If you read all the Rugby pages and Newspapers you can clearly see the urge to pick a Springbok World Cup squad. It is more than 142 days before the Tournament begins, 144 days before the Springboks play Wales in our first match and 170+ days before the Quarter Finals. But let it out, I know you want to! I constantly read about the teams everyone would pick, all the time.
I have selected 4 teams , these teams were picked with four sets of glasses, it is a fun exercise and not accurate nor scientific. My PdeV Team is the way I see Peter de Villiers going. The Antibulla Team, well that is the team almost all Non-Bulls supporters see it, there is no way that the Bulls will regain form, throw them out, they are hasbeens.
The Bokfinns team is picked with my grey tinted glasses, with my bad eyesight I missed a few fishy’s, so feel free to add them in. WindyBoks is not a fart, it is a serious Storm brewing out there, I hear they re-wrote Steve Hofmyr’s song “Maak die Bulle almal Bokke”. Looking through thoset striped sunglasses I must have missed a few stars in the Stormers team, help me out, put them in.
Since we all want to coach the Springboks too, let us go ahead and pick a game plan.
Pick a Plan here or create your own.
1. Up and Under – the current plan, aka The Bulls plan, ball to Morne , oh wait, Fourie du Preez will do most of the kicking. But wait, now we have two chasing those high hanging bombs, Habana and Basson. Worked well before. Not popular anymore.
2. Helter Skelter – This one was tried too, but wait this one was perfected by the Lions since that first try by Peter.
3. Solid defense – The Jake White speciality. Also enhanced and perfected by the Stormers. Not a bad idea. Just leave a space open for the Stormers defensive coach, he will be available after the Stormers Superugby campaign.
4. The New Sharks plan – Yes, that is quite a good one, they mix it up quite nicely. This might be the one that Peter de Villiers will go for, there will be many players used to this one.
Please add more plans and motivate it. Peter needs all the help he can get.
I will put up polls to test the community support for the plans. Please use your democratic right and vote.
| PdeV Team | Antibulla Team | Bokfinns Team | WindyBoks Team | |
| 15 | Z Kirchner / F Steyn | G Aplon / F Steyn | F Steyn / | G Aplon / F Steyn |
| 14 | B Basson / JP Pietersen | B Basson / JP Pietersen | L Mvovo / B Basson | G Aplon / B Basson |
| 13 | J Fourie / A Jacobs / W Olivier | J Fourie / M Bosman | J Fourie / M Bosman | J Fourie / |
| 12 | J de Villiers / J de Jongh | J de Villiers / J de Jongh | J de Villiers / J de Jongh | J de Villiers / J de Jongh |
| 11 | B Habana / F Hougaard | B Habana / F Hougaard | L Mvovo / F Hougaard | B Habana / F Hougaard |
| 10 | M Steyn / B James | P Lambie / P Grant | P Lambie / P Grant | P Grant / P Lambie |
| 9 | F du Preez / R Pienaar | R Pienaar / S Pretorius | F du Preez / S Pretorius | F Hougaard / D Duvenage |
| 8 | P Spies / D Vermeulen | D Vermeulen / | R Kankowski / | D Vermeulen / |
| 7 | S Burger / D Potgieter | S Burger / W Alberts | W Alberts / | S Burger / F Louw |
| 6 | H Brussow / D Rousouw | H Brussow / | H Brussow / K Daniel | H Brussow / Schalk Burger |
| 5 | V Matfield / A Bekker | A Bekker / F vd Merwe | V Matfield / A Bekker | A Bekker / F vd Merwe |
| 4 | B Botha / F vd Merwe | F vd Merwe / | F vd Merwe / S Sykes | F vd Merwe / |
| 3 | CJ vd Linde / J du Plessis | CJ vd Linde / J du Plessis | J du Plessis / CJ vd Linde | CJ vd Linde / J du Plessis |
| 2 | J Smit / B du Plessis | B du Plessis / J Smit | B du Plessis / J Smit | B du Plessis / D Fourie |
| 1 | T Mtawarira / G Steenkamp | T Mtawarira / G Steenkamp | T Mtawarira / G Steenkamp | T Mtawarira / G Steenkamp |
The Cheetah 4 ever game plan and team is as follows:
As we all know the Kiwi’s are always on fire a year out from “Old Bill” Despite the doom and gloom, I think we can still defend our title if we box smart. I think a very strong, but mobile tight 5, with dominant lineout will ensure parity in the setpieces. A terrier like “Ratel” to pilfer and slow the loose balls, and power runners to feed off him!!
