Jean de Villiers
South Africa’s head coach Heyneke Meyer has named a strong team to play Japan in their Rugby World Cup opening match in Brighton with Jean de Villiers as captain.
The Springboks starting team boasts a combined total of 880 Test caps and eclipses the previous most experienced South African side at 836 caps which played in the last Rugby World Cup match against Australia at the quarter final stage.
Meyer has opted to start with Patrick Lambie with Handre Pollard on the replacements bench. One surprise ommission from the line up is Damien de Allende who has made way for De Villiers but also possibly fallen out of favour as he is not named on the replacements bench.
In all the team has six changes from the side that beat Argentina in Buenos Aires a month ago. De Villiers’ inclusion at inside centre is the only change to the backline, while Francois Louw returns at the side of the scrum.
The tight five has been reshuffled, with Lood de Jager and Jannie du Plessis both back from injury, while Bismarck du Plessis and Tendai Mtawarira will start yet again.
On the bench, Coenie Oosthuizen, Fourie du Preez and JP Pietersen return from injury, while Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane and Siya Kolisi have also been included amongst the substitutes.
“We’ve decided to go with some form of continuity as it’s important to get a good start in the tournament, but we also wanted to bring back a number of players who have recently recovered from injury, ” said Meyer.
“It’s great to see Jean, Francois, Lood, Jannie, Coenie, Fourie and JP back in action, and while we probably could’ve played Duane Vermeulen and Eben Etzebeth, in the end we decided to give them another week to fully recover from their injuries.
“The backline is almost unchanged as we also decided to reward the players who did so well in Buenos Aires. There will in all likelihood be changes again next week but for now these players deserve another opportunity to stake a claim. ”
Meyer said Saturday’s Test will be a great occasion against an opponent that will challenge the Springboks on different levels.
“We play against the big teams from the Southern and Northern Hemisphere quite often and with them it’s mostly a case of you know what to expect, ” said Meyer.
“But Japan will pose a different threat. They have a very astute coach in Eddie Jones and our players who play in Japan have warned us to expect a very high tempo game and good, low tackling to stop momentum.
“The players know that nothing but their best will be good enough on Saturday and we realise the importance of starting the World Cup on a good note, but having said that, we also know that there is no such thing as an easy game in rugby any more and they will be just as fired up as us.
“Decision-making will be key on Saturday and it’s up the players to know when and how to vary our play. We can play tactically if we have to, but we can also attack with ball in hand and I’d like to see a good blend of that this weekend. ”
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lwazi Mvovo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jean de Villiers (Captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Fourie du Preez, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 JP Pietersen.
rugbyweek
Every time JW announced a Bok team In 2007, the refrain was: “This is the most experienced team in the history of Bok rugby.”
Every time PdV announced a Bok team in 2011, the refrain was: “This is the most experienced team in the history of Bok rugby.”
No surprise then that HM mentions it as well. Looking forward to hearing the same next week…and the week after that…and the week after that…
Lots of experience, yes. But it what they are going to do between the chalk lines that will count.
GO BOKKE!!! MOER HULLE!!!
@ Nama: Hi Nama. What you say is absolutely true. Its all been said before. Which………probably means there is some substance to what they are all saying.
World Cups are most often(maybe always) won on tight defences. I’ve watched a few recently and these re-runs of history pretty much confirm this theory.
Age = defensive mindset
Youth = attack mindset
……..or am I dreaming?
A decent team and I have not problem with Zane, unlike some others I know. I suspect Meyer will be trying to test all his ‘un-knowns’ over the next three Tests, which is what I’d have done in the same circumstances. The fact that someone like Damian is sitting on the bench worries me not a jot. It’s exactly where I’d have put him given the same situation. De Villiers needs to be thoroughly tested at every opportunity. Damian will get his turn at the big ones. Of that I’m 100% certain.
@ Tassies:
Damian hasn’t even managed to make the bench Tassies
I still find it curious that Duane, who according to HM, the doctors, physics and Duane himself, is supposedly 100% fit to play, could not make the side
Nama wrote:
The experience in caps will drop by 25% when Jean and Victor are rested
@ Tassies:
I expect Zane to play a much bigger role if we progress to the play offs.
Back line spine would be: FdP, MS, JdV, Zane.
Willie will probably do duty on the right wing or come on as a sub. Unfortunately for DDA, he’ll have to warm the bench and cover 12 , 13 & wing. Kriel probably showed in his two starts that he was the best of a sad bunch of outside centres, on attack, tried by HM…Taute, JJE, JPP and DDA himself. Kriel’s defence is still worrisome in that channel.
7 @ Nama:
Willie is so poor on defense at 15, imagine how badly exposed he will be on the wing
@ nortie: do you honestly think I can’t read Nortie? 😕
@ Tassies:
😆
Noooooo, thought you were referring to the team to face Japan
@ nortie: would you have played him? Even if the medical boffs had proclaimed him good to go? I’ll give you my take. Absolutely not. Why would you?
