say, because as you know, giving your full support means not saying anything bad about the team and means praising them irrespective of the outcome.
There’s probably seven or eight players I wouldn’t have picked for this Bok WC squad….. the only thing for some of those there are no alternatives because Meyer hasn’t built any true depth… masquerading recalled veterans as evidence of depth is ridiculous…. Taking a fifth of the squad over there with varying degrees of injuries is a recipe for disaster…. The words of Meyer when he took up the coaching job…’the players on the field are an extension of myself’ put me off him from the get go…and nothing has changed my opinion……….. anyways……..Good Luck the Springbok players….
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