It is good to be able to have a united SA Nation again after the division of the Currie Cup. Our blood all turn to green every time that the Bokke pull those magnificent jerseys over their heads, our hearts swell with pride…. we expect nothing less than for the Bokke to win.. and win well.

End of Year Tour time, this time with a difference, 2 games have been included against Franchise Teams (Tigers & Sarries) and 3 Tests have been scheduled.

This means that there is ample opportunity for the Springbok Management to experiment and a clear extra Dirt-Tracker Springbok Team has been selected to go on tour.

It is worrysome that the chosen Bokke team for this game includes players who have never played together in their respective combinations… let’s look at this aspect critically…

In the front row, only Gurthro Steenkamp and Chilliboy Ralapele knows each other well, both being from the Bulls. At Tight Head though we have Jannie du Plessis who has not scrummed in combination with these two.

At lock Danie Rossouw and Bekker have never (or rarely) scrummed next to each other, but both have been regulars in the Bokke group.

At Openside flank there’s the sublime Dewalt Potgieter, but he’s actually a blind side flanker, at No 7 there’s Davon Raubenheimer who is at best a Currie Cup Flank and at No 8 there’s the in-form Ashley Johnson. None of these loosies have played together…. and there’s a definate imballance in the way the loosie-combo has been put together.

Amongst the Halfbacks, Heini Adams and Ruan Pienaar have never had the opportunity to play together and poor Ruan has once again been shifted from No 9 to No 10.

At centre we have 2 individual stars… Wynand Olivier and Juan de Jong… given time they could set the world alight, but as it stands, the first time they ever passed each other the ball was during this week’s training cessions.

The back 3 are from 3 different Provinces in SA, with Nokwe, the speedy but suspect defender on one wing, steady but unspectacular Odwa Ndungane on the other wing and Earl Rose, the unpredictable and sometimes unsteady fullback (who should actually not ever wear the green and gold).

These players are pitted against the “Bulls” of the North, who, despite giving 6 players to the English squad, is a settled side and doing very well in their competitions up North. In Mauger, they have a general… and their forwards are a solid unit.

It is difficult to make predictions on this one and my head seems to indicate that the Tigers might win, the heart however is hoping for Wynand Olivier and Juan de Jongh to run the Tigers to pieces.

Let’s make a compromise…. heart wins, Springboks by 5 – 8.

Players to watch: Wily Aaron Mauger is always worth watching, such a clever player even if he is out of position, but then Ruan Pienaar plays in so many positions he seems out of position wherever he plays but he too is a player of skill and greater speed. Johne Murphy (Tigers) is a most promising, committed young player. The other wing, Argentinian Lucas Amorosino, scored a spectacular try last weekend and could be a star in the making. For the Springboks the centre pair, young Juan de Jongh and more experienced Wynand Olivier, have the speed and skill to provide excitement. Most of South Africa will keep an eye on Earl Rose at fullback, mystified as many are at his selection. There will also be interest in Chiliboy Ralepelle’s captaincy. At school, Pretoria Boys High, he was highly rated as a player and a leader, following in the footsteps of John Smit at the school. Ralepelle has captained the Springboks once before – and that in Leicester in 2006 when the Springboks played a pick-up side called a World XV and beat them 32-7 at Walkers Stadium.

Head to Head: Aaron Mauger versus Ruan Pienaar. This could be the crux of the game.

There are no previous results. This is a new encounter though in the past Springbok touring teams would play against Midland Counties, The Springboks won in Leicester in 1906 and 1912 but lost there 30-21 in 1931. The Springboks won 3-0 in 1951 and the teams drew 3-3 at Welford Road in 1960.

Teams

Leicester Tigers: 15 Scott Hamilton, 14 Lucas Amorosino, 13 Andy Forsyth, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Johne Murphy, 10 Aaron Mauger (captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Brett Deacon, 7 Ben Pienaar, 6 Geoff Parling, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Calum Green, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Mefin Davies, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Dan Cole, 18 Tom Armes, 19 Dan Hemingway, 20 James Grindal, 21 Greig Tonks, 22 Lote Tuqiri.

South Africa: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Heini Adams, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Davon Raubenheimer, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (captain), 1 Gürthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Riaan Viljoen.

Date: Friday, November 6
Venue: Welford Road, Leicester
Kick-off: 19.45 (19.45 GMT, 21.45 SA time)
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Assistant referees: Roy Maybank, Robin Goodliffe
TMO: Andrew Turner, Graeme Hughes