Handré Pollard
Adriaan Strauss
Junior Springbok captain Handré Pollard, who was named IRB Junior Player of the Year on Friday, and experienced Test hooker Adriaan Strauss will join the Springboks in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
Pollard superbly led the South African Under 20’s at the Junior World Championships in New Zealand. The Junior Boks twice beat the NZ U20s en route to the final, where they were edged 21-20 by England in Auckland on Friday.
Strauss has been a fixture in the Springbok squad since 2012 and missed out on the last three matches because of suspension. He is free to play again next weekend.
Seven players based in France and England have been released to their clubs and will not be considered for selection for next weekend’s final Test in the Castle Lager Incoming Series, against Scotland at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
They are Gurthrö Steenkamp (prop), Schalk Brits (hooker), Bakkies Botha (lock), Francois Louw (flank), Morné Steyn (flyhalf), Wynand Olivier (centre) and Bryan Habana (wing).
“I’ve always rated Handré very highly and with Morné returning to France and Johan Goosen struggling with a knee injury, we decided to bring him in,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“Adriaan has been with us since June 2012 and has played in every Test in the last two seasons. He knows our structures well and will slot back in with no hassle.”
“We will still travel to Port Elizabeth with a strong squad and will only consider calling up more replacements if necessitated by injury. The players in the squad who have not yet featured in one of our three matches this month have worked very hard.”
“I’m a believer in earning opportunities and I feel that some of them deserve a chance to play for the Springboks against Scotland as they’ve now become accustomed to how we play and won’t let their country down.”
Jurie Roux, CEO of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), explained that the Test against Scotland falls outside of the international window prescribed by the IRB.
“We have reached agreement with the South African provinces and certain clubs that their players may be made available for the match,” said Roux.
“The French and English clubs have exercised their right to withdraw their players from the Test and we respect and understand that.”
“All the matches during the Castle Lager Rugby Championship fall within the IRB window and players based in Europe and South Africa will be available for selection.”
“Because of the special nature of the Japanese season and the way in which it is structured, we have worked with these clubs to have players available for Springbok duty on an individual basis. That means Schalk Burger, Fourie du Preez and JP Pietersen will be available for certain matches, as agreed with their clubs.”
“All Rugby World Cup matches next year fall within an international window and therefore all South African qualified players based anywhere will be available for selection.”
40 @ nortierd:
With all the springboks that has left the bulls there must be TONS of money lying around. I don’t buy that they “spent all their money on 19y olds”
but dont worry the sharks are going to be in the same kak after next year when most of the team leaves
@ Pietman:
hehe paul is n fantastiese speler maar ek sal n brug bou en daar oor kom 😉
61 @ MacroBok:
Yip, they are starting to leave in droves too, at the Sharks, since Streauli left to the Lions!!
Seriaaaas!
@ grootblousmile:
@ grootblousmile:
57 OK Pal.
Keep well/ Rye
Scrumdown wrote:
Moet se ek is self spyt oor Paul.
Ek wonder waar kry die Franse al die geld, of is dit maar die wisselkoers wat dit so opblaas?
52 @ Pietman:
Ahh sorry to read you are not well Pietman hope you get better soon, lekker rys
@ Bullscot:48
““Paul feels that he is not currently in the mix for Springbok selection and have a number of locks ahead of him in the line-up”
65 @ Pietman:
The French Clubs are privately owned, therefore the big money
@ Bullscot:
Thx bruvva, but I am up and about already,on compulsory sick leave and I am as bored as one of these Arab teenagers with a Corvette ZX and nowhere to go!
MacroBok wrote:
Pierre het mooi spiere
59 @ Scrumdown:
sounds like a case of sour grapes to me
69 @ Pietman:
Ok thats good, but is this compulsory leave the same as what we call gardenning leave here where they make you stay at home on pay while they wait to decide what to do with you if you have been naughty at work, hope not
@ nortierd:
darem is pierre een van die dag terug 😀
sommer n klomp stront dat hy nie bang is hy kry nie bok span nie… as hy oor twee jaar terugkom (bulle toe) soos jeandre kruger daai jare gemaak het is dit half verstaanbaar… ook maar net as hy terug bulle toe kom
69 @ Pietman:
I laughed at a pic of some Arabs sitting in the middle of the Saudi woestyn watching the Aus/Netherlands WC game…huddled around a laptop perched on a small box & complete with a camel in the background!
haha julle manne skinner lekker soos n klomp sharkies op die emails
72 @ Bullscot:
Surprised there aren’t more Sharkies in France. They’re always good for a w(h)ine.
taking all the emotion out of it. its the right decision by paul
76 @ Scrumdown:
😀
Dejavu for me this weekend and the one upcoming.
Was in the UK in 2008 for a hard won test against the Taffy Bastids one Sat and the next up to Scotland for the Murrayfield test for an equally hard fought victory.
Don’t know what was worse, all the travel and lack of sleep, or just far too much alcohol!
With my wife departing for the Karoo this week, it may well be even more dejavu. LOTS of alcohol again.
At least I won’t get stuck in a “gentlemans club” with a member of the Scottish National Party the evening before the test this week. (Hopefully!)
79 @ Scrumdown:
Déjà vu – The strange feeling that somehow, this has happened before
Vuja de – The strange feeling that somehow, this has never happened before
Hehehe
80 @ grootblousmile:
With “her indoors” about to depart one can never try to tell the future. Not even tomorrow night, but the “signs” are all there.
Luckily I don’t think there are any Scottish National Party members in Ekuhruleni.
grootblousmile wrote:
And in Jakes case “deja poo” the feeling you’ve heard all this shit before
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