Springbok Rugby World Cup 2015 squad

With the Springbok Rugby World Cup Squad having been announced on Friday at 18:00 SA Time, this weekend has slowly seen the emergence of the reaction to it.

The general reaction, mine included, is that some players should not be there and some should… but I think it’s fair to say that almost everybody agrees on 85% PLUS of the selected players… call them the “Non-Contestables”, if you will.

It is those final 7 or 8 players which the bickering has featured about as well as the undoubted support for or against the national coach, Heyneke Meyer.

From Government circles, the Minister of Sport & Recreation, Fikile Mbalula, has praised the team and announced that the South African Rugby Union (SARU) is on track with their transformation goals.

To counter this, some obscure little piddly widdly Political Party, the Agency for New Agenda Party…. yeah right, who the hell are they, you are also asking, like me.. have brought a High Court Application in the North Gauteng High Court, seeking an urgent order to compel SARU and the Sports Department officials to surrender their passports so they cannot travel.

Heyneke Meyer has had to fend off those who have questioned some of his selections too, mainly the selection of Rudy Paige at scrumhalf, the only uncapped Springbok in the squad and he has had to give reasons for the specific selection.

In recent weeks, the previous Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers, has also come out with some scathing critisism against Heyneke Meyer, and De Villiers has gone so far as to join forces with Labour Movement, Cosatu, to get his agenda and points accross as well as to form the backbone of a pressure group for the inclusion of more players of colour. Heyneke Meyer has retorted with a very simple yet eloquent reply, by praising Peter de Villiers.

Lastly, with fears regarding the fitness of a number of previously injured and rehabilitating players included in the squad, most notably Fourie du Preez, Jean de Villiers, Duane Vermeulen, Jannie du Plessis and Coenie Oosthuizen, coach Meyer now assures us that all 31 players will be ready to play when the tournament starts on 18 September.

So here goes, let’s look at all these aspects in more depth:

All 31 will be ready to play:

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer says that every single member of the 31-man Rugby World Cup squad should be fit and ready to play by the time the Springboks open their campaign against Japan on 19 September.

The Springbok coach named a team which includes a number of players – such as stalwarts and frontline players Duane Vermeulen, Fourie du Preez, captain Jean de Villiers and Francois Louw – who all are on their way back from injury and who have not played for a number of months, but the Springbok coach is confident these players will be fine when the Rugby World Cup starts.

With the opening game against Japan, the Springboks will have a relatively quieter start than some of the other sides, and can afford to play these players back into form against their 1st opposition.

While a number of players were unlucky to miss out on selection, there is a 7 player standbye list in case any of the squad members has to withdraw when they get to England.

“There’s a standby list, they know where they stand. I’m 100% confident that guys will be fit,” Meyer said.

“The medical advice I’ve got is that every single guy will be available for the 1st game. Those with injuries have recovered well and we’re hoping to have all 31 players available.

“No disrespect to our opponents as every single opponent is going to be tough there. But I still believe we can use those 4 games to blend guys in.

The things I’ve seen in training, Flo and Duane haven’t played a lot, but they are in great form and condition. These guys are warriors and just need 30 minutes and back into the game. So I am really not worried.”

Meyer said while it was always going to be a tough decision on who to pick, the loose trio was possibly the toughest to pick for him but despite the lack of a back-up fetcher, he believes the Springboks will have the right blend and mix when it comes to team selection.

“Siya has played there (as a fetcher) as well, and I’ve always said I want to see him specialising there. This year he’s played on both sides. Schalk can play there as well, So we have 3 guys, and if there are injuries Heinrich and Marcell are on standby. I’m happy with the mix, with the locks as well, Pieter-Steph can also be a big ball carrier.

“ I wish I could take 7 loosies because Heinrich has really played well lately. Injuries can happen, but at the moment we can only take 31. We’ve worked hard at the breakdown, and over the next 2 weeks there will be a bigger focus on that. It’s not just the openside, guys like Jesse (Kriel) and Damian (de Allende) are brilliant as well. Bissie (Bismarck du Plessis) really makes a difference. What really helped the decision was Duane (Vermeulen), who plays at No 8 but can also play like an openside – he steals the most ball and Bismarck is also up there.

“We could have gone with 2 openside flankers, but we also have to look at the lineout options. Pieter-Steph also coming through also factored into the loose trio selections.”

All in all the Springbok coach was happy with the mix of players he has for the Rugby World Cup and believes there is the right combination of youth and experience in the side.