Rock solid defence to stifle the NZ/Aus flair, and creative players to spark counter attacks, with speed to burn on the wings to punish any errors on attack from the opposition. And then of course a successful goal kicker!!
My team:
1. Guthro Steenkamp
2. Bismark du Plessis
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Bakkies Botha
5. Andries Bekker
6. Ratel Brussow
7. Juan Smith (C)
8. Willem Alberts
9. Fourie du Preez
10. Patrick Lambie
11. Bjorn Basson
12. Jean de Villiers (VC)
13. Jaque Fourie
14. Jp Pietersen
15. Frans Steyn
16. Eugene van Staden (can play 1 & 3)
17. John Smit (can play 1,2 & 3)
18. Victor Matfield
19. Schalk Burger
20. Francois Hougaard
21. Morne Steyn
22. Jaco Taute (can play FB, Center & wing)
rest of the squad to make 30
23. Beast Mtwarira
24. Danie Rossouw (can play lock , flank or 8th man)
25. Duanne Vermeulen
26. Josh Strauss
27. Juan de Jongh
28. Bryan Habana
29. Lwazi Mvovo
30. Meyer Bosman
I think this team can maintain parity in the scrums, and I don’t see too many balls going past Bekker, Matfield, Botha and Juan. Brussow can scavenge, and with two athletic powerhouses like Juan and Alberts running at the defence, gaps will open!! Lambie’s defence has been on par, and with F du P, Hougaard, JdV, Jaque Fourie around him, that channel is secure. Basson, JPP and Steyn will make a good back triangle.
Steyn can “bomb” and Basson is huge in the air!!
Any thoughts!!
Ha ha, kept a lot of the Cheetah heroes home for 2015 WC he he!!
1@ Cheetah4eva:
I like your team a lot and I like the combinations you choose!
… but I’ll not select Fourie du Preez anymore, neither Bakkies.
I would play Danie in place of Bakkies in the starting lineup, with Flip van der Merwe replacing Danie in the broader squad.
I would play Francois Hougaard at No 9 with Sarel Pretorius on the bench.
There won’t be place in my 30 for Habana anymore and neither for Fransie (Frenchie) Steyn… Riaan viljoen and / or Louis Ludik would suit No 15, we all know Riaan has a prodigeous boot as well… and Ludik is solid.
In place of Habana (left winger) I would include another specialist right wing, because we would have Mvovo as cover already for the left wing berth, but no right wing cover.
@ GBS Hmmmm yes, I can understand your disgust with some of the Bulls stalwarts!! I am in two minds re Bakkies, I bellieve Fourie can improve, that said, we have very good scrummies, I like Hougaards aggression, and tenacity, and with the gameplan, I envisaged he would fit well.
Agree, ludik has been very impressive, as has Viljoen, except his defence… maybe Daniller can replicate his 2010 form… Who do you have in mind for right wing? Wingnut Burger ?? Lol
3@ Cheetah4eva:
Right wing is a problem position… only really JP Pietersen standing out.
Personally, I would take Gio Gifappeltjie as extra right wing and / or Utility player.
(Gerhard van den Heever too suspect on defence, so too Kakebeentjie Burger, would’nt consider a Lion at all… )
@4 GBS,
What about Michael Killian, or Poolman, they seem to be pretty solid… What about Mjekevu, I quite enjoyed his play last year?