@ nortie:
Don’t tell HM that. He is going to set an “experience team” record that will not be eclipsed for many, many years.
Look. This is the WC. It’s a long tournie. Very long. Players will need to managed very carefully. some will get damaged and others will need to step in. By way of a very good example. Take Donald at 10 in the final of WC 2011. Enough said.
@ nortie: maybe even more. But yes, point taken.
11 @ Tassies:
If he really was 100% fit, I would pick him.
He hasn’t played in months and needs the game time.
If he isn’t 100% fit, they should have been honest and admitted as much.
I’m merely going on what they are telling us, and he is our nr 1 eightsman, so why not play him?
@ Nama: that’s what’s said every 4 years Nama. We just have short memories. How many seriously contending teams blood youngsters in this tournie. You can count them on one hand.
@ nortie: disagree. I still wouldn’t. Why take the risk? There are a few more weeks to go before the knock-outs. Every week counts. Secondly; why have medical expertise on the pay-roll anyway if you don’t use them? I’ll bet they said wait one more week just to make sure. I know I would.
@ nortie:
No need to convince me, Nortie. HM is the man that needs convincing.
And we know how receptive he is for advice.
Look, afa I’m concern, the next couple of weeks I’m more interested in WP moering the Blue Bulls this weekend and then the Lions two weeks later. The Bokke games are a sideshow at this stage. Until the 1/4 finals. When people start to write up the Japanese and Samoa as a probable banana peel which we should be weary of, I lose interest. So, I can’t be much bothered who HM selects right now. I’m trying to put myself in a good space and not waste too much energy on HM.
PS: I’ve never seen G10 & HG agree so much.
@ Nama: No doubt. Zane is Meyer’s go-to guy in a tight Test match. Not Willie I’d imagine. Zane can kick the team out of trouble. Willie’s atrocious as we’ve seen on many an occasion. The X-factor will play a far smaller role in a WC than a defensively minded player like Zane. No?
Tassies wrote:
I agree with what you say in the first part of your post, if it’s due to player management, all good and well.
Where I disagree is in your second part, purely because a huge song and dance was made when the squad was selected about how ALL 31 players were fully fit and good to go.
That has been my issue for a while, I don’t believe what comes out of the mouth of the coach anymore.
If he wasn’t fully fit and would only be ready come QF, be honest and admit as much, if he is indeed fully fit, then I think he needs the game time more than Schalk to be honest
@ Nama: Hey Nama, where do you see ‘these guys’? I haven’t seen either for ages.
@ nortie: Nortie, I suspected I’d get that as an answer. And I have no quibble truth be told. But (and this is a big but) I still would not have played him for this game. Call it what you like. I’d have banked some extra time just to make doubly sure. Why take the risk. One cannot see behind skin, exactly what a player is hiding or not hiding in terms of dull ache. He’s not about to tell you is he?
@ Tassies:
There was an article after the 2011 RWC in which some experts discussed the “experience factor” in your quest to win the Cup. I think (from memory) the consensus was that you can have “too much experience”.
The Aus team of 1995 and the Bok team of 2011 were mentioned as teams that can have “too much experience”, where that experience can work against you instead of FOR you. Apparently JW go it spot on with his blend of experienced players and youngsters.
this is the business end of the rugby calendar. Very strategic decisions are made. Like not playing Damian because you don’t need to and one needs to check the captain’s jaw. I’d have done the same. Damian is not going to suddenly become a crap player because he doesn’t get to play a powerhouse like Japan. That’s what I said to my mate this PM. He disagreed as he’s entitled to do.
@ Tassies:
They’re active on Rugby365.
Hope I’m not in trouble for “advertising” a rival rugby blog.
@ Nama: Yip. I agree its not a perfect science. In 2011 (and I was there) I do believe the Boks won that semi on the field but lost it on paper. So I wouldn’t be using that as an example. But I do get your point. There have been many examples of a young player setting the WC alight, particularly from the Oz contingent it must be said.
@ Nama: I’m an occasional visitor and I would never have guessed if you hadn’t enlightened. I’ve actually enjoyed a braai and been to Newlands with Mr G10. The other boy I don’t have much time for, in spite of his claimed intelligence.
@ Tassies:
Problem for Damian in this situation is, what’s going to happen if Kriel has a blinder?
We know that JdV WILL play evyer game. No way that HM will admit that he made a “mistake” in taking JdV along by dropping him. So, we could very well see a centre pairing of JdV/Kriel in every game bar the USA maybe, if we are certain of top spot by then. Leaving the best centre in the country on the bench or not in the match 22 at all, as is the case with this team.
@ Tassies:
Grant also posts on Sharksworld, and occasionally on SARugbymag
Its bloody quiet here tonight, perhaps because GB is doing his bit to lighten his head on cheap vodka in Piet Retief. 😳
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