There is yet to be a team or squad selected that everyone agrees with.
This holds true not only to South African and Springbok rugby, but really rugby worldwide.
I decided to wait a couple of days before I give my two cents worth on the squad selected for the Northern Hemisphere tour so that the usual vitriol can pass whenever a touring squad is selected, and I guess it was a good thing.
Good because at least I have an idea now where most people have a problem with the selections.
I was asked on Sunday what I thought of the players assembled for the upcoming tour, and my answer was that I do not really have an opinion on it, well not yet anyway.
I tend to wait and listen to some of the reasoning coming from the management staff (coaches) on their reasoning for picking certain players, and leaving some out – through this I try and establish the dynamic involved when coaches and selectors actually sat down to pick these guys for the tour.
You see unless we understand the dynamic behind certain selections it is impossible to assess whether the selection(s) were indeed justified or not.
None of us are actually part of the Springbok setup (well apart from certain scribes of course…) so the best we can come up with as supporters or outside viewers are guesses as to why certain guys are there, and why certain guys are not.
This guessing game however is where it gets dangerous, because it is usually driven by emotion and not logic.
But when you defy logic like a recent Business Day column I read then it just becomes plain silly.
The column suggested that things in SA Rugby has not changed much, because we still give away Springbok places (no caps or blazers are awarded for the mid-week team) thanks in large to tokenism, or in plain English, giving spots away to black token players to please government.
Having looked at the squad selected this opinion simply defies any logic. Some of the most questionable decisions within the squad selected has to do with white players, positional switching and questionable form which justifies selection.
If anything, what I picked up from the squad was more a case of selecting guys based on favouritism which is a hell of a long way off tokenism.
Many of the left field selections are players who Peter de Villiers know, or have coached at different levels but mainly age-group level. So this shows me it is rather a case of the coach going with ‘better the devil you know’ selection than anything else.
We all know that we have problems in depth in Springbok rugby where we need to get players up to a level to easily slot into positions at test match rugby should we lose any of our current world beaters to retirement or injury.
From what I gather, this is also what the coaching staff and selectors looked at when they selected the squad if their statements following the announcement is anything to go by.
Whether they are on the right path remains to be seen, but the fact that they at least identified the path (read problem) is a positive step in the right direction.
So then the question remains; ‘Did they get it right?’
And if you want my opinion on this, I would have to say that in some ways yes, but in most ways no. But then again, who the hell am I ?
So Keohane is swone up here by our own Jan!
Shown up
hmmmm, well said morné
I don’t have a problem with the players they picked, it is not as if they will play in the tests. Give them the culture of the boks to strife for. I have more of a problem with who was not picked.
There are many players that performed very well this year, and some for consecutive years that have not been picked. And most of them are yards better than some of the current 37.
A bit katvoet this morning, Morne? 😉
But I don’t blame you and some of the selections definitely shout development to me. Possibly the tour itinerary and the chosen opposition has influenced the tour group. Who compiles these tours and how much say did Snor and the Hoskins show have in setting it up?
But in the name of all things developmental, why was the Staat’s front row ignored? And what is wrong with Mapoe?
Speaking about Mapoe: if I hear one more friggin’ white commentator pronounce the winger’s surname as ‘Mapoo’ dan mapoo ek sommer in my friggin’ broek!
This guy is not a boertjie (did anybody notice that?) so what with the Afrikaans pronounciation? As a Sotho the ‘poe’ should be pronounced as ‘pwe’. Thus Ma-pwe would be the correct pronounciation.
The current situation is as bad as a Zulu commentator pronouncing Ludeke as Loo-deke (like Mbeke) in a sort of Zulu way? Its about time our commentators did a bit of homework before they grip that microphone so tightly.
Right, now that that’s off my chest…….back to the team, Morne.
Snor has a little goodwill to play with after a very, very successful season I believe. As such, the true value of this development tour can only be accurately assessed later imho….
Will the true rugby fans see it that way should the Boks stumble against the club sides (and there’s a good chance that they might given the foreign team mates and surrounds)?
Of course not! 😉
Snoek, Fender,
I see a clear case of favouritism in a lot of the selections, which is not good for any coach – unless of course those players repay your faith in them…
There are many guys I would loved to have seen in here, and some okes I cannot see that deserved a place in there.
But then, I have my favourites, as have all of us.
Difference is as I said elsewhere, only the coach’s favourites counts…
Hmmmmmmm, this is healthy debate…. Thanks Morne, very thoughtful Article…. thanks fender, very objective view in #5… oh and thanks for helping us right with the correct pronounciation of Mapoe’s surname… I was one of those who had it wrong, but only because I’d heard it wrong repeatedly…..
Some damn unlucky players who should have been there but are’nt….. Mapoe, Alberts, all 3 Cheetahs front rowers, Sykes…..
Some very lucky fellas who should not have been there…. Maku, Chilli, Gurthro, Jannie du Plessis, Hargreaves, Rose
And a question no one is asking – Why replace an 8 with a 7?
Snoek can I give you the answer?