My team
1 Beast/Steenkamp/an other
2 Bismarck/Barney
3 CJ/Jannie
4 Flip/Bakkies
5 Hennie Bekkers little boy/ Big Vic
6 Schalkie/Ratel
7 Willem/Juan
8 Duanne/Pierre/Kanko
9 FDP/ Duvenage
10 Pinetown high school Peter Grant/Ian Lambies little boy.
11 Basson/Mvovo
12 Jean Div/de Jongh
13 Mossie/Keegan Daniel
14 Hougie/Pietersen
15 Morne’ Steyn/Geo
I know I will be accused of playing guys out of position, but lets look at work rate, the ability to go forward and the ability to take gaps.
We should also take Pakslae….I think I’m at 32.
@ grootblousmile:
Can’t believe you actually admit Shadow is suspect on defence…everytime I say it I get whalloped…
5@ Cheetah4eva:
Mjekevu does not even always make the Lions Vodacom Cup squad these days… and he’s even more suspect on defence than Kakebeentjie!
OK, granted Michael Killian is an option… but not ahead of Gio Gifappeltjie…
OK…so my First 30 is as follows (In no particular order):
15: Aplon / Steyn
14: Mapoe / Pietersen
13: Mossie / JdJ
12: JdV (vc) / Doppies
11: Habana / Hougaard
10: Lambie / Grant
9: Sarel Pretorius / Du Preez (In daai volgorde)
8: Vermeulen / Alberts
7: Strauss / Flo
6: Burger (c) / Brussouw
5: Bekker / W Steenkamp
4: Van der Merwe / Sykes
3: JDup / CJ
2: Bismarck / Liebenberg
1: The Beast / Coenie Oosthuizen
8@ The Saint:
The difference is, I do not just have ONE EYE, like you.
One would not be able to find a more biased opinion than yours… never.
You’re tainted… and that’s your own fault….
Go talk to someone who cares, I don’t care for your opinion anymore…
@ grootblousmile:
Great stuff…seems the Bully Boys’ incompetence is touching a raw nerve end…I don’t mind being ignored, I am most certainly biased, as are you and everyone on this site…but I don’t get aggressive once my team starts slipping…take a long look in the mirror GBS…you defended your team tooth and nail, same as I defended mine…albeit both of us were proven wrong over time…sometimes you all maintained Shadow is the next big thing…but a turd is a thing as well, now suddenly you turn on your team, all your demi-gods proven mortal, retaliate all you want, give me that 2nd is never good enough garbage, welcome to reality, as for your treatment of the Bulls players you idolized a mere few weeks ago…that is poor…no matter how poor the WP/Stormers are, I never turn on them, never…
12@ The Saint:
Oh no, heaven forbid that you got aggressive… except, you did (remember how you “vloeked and skelled” after the Bulls / Saders game)… and on top of it you got snide in the process too!
Desperate enough to stick a knife into any Bull you can, and desperately stereotyping Bulls supporters.
I’m turning on nobody.. I’m as big a Bulls supporter as ever, just lamenting wrong game plan options and out of form players… and recognising form where I see it elsewhere.
Go grow a spine, man!
Here’s by team for what it’s worth
15 Ludick/Fransie depending on how he’s playing at the moment. Gio too short IMO
14 Mvovo/ Basson
13. Jaque Fourie/ De Jongh
12. JdV/de Jongh
11. JPP/Basson
10. Lambie/Grant
9. Difficult….McLeod if you pick Lambie
8. Alberts/Kanko
7. Alberts/Flo
6 Brussow/Schalk
5. Bekker/Matfield
4. Flip vd Merwe
3. Jannie/ van Staden
2. Bissie/ Smit
1. Beast/Guthro
What really pi**es me off is no one is taking my team seriously!!! 🙂
15@ 4man:
Hehehe, ons murmereer nog diep oor jou keuses, sammajoor!
You know, one ALWAYS takes a sammajoor seriously! One might not agree with the sammajoor, but you take him seriously, otherwise there might be consequences…. hahaha
yesssss…..I sold Sterling short and it has just broken through the last line of resistance….touch wood I will get 53 points today.
Euro rocketing today…..random…..don’t touch it with a barge pole.
