Victor Matfield is over his injury problems and will rejoin the Springbok squad when they get together for the Australasian leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, while Marcel van der Merwe has been called up for the injured Frans Malherbe.
Furthermore, Willem Alberts has also been drafted back into the squad, pending a fitness test on Thursday when the squad gets together in Johannesburg. Both Alberts and Matfield were part of the initial 30-man squad, but missed out on the victories over Argentina in Pretoria and Salta because of injury.
sarugby
Van der Merwe will join the rest of the touring party in Johannesburg on Thursday. Malherbe will have to undergo surgery on his fractured ankle and is likely to miss the rest of the season because of this injury.
With Matfield and Alberts, if passed fit, returning for the two-week tour to Australia and New Zealand, Warren Whiteley and Juan Smith will drop out. Smith, however, will remain on standby if Alberts is deemed unable to tour.
“Victor is over his injury and has been declared fit to travel with us for the next two tests, while we’re awaiting a final verdict on Willem,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“It will be good to have them back. Willem has been part of the squad for the last number of seasons and Victor showed he can still add a lot of value when he returned to the Bok fold earlier this year.
“Losing Frans is a huge setback and my heart bleeds for him, because he’s done well since returning from a long injury lay-off recently which saw him miss the June tests.
“It’s also a big disappointment for Frans, whose involvement with the squad was cut short because of injury last November as well, but Marcel has been with us before and will slot in seamlessly. He provides specialist tighthead cover as Tendai Mtawarira, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Trevor Nyakane are specialist looseheads.”
Meyer added that Whiteley had impressed him immensely during his week with the Springboks and that Smith had made a massive contribution during his time with the squad in the last fortnight.
“Warren and Juan know exactly where they stand and it was great to work with them, even if it was only for a limited period of time,” said Meyer.
The Springboks returned from Argentina on Monday and will enjoy a short break before reconvening in Johannesburg on Thursday. They are scheduled to depart for Perth on Saturday.
Springbok squad:
Forwards: Willem Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Brits, Marcell Coetzee, Lodewyk de Jager, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield, Teboho Mohoje, Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Adriaan Strauss, Marcel van der Merwe, Duane Vermeulen.
Backs: Damian de Allende, Jean de Villiers (captain), Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks, Francois Hougaard, Patrick Lambie, Willie le Roux, Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Pienaar, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Jan Serfontein, Morné Steyn.
@ Nama:
WOW indeed.
😆
Forgot the Smilie.
😆 😆
Who knows what that fool is thinking.
Aitog
😆
87 @ Hondo:
Honda Motorcycle,
I would not know what performance requirements have been set for Heyneke Meyer, but his current winning percentage (above 75%) plus 2 draws, says in my book he stays on.
1 Loss against the Wallas and 4 losses against the All Blacks is his current stats… and wins against all the rest.
Look, I also consider it radically important that we get one over the All Blacks bloody soon… so we’ll see.
Anthing is better than Joke White or Snormonster though!
Bring back Divvie.
😆
Let’s see if SARU can buy him out of his contract at UWC.
86 @ gunther:
Will be great to have Pedi back…..pity the Guppies ran away, so she will have no one to play with 😆
85 @ gunther:
@ nortierd:
You can spend your days making puppy eyes at her and comparing notes as to whose glass is half emptiest.
😆
@ gunther:
Nee wat, think you are mistaking me with someone else….
Her talents for making Shark fans look silly will almost be wasted though, hardly anyone left
She will make a wonderful addition though, at least we will have some laughs for a change, us glass half empty fans don’t find the way we are winning games lately too funny
@ grootblousmile:
94
It’s commonly agreed here that we don’t fare the Boks against the Wallabies, nor against the Frogs or the Poms
ONLY, but ONLY vs the ABs, in that case that 75% means nothing, won’t help HM
Rest assured
That 0:6 isn’t a certainty yet, just a concern at this stage?
@ nortierd:
Nope it’s definitely you.
😆
@ nortierd:
99
Half empty glass,, I understand!
😆
It’s tough being a Boks supporters now, it’s tougher if you are a Stormers’ too?
Hondo wrote:
Well that would be a first.
😆
100 @ Hondo:
That’s how YOU rate things… talk for yourself, chap!
102 @ Hondo:
Being a Stormer supporter is the easy part, you expect the worst and accept it when it happens.
Being a Bok supporter is much easier, you expect to lose to the All Blacks, but hope we at least beat the other teams decently every now and again
evening fellas.