Because I reckon, he would have played an 8 (one of the current ones) as a 7 in the test…
9 – No. 😆
Too late!!!
10 – Are you refering to Kanko.
Yes.
12 – You where to fast for me there.
14 – Why would snor do that? If that was his plan, it would not make sense to me at all.
With the Test team think yes all good selections, maybe one or two could have made it there instead of some. With the Dirt Trackers no. Some were VERY UNLUCKY not to make it.
Then maybe a new star is born from the new selections. Let see what happens.
Complained enough yesterday, today just have to accept who is there and put our support behind the Dirt Tracker team.
Think now that Spies is injured Brussow will be a sure start for the test side. Really don’t think he was going to start in the tests, especially after playing such a long season then to play with the Dirt Trackers and the Test side only arrives 2 days before the game. He was no way going to start in the Tests he was dropped at the time, don’t care who says what now. Gold can say what he wants now, but you keep your players together to train and the test team are all here training together until they leave. Brussow would not have been training with them. Now though with Spies out they have no choice but to play Brussow. Crazy to even to think of leaving such a great player out.
Now think it will be 8 Kanko 7 Burger 6 Brussow. Danie will cover for Bakkies. Otherwise maybe Danie might start at 8.
Pleased Deysel got seleted too. Deserves a spot even if he only plays in the Dirt Tracker side. Also very pleased that D. Potgieter was selected and HE should have been captain of the Dirt Trackers. He was superb when he captained the E. Boks. Only 22 years of age too.
Deysel as well, remember he played very well in the E. Boks against Lions and was mom there too.
Good luck to the Boks and our Dirt Trackers.
#6,7,8
GBS, my pleasure on the pronounciation issue.
Morne, ja every person has their favourites – coaches included. And I agree, Rose, Chilli et all will have to justify this faith on the tour. Not that it will be easy, either….
And I will grant Snor some slack – he really deserves it. And who doesn’t enjoy a pleasant surprise round Xmas time, hey?
Whatever happens it will be a fascinating little tour…
Snoek, this 8 being replaced by a 7: is the incumbant a true no 8?
The big mistake most people makes is to ignore consistency in selection and experience. Both is cornerstones of success.
Looking at the test team a big shortcoming is the fullback position. Between the selected three fullbacks there is one cap. (Kirchner) Thus PdV and co are first focusing on this position. There decision was to select the most experienced wingers with the fullback. That is done, no problem. Mapoe is then competing for a place on the bench. The backs on the bench is usually a scrumhalf, a flyhalf and an allrounder. Mapoe is the competing for a bench position with Riaan Viljoen.
This brings us back to the shortcoming of the test team. Looking for a fullback has higher priority than looking looking for a wing.
Sorry Mapoe, next time.
GBS
It seems Joost van der Westhuizen is available for selection now that he is not working on the telly anymore
😉
19@ Dweeper – Mapoe should have been there in place of either Odwa or Nokwe…. easy peasy…. hell Fabian Juries should have been there before Odwa or Nokwe…
What the hell is Nokwe and Odwa there for ????
20@ Rugby Princess – Helloooooooo friend from afar…. how is the Dizzy Blonde today?
When do we get another ravishingly refreshing Article for the blog?
18 @ fender – Your last sentence is an article on its own which i am sure Morné had done at some stage in the past. Maybe he could pick up on that one.
Point taken though.
#19dWeeper
Good point about surrounding inexperience with experience.
But do Odwa and Jongi qualify as experienced players in support of an inexperienced full back?
Grootblou, you are missing what I said, consistency, experience and priority. The inexperience of the fullbacks led to the exclusion of Mapoe. PdV mentioned experience as a selection criteria.
Then some people can only see their own point of view. I also thought that Mapoe would be in the team. At least I have an explanation for myself why Mapoe was left out.
A lot better than the big mouths.
25 @ dweeper – Nou wie het vannogend in jou pap gepis?
Fender, a good question, but have you a better explanation?
Odwa did play some tests, is an experienced Super 14 player and is very skillful. For me their remain some doubts about the skill levels of Nokwe. Except for the experience tag I rate Mapoe a better proposition than Nokwe.
A point of interest. Have again a look at the second try of Habana. Demas is caught up in a ruck, the Bulls turned over the ball with a huge gap left. There was no cover defence at all. That was due to inexperience of Daniller and Mapoe. Daniller should have moved over to cover for Demas and Mapoe should have fall back to cover Daniller. Communication!
dWeeper,
I for one agree with you.
Remember, Odwa has experience as a 15 too which is valuable.
#27 and 28
dWeeper and Morne,
I don’t have an explanation for Mapoe’s omission. I’m merely trying to find a reason to agree with you that the chosen wings have more experience than the inexperienced full backs as you have suggested.
If we assume that Odwa or Nokwe are experienced, then we have to talk about non-test experience as they might only have 10 tests between the two of them, not so?
And maybe this is also what Morne is getting at in terms of Odwa’s full back experience.
Personally it is more of a case for me of playing 2 of your back three as rookies or debutants in a test is suicide.
Your back three has to click as a combo arguably in a similar way your front row has to click to scrum effectively.
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