But GBS my team is serious….. 🙂
17@ 4man:
OK, let me take your team seriously…
Morné Steyn’s been tried at fullback and it was a failure… so can’t agree there.
Keegan Daniel at No 13 centre, in a Bok Team going to the World Cup…. without even trying him there Provincially for an extended period of time… NO, NO, NO! It’s like these okes who say play Spies there immediately at the Bulls or, like some suggest, at the Bokke… I say with equal conviction, NO, NO, NO!
These 2 players might have what it takes at No 13, but it is a wild guess and mere speculation at best at the moment… and one needs to obviously play oneself into a position like that over time, for us to judge that it is an option to be considered.
@ Pokkel:
I can go with that team if yours, except I want to see Ruaan Pienaar and Butch James somewhere in the mix, as well as Brian Mujati (if he is eligible).
@ grootblousmile:
I did qualify that. Daniel should be be played at centre from here on in, we’ll know by the world cup whether he is right or not. In reality Adi is going to be the backup, which is not a hopeless train smash, but I think we can do better.
Then we must do without Morne’, Grant and or Lambie can do the kicking. But before playing Kirchner at fullback I would play at least 3 others….its a position where your player must be in the top 3 in the world, otherwise forget about winning anything and Kirchner doesn’t qualify.
Pietman/GBS I have deliberately left o/seas players out.
Mujati is the best tighthead in England at the moment…which is saying something. I havent been watching Steyn and Ruan, but would think they are undercooked….Ireland and Europe don’t have the same intensity as the Aviva Premiership.
The Saint wrote:
Spieltjie , spieltjie, jy ou Saint is n nutcase
My gameplan has MANY facets, but I suppose the biggest ones will be Breakdown, Defense and Crusaders style backline play.
Therefore, and with no further a due, her is my starting 15.
15.)*F Steyn* – NO team will consider kicking on to him, and may be forced to try and run out of their own 22, or punt it out short. He is also strong, fast and robust, so he will be a presence on defense and could cut in between 10-12 or 12-13.
14.)*JPP* Experienced, but still young. As an asset on defense I think there are few wings in the world to match him. Hopefully he gets an extended run at the Sharks to gain momentum.
13.)*Jaques Fourie* IMHO in the past decade in the same bracket as Brian O’Driscal and Tana Umanga. Enough said.
12.)*Jean Div* If your gonna pick JFourie, you HAVE to pick Jean. Not to mention form.
11.)*L.Mvovo* Of the other potential candidates, they are either being played in different positions, have not played much the last year or are completely of form.
Also I believe he has played a game or two with the other parts of my back three.
10.)*P Grant* I am looking for players who by their mere selection and presence lifts their teams performance. Grant does this. So does Lambie. However, Grant is just that much more experienced, and he is currently playing inside my first choice center combo.
9.)*Sarel Pretorius* You know a player is special when he is one of the best players all round in the Super 15, and playing in a immensely struggling team. Here it comes down to what he brings to the team as a whole.
8.)*Vermeulen* I would go for a hard grafter, as breakdown and defense is central.
7, 6)*Juan&Schalla* Lets be honest, unlike in most other positions, here the tried and tested are still standing strong. They have the intensity, form, experience and the respect of players, coaches and opponents.
5.)*Bekker* Matfield is on record to say that the one lock in the world he fears playing is Bekker. Enough said.
4.)*F van der Merwe*
3.)*Jannie Dup*
2.)*J Smit* I cant believe I just did this, but yes. And why? Google -Rapheal Ibenez, 2008, Gladiator-. Ibenez was old and a bit over the hill. And yet this battered old Gladiator proved his value in a game that truly mattered. Smit did the same this past week. He provided what we have been asking of other campaigners this season. If he can replicate the same grit and guts over the next 8 weeks or so, he’s in. However, he needs to keep it up.