“Every single position has to be covered. There’s a rule that when a player gets injured, you can’t replace him immediately the next day. There’s a 48-hour waiting window. We looked at all the scenarios. Trevor (Nyakane) and Coenie (Oosthuizen) can play on both sides of the scrum. We felt that was the best way to go. If a player gets injured at captains training or gets sick, then you can’t just bring a new guy over the next day for the game.”

The Springboks will leave for England on 11 September.

Mbalula – SARU is on track with transformation:

The Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula, said the South African Rugby Union (SARU) is “on track” with their transformation goals.

He declaration follows in the wake of the Springbok Rugby World Cup squad announcement on Friday.

The political debate surrounding transformation and the number of non-white players in the national team reached fever pitch in recent weeks.

It again sparked intense debate with the selection of Rudy Paige as the 3rd scrumhalf in the 31-man Springbok squad heading to the Rugby World Cup next month.

Many pundits believe that white players like Cobus Reinach and Faf de Klerk are more deserving of a place than Paige, a coloured (mixed race) person.

The players of colour in Heyneke Meyer’s Rugby World Cup squad are Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi, Rudy Paige, Zane Kirchner, JP Pietersen, Bryan Habana and Lwazi Mvovo.

There is ongoing debate about the race of Damian de Allende. He is listed among the ‘non-whites’ in the ‘transformation count’ forwarded to the government, even though his father said publicly he is ‘white’ and his dark complexion is the result of Spanish ancestors.

Prop Tendai Mtawarira is also listed among the non-white / black players, although he is a Zimbabwean-born player who moved to South Africa straight after school and is now a naturalised South African citizen.

If you include De Allende and Mtawarira, the non-white count stands at 9 – almost on par with the 30 % target as agreed upon between SARU, the national government and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee a few weeks ago.

This seems to have been borne out by the statement from the minister, Mbalula.

“It is our understanding that SARU is on course towards the realization of the set targets,” Mbalula said in a statement issued on Saturday.

“The evidence is there for all to see that the provincial franchises are increasingly and progressively fielding competent players, African black and generic black players.”

Mbalula also pointed out that while they have ways to force SARU to speed up transformation, they are not allowed to intervene directly into squad selections.

“I hope all South Africans appreciate the fact that South Africa is a signatory to the Olympic Charter and this comes with responsibilities and obligations that prohibits governments from interfering with team selection,” the minister said.

“Furthermore, the National Sport and Recreation Act contain no empowering provisions to enable the Minister to interfere in this specific matter of team selection.”

FULL STATEMENT BY FIKILE MBALULA

Party takes SARU & Mbalula to court:

A little-known political party is dragging Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) to court on Tuesday to try and stop the Springboks from competing in the Rugby World Cup next month.

The Agency for New Agenda Party, formerly known as South Africa First, and its president Edward Mahlomola Mokhoanatse, will be in the North Gauteng High Court seeking an urgent order to compel SARU and sports department officials to surrender their passports so they cannot travel.

It also wants the court to order “the executive” to establish a “judicial commission of inquiry into the lack of transformation in South African rugby”.

In his affidavit, Mokhoanatse says the court action is a “public duty to defend our Constitution and to consign to the rubbish bin of history all vestiges and remnants of racial bigotry, racial exclusion and discrimination”.

He says although much has been done to transform the country, “some citizens resist such transformation and continue to practise activities, acts and conduct that are premised on unfair discrimination based on… race”.

He adds that the national rugby team’s selection criteria are “racially exclusionary” and biased in favour of whites.

He adds that Mbalula has failed to transform rugby and any argument SARU presents to justify its failure to transform the sport should “be treated with disdain”.

Mokhoanatse says SARU has betrayed the “trust of millions of South Africans who have entrusted the responsibility over the past 21 years to an organisation that clearly is unwilling and continues to resist change”.

“The participation of the non-representative and racially exclusionary national team of South Africa in favour of the minority section of the country’s population in the Rugby World Cup is inconsistent with our Constitution and ought not to be permitted to represent South Africa,” he writes.

“The continued administration of South African rugby by both… constitutes an affront to the values of the Constitution; that their collective dismal failure to change and transform rugby… should be regarded as an aberration, gross mismanagement, incompetence and ineptitude that should attract the severest of sanctions possible.”

The matter will be heard by Judge Ntendeya Mavundla.

Spokesperson for the Department of Sport & Recreation, Esethu Hasane, yesterday said that the Department will oppose the High Court Application on Tuesday.

“It is imperative for all South Africans to support the national team,” he said.

Heyneke Meyer praises Peter de Villiers:

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer chose to answer his fiercest critic – former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers – in the best way possible, refusing to be drawn into the web of negativity spouted by the former coach regarding the Springboks.