Music would be nice GB. Could lift my depression. Until the sixth. When I expect it to return with a bang. Even that Oz front row looks intimidating compared to ours. Fix that and it fixes a lot of things methinks.
106 @ Tassies:
OK, music it will be… otherwise Tasse might commit sewerage pipe!
OK, PUB NIGHT Thread is up, see you there!
@ nortierd:
86 ME
@ nortierd:
ME MOI EK
@ nortierd:
REF to *86
S/be 96
@ ryecatcher:
Evening Rye
Of course….Gunther must be confusing the two of us….easily confused is our Gunther
@ grootblousmile:
only joking, it would seem to be a problem question is what really is the problem is he struggling to get them to do what he wants either through communication problem or the players inability to grasp and put into practice what he is teaching or is it just a timing/cohesion problem or are Argentina just really really really good at scrumming or did they get away with illegal scrumming
#45 Ahh and so you did, but you do have the ability to edit posts too…
@ nortierd:
Indeed
@ nortierd:
105
Spot on! couldn’t put it better myself 😉
114
@ Nama:
I thought we agreed once that the Boks always expect to beat all the 6Nations and the Argie teams?
I thought this IS the norm so we don’t take any credit for doing that, just saying?
we only rate tests against the ABs and against the Wallabies (when the convicts get their act together)?
@ 43 & 44: Gunther said:
“If we look at a likely Bok starting lineup
…
…
How many of those are genuine dads army?
Vic
De Villiers
Habana
If that’s the case then consider this.
The lineout is a mess without Victor.
And habana was one of the better players on Saturday.”
***
Yeah, that’s only considering the here & now.
The disconcerting fact remains that despite 4, maybe 5 or 6, of the likely next Bok starting line-up being ‘Dad’s Army’, HM’s selection track record indicates that he is likely to select into his RWC 2015 squad not just those 4 – 6, but conceivably also:
(1) 5 RWC 2003 veterans, to wit:
Jacque Fourie, Schalk Burger, Juan Smith, Victor Matfield & Bakkies Botha;
(2) 9 further veterans with RWC experience commencing 2007, to wit:
Frans Steyn, Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Ruan Pienaar, Gurthro Steenkamp, Bismarck du Plessis & Jannie du Plessis;
(3) 7 other experienced players with RWC 2011 participation, to wit:
Morne Steyn, Pierre Spies, Tendai Mtwarira, Francois Louw, Pat Lambie, Francois Hougaard & Willem Alberts;
(4) 2 other experienced players capped by other coaches, but without RWC experience, to wit: Adriaan Strauss & Flip van der Merwe.
That leaves slack in the likely RWC 2015 squad for only 7 burgeoning Bokke (at most 12, if HM discards some of the sick, lame, elderly, distracted or disinterested). Only such 7-12 players identified, selected & nurtured by HM, players that he did not inherit from Rudolf Straueli, Jake White and/or Peter de Villiers can be regarded as an investment in the future and thus HM’s legacy to SA rugby. With respect, that appears a particularly meagre return for 4 years’ well remunerated effort.
Selecting players with at most RWC 2011 experience is (as a generalised proposition) indicative of the healthy espousal of retention of experience and the building of stability, continuity & team spirit. But a heavy reliance on veterans from RWC 2003 and/or 2007 smacks more of misplaced nostalgia or loyalty, insecurity, a lack of belief in new talent and an inability to effectively identify, develop & vest as fresh burgeoning Bokke, new blossoming talent. It also creates an unnecessary Bok selection bottle neck, constricts a natural flow of new blood and eager exuberance & fresh athleticism into the Bok squad, is demoralising & stunting for young talent, has the propensity to induce talented but disillusioned non-Bok rugby players to ply their trade abroad at increasingly younger ages & exposes the ageing squad to increased injury susceptibility.
Moreover during his tenure as Bok coach, HM has revived the flailing Bok careers of the following 23 then either unconvincing, marginalised, discarded, forgotten, under-rated, primarily financial security seeking & -motivated, long-term injured or retired Bokke (take your pick): Adriaan Strauss, Wynand Olivier, Zane Kirchner, Ryan Kankowski, Werner Kruger, Dean Greyling, Lwazi Mvovo, Francois Louw, Flip van der Merwe, Andries Bekker, CJ van der Linde, Heinke van der Merwe, Gurthro Steenkamp, Schalk Brits, Jacque Fourie, Bjorn Basson, Chilliboy Ralepelle, Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Ruan Pienaar, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger & Juan Smith.