1.)*G Steenkamp*
Back ups:
(15)Aplon (14)Basson (13) S.Terreblanche (12) JdJ (11) Habana (10) Lambie (9) F du Preez (8) Whitely (7) Alberts (6) Brussouw (5) Matfield (4) Sykes (3) CJ van der Linde (2) B.Dup (1) Beast
Last two spots: Ruan Pienaar, Danie Russouw.
@ Greenpoint-Gunner:
Sjoe jy het die Bulle sleg afgeskryf.
What thee Aussies say about our Boks
Given John Smit’s huge contribution to South African rugby over the past decade – and that he always conveys the impression of being a thoroughly decent man – there was something rewarding about watching him charge about like a rhino in the Sharks’ win against the Hurricanes.
Restored to the hooking role – although no fault of his own, his career at as a prop has been akin to watching a rather large baby struggle with a square block and a circular hole – Smit shone in a vintage tussle with Andrew Hore. He ploughed over for one excellent try and offloaded well after another strong run; he was a physical presence at the breakdown; and, significantly, he was mobbed by delighted teammates after his five-pointer. This is clearly a man who still generates a lot of respect from his peers.
That respect makes it a certainty that he will extend his career to another World Cup, but the form he showed at the weekend vindicated Peter de Villiers’ recent assertion (there is a first time for everything) that he should be considered only as a hooker .
In any case the depth of South African scrummaging is nowhere near the point where de Villiers can carry Smit as a prop – the Sharks were decimated by the Crusaders with Smit at loose-head at Twickenham, the Reds had the edge on the Stormers in Cape Town and the Gurthro Steenkamp-less Bulls have struggled to assert dominance over any opponent. The South Africans need all the specialists they can get.
Smit’s position on the Springboks bench raises the obvious question of the captaincy. But if Smit’s rejuvenated display is anything to go by, you do the obvious – pick your best players in their best positions and then pick the skipper.
Sometimes simplicity is the easiest way.
The travails of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha have been well chronicled by RugbyHeaven and elsewhere, but such is their lack of form that it is possible to add a new chapter each week to the story of their decline.
Earlier in the year we saw how the Stormers’ massive Andries Bekker apparently put such fear into the Bulls lineout that they were uncertain of throwing it beyond the No.2 jumper, if at all.
On Saturday night that reticence resurfaced, with Nathan Sharpe assuming the role of Bekker. Sharpe commanded the air in Perth, both at the restart and the lineouts, and is in wonderful form. But the number of short Bulls lineout from hooker Chiliboy Ralapelle to prop Dean Greyling – we counted four – was a signpost to the doubts that have infected the Bulls’ minds. Since when did Matfield and Botha show respect, never mind weakness, to an Australian pack? But then invulnerability is like youth. Just as you’ve grown accustomed to it being there, it’s taken away from you overnight.
Of course, it is too simplistic to put all the Bulls’ problems – and therefore the Springboks’ – down to a few struggling forwards. The laboured and telegraphed play of Morne Steyn is just as big an issue.
The No.10 has never been an off-the-cuff player, but his plays are now so well known that any defence that has done even the most rudimentary homework can shut them down.
Poor old Wynand Olivier has the weary look of a man who knows he is going to receive the ball with two defenders about to smash him, such is Steyn’s lack of deception. Opposition midfields know there is no next to no chance of Steyn taking on the line. As a consequence, even 85kg “hitmen” such as James O’Connor can line up Olivier without fear of being caught out on the inside.
Steyn’s troubles are a stark contrast to the effervescent Pat Lambie at the Sharks. Nimble with his feet and mind, Lambie is the best prospect at No.10 out of the Republic for years, although the story of his World Cup in 2011 might be the story of his country’s – it comes too soon for some, and too late for others.
The injuries: Heinrich Brussow is due back this week from damaged ribs.
The wildcard: Jean Deysel. The bruising Sharks back-rower hasn’t played a game this season due a serious knee injury but is a chance to face the Stormers this weekend. Those with good memories will tell you he is another in the Willem Alberts mould they seem to grow on trees over there.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/derby-days-hurts-so-good-for-the-wallabies-20110426-1dv4h.html#ixzz1KjIo8Ot6
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