Meyer named 8 players of colour in his 31 man squad – 1 more than De Villiers in 2011 – but has been the subject of attacks from the former Springbok coach over the past month which have become increasingly bitter and personal.

Meyer refused to be drawn into the debate, despite being accused of “taking Springbok rugby back into the gutters” by De Villiers and decided instead to praise the former coach and call on him to use his talents to help rugby grow in all communities.

“I truly respect Peter de Villiers as a coach and a human being,” Meyer said.

“I think he’s done a lot of good things for South African rugby. He’s a great diplomat for South Africa. He’s made a difference to people’s lives, and hopefully he can still be involved in South African rugby.

“We need guys who can make a difference at grassroots level. I wish him the best of luck for the future.”

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers spoke briefly on how difficult it was for the players to come to terms with the attacks, and the increased pressure it put the Springboks under.

“From a player point of view it’s been tough. For me it was tough losing that game to Argentina having waited so long to play again. And a lot happened in that week,” De Villiers said.

“I think in a way it made us stronger as a squad. And we learned from those obstacles. I saw how much we’d grown as a squad. When you saw the emotions of those who made and didn’t make it. We’ve become closer together.

“There will always be critics, and I think it’s because people want the Boks to do well. And that’s good if it’s coming from the heart. I’m open to that. Once you lose interest in the Bok team, then we are in trouble.”

SARU Deputy-President Mark Alexander said at the team announcement that SARU were satisfied that the Springbok squad had met their transformation requirements.

“We’re happy where we are with our transformation initiative. We signed an agreement with the government and SASCOC. There are 6 dimensions, and performance is 1. Currently, if you check our barometer, we are at 92%. We’re on track. We’re happy with where we are. We can do better, but we are happy,” he added.

Heyneke Meyer – why I picked Rudy Paige:

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said the decision to choose between scrumhalves Rudy Paige and Cobus Reinach was a tough one, but that Paige’s kicking game and service won it for him in the end.

According to reports, eyebrows were raised when Paige, who has not been capped in a test yet, was chosen as the 3rd scrumhalf alongside Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar, with Cobus Reinach, who has been part of the match day 23 in the current international season, being left out of the squad.

Questions have been raised about why Rudy Paige hasn’t been given an opportunity to play at Test level despite being part of the squad for the past 3 months, and why he was chosen ahead of a player who has been very much part of the Springbok plans for the past 2 seasons?

But Meyer believes that Paige’s similarities to Fourie du Preez makes him a better fit for the Springbok game plan. Cobus Reinach’s form has dipped of late and possibly counted against him when the final decision was made.

“Rudy Paige played very well in Super Rugby, he was selected ahead of a guy like Francois Hougaard at the Bulls. When Rudy joined the group, I told him to work on a few things and he has really good service from the base. I see him as a similar player to Fourie du Preez. It was a tough decision, and I feel for Cobus,” Meyer explained.

Asked why he had not given Paige a chance at Test level yet, but felt he was good enough to go to the Rugby World Cup, Meyer said the plan was always to play him against Argentina but then the Springboks lost the 1st game between the 2 sides in Durban and the pressure set in.

“I took him (Paige) on tour last year,” Meyer explained.

“Unfortunately he got injured ahead of the game against Wales and I had to call for a replacement. It was always my plan to give him game time this year in Buenos Aires, but then we let ourselves down against Argentina in Durban.

“I said to the players that the same group would have a chance to set things right the following week in Buenos Aires. They had to fix it.

“But I don’t think 1 Test makes that big a difference. And we have 2 very experienced 9s in Fourie and Ruan, so it’s a good balance. Rudy knows what type of rugby we want to play. From day 1 I said Rudy you have a chance to go if you work on a few things. I’m happy with him, and I think he’s improved since he’s been with us. He did well in Super Rugby. I feel for Cobus, it was a very close decision but I think Rudy is the right guy.

“It was a close decision between Cobus and Rudy. In the end, I looked at what Rudy can offer in those conditions. He has an unbelievable kicking game, especially in wet conditions. Great service, and that’s what we need.”

Springbok squad:

Forwards: Willem Alberts, Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Lood de Jager, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Francois Louw, Frans Malherbe, Victor Matfield (Vice-captain), Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Adriaan Strauss, Duane Vermeulen.

Backs: Jean de Villiers (Captain), Damian de Allende, Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana, Zane Kirchner, Jesse Kriel, Pat Lambie, Willie le Roux, Lwazi Mvovo, Rudy Paige, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Handre Pollard, Morne Steyn.