Only 5 of these 23 were ‘players of colour’.
Of these 23 only 8 (including a mere single ‘player of colour’) have made a significantly worthwhile on-field contribution to the Bok cause during HM’s tenure, to wit: Adriaan Strauss, Zane Kirchner, Francois Louw, Flip van der Merwe, Jacque Fourie, Fourie du Preez, Ruan Pienaar & Victor Matfield.
HM has substantially overlooked the talent and Bok credentials/potential of Heinrich Brussow, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Warren Whiteley, Nizaam Carr & any or all of the Lions 1st choice front rowers. At various times the Bok squad would in my opinion have been strengthened by and benefited from the inclusion of at least some of these players.
HM must however be commended in being instrumental in the successful reintroduction into the Bok squad of Fourie du Preez, Jacque Fourie & Victor Matfield whose Bok careers most believed were over. HM has been vindicated by these selections (in Bok problem areas), despite the age of these stalwarts.
Bottom line is:
Based on HM’s utterances and selection preferences, and as always also fitness, form & resolution of contractual disputes permitting, at this stage HM’s likely RWC 2015 squad looks something like this:
Tendai Mtwarira / Gurthro Steenkamp
Bismarck du Plessis / Adriaan Strauss
Jannie du Plessis / Frans Malherbe
Eben Etzebeth / Bakkies Botha
Victor Matfield / Flip van der Merwe
Francois Louw / Marcell Coetzee
Willem Alberts / Schalk Burger
Duane Vermeulen / Pierre Spies
Fourie du Preez / Ruan Pienaar (utility back), Francois Hougaard (utility back)
Morne Steyn / Handre Pollard, Pat Lambie (utility back)
Bryan Habana
Jean de Villiers / Frans Steyn (utility back)
Jacque Fourie / Damian de Allende (utility back)
JP Pietersen (utility back) / Cornal Hendricks
Willie le Roux (utility back)
Breakdown of the squad:
1. Ex RWC 2003 squad – 4
2. Ex RWC 2007 squad – 9
3. Ex RWC 2011 squad – 7
4. Pre HM era players without RWC experience – 2
5. Rookie Bokke introduced by HM – 8
6. Players of Colour (other than Black African) – 5
7. Black Africans – 1 (Zimbabwean born)
This squad contains only 8 new players brought into the Bok fold by HM of which a mere 2 are Coloured players. The 1 Black African in this squad was introduced by HM’s predecessor, Peter de Villiers.
I’ll leave you to mull that sad state of affairs & its future consequences for SA Rugby …
but “it aint gonna be pretty” …
@ Angostura:
Out of a matter of interest, how many of the All Blacks that Hansen is selecting stems from Henry’s 8 year tenure and perhaps further back, and how many new players has he brought in as regular starters who have usurped some of the 2007 and 2011 WC players?
Will be interesting to compare
@ Angostura:
Where is all the new talent we used to hear about on KEO, it doesn’t exist it’s a myth but the Bokke are still good enough to be second in the world. Since the last World Cup NZ has unearthed A Smith, Retallick, Savea, Coles, Fuckatoa, Barrett etc all world class or not far off, the Bokke?
@ nortierd:
Ben Smith
Aaron Smith
JulianSavea
Brody Retallick
All of them already rate as no. 1 or close to it in their respective position.
Luatua, Barret and Fekitoa are coming on nicely.
Hooker is still their main problem.
This was the AB team that run on in the final of the RWC in 2011. Compare with the team that was selected for Saturday’s match against the Aussies.
FB 15 Israel Dagg
RW 14 Cory Jane
OC 13 Conrad Smith
IC 12 Ma’a Nonu
LW 11 Richard Kahui
FH 10 Aaron Cruden
SH 9 Piri Weepu
N8 8 Kieran Read
OF 7 Richie McCaw (c)
BF 6 Jerome Kaino
RL 5 Sam Whitelock
LL 4 Brad Thorn
TP 3 Owen Franks
HK 2 Keven Mealamu
LP 1 Tony Woodcock
Replacements:
HK 16 Andrew Hore
PR 17 Ben Franks
LK 18 Ali Williams
FL 19 Adam Thomson
SH 20 Andy Ellis
FH 21 Stephen Donald
CE 22 Sonny Bill Williams
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