The most experienced lock pairing in the history of world rugby will be re-united against Italy on Saturday when Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha play together for a 60th time.
JJ Harmse:
Matfield will skipper the Springboks for the 11th time while John Smit recovers from his hamstring injury.
The team is likely to show six changes from the one that thrashed France at the weekend.
Botha is fit and available again after serving out his suspension of four weeks and undergoing minor knee surgery.
He will be short of match-fitness, but that is good news for the Boks’ Tri-Nations plans.
Danie Rossouw will be rested and injuries have necessitated two changes. Chiliboy Ralepelle will replace Smit at hooker, while Bandise Maku is likely to be on the substitutes bench as cover.
Team doctor Craig Roberts said that Smit could be out of action for 10 days.
“He underwent a scan today and there is a grade one tear to the hamstring. If everything goes well, he should be available for the second Test against Italy in East London.”
Maku joined up with the squad on Monday.
Players like Gary Botha and Tiaan Liebenberg will probably just shake their heads about Maku’s inclusion, but coach Peter de Villiers emphasised that he is experimenting.
“I’m not building a house, but just shifting the furniture around a little,” the coach said with one of his typical analogies.
“The idea is to arrive at the best 45 players to pick my World Cup squad of 30 players from. I have given the best lock in the country (Rossouw) a rest, but still have three others that can play at any time.” (OK do it but dont forget your lessons in year one, stay with the trusted, stay with the experienced, dont forget combinations make a Team )
Rossouw’s rest is likely to hand Flip van der Merwe another chance as substitute lock. Alistair Hargreaves is also likely to see action in East London.
Roberts said that Andries Bekker is recovering from his back injury and should also be considered for the next Test.
Schalk Burger is the other injured player. His ankle injury is likely to open the door for Dewald Potgieter.
Potgieter is likely to play with Francois Louw and Pierre Spies in the loose-trio, with Ryan Kankowski set to do duty on the substitutes bench.
At training on Monday Spies amazed team-mates by slotting a drop goal of 60m.( see no need to drool about Frans Steyn, nice one PS, show them, :lol:)
The centre pairing of Wynand Olivier and Jaque Fourie will be rested. Jean de Villiers and Butch James will be the midfield combination.
@ grootblousmile:
Sorry i dont agree , Chilly did well Saturday, did he? You even said at one stage he played better than JS. It is all about opportunities. He gets it and takes it well. He is involved with the Boks for at least 3 years now. I really dont fault PdV for the faith he shows in him.What worries me is his call up of Maku, does he want to prove to Frans Ludeke something, the Bulls know that CR is the no 2, and the only reason they played Maku is because CR was not available.
If you have a 4×4 and it is in for service , would you still drive your Hi-Lux bakkie when the 4×4 is available?
But it is a worrying thing happening , PdV is in his cristmas father suit again and he feel there is a few kids who deserves Springbok jerseys for their S14 plays.
29@ dWeePer:
At the Bulls those who leave it’s about identified and ALREADY DEVELOPED other players…
For instance, Mangweni simply had to ask himself the question…. Am I going to be selected ahead of Zane Kirchner or Jaco van der Westhuyzen at fullback or not… and if not, I owe myself a starting spot elsewhere.
In other words it was not about age or age was not the consideration.
Adams, similarly… It appears I am behind Fourie du Preez AND Francois Hougaard in the pecking order, let me move to someplace I might start.
Adams would probably have struggled to start at any of the SA Super 14 Franchises, with other No 1’s in front of him everywhere, so overseas was the logical alternative.
Wannenburg, another good point in question… it was clear this year that he was a bench option only, not a starter, unless injury enforced (as in the beginning of the season).
I think you see too much in the age-factor.
@ dWeePer:
They developed because they had poor technique, got in a coach who corrected that and so scrummed a lot better.
That does not change the basics of scrumming, which have been the same for years and will continue to be the same for years to come.
Scrumming is a science that can be taught.
Good scrum technique does not change, it is the application of that by players that has to be worked on.
@ dWeePer:
Adams leaving is not a big lost
Pedrie is a real work horse and did his best for us, i personally will mis him, but there is a crowd pushing him, i think he leaves at the right time.
Mangweni will be missed, he was a solid back up. But i expect to see Zane , Jaco and maybe JLP to be the full backs next year , leaving Tiger way out of the team.
31@ superBul:
Chilliboy did well considering…. but we don’t know how Gary Botha or Tiaan Liebenberg would have gone, do we…. because they were shunned.
What we do know, for a fact, is that Gary and Maku is preferred above Chiliboy at the Bulls, so that should naturally be the pecking order, not true.
Your argument infers that seeing as Chiliboy is now preferred and given the opporunity, that he should jump ahead in the queue at the Bulls too…. that does not wash.
Chiliboy did well on Saturday against the French… very well, but that simply does not justify his selection over peers that are currently better AND MORE EXPERIENCED.
All said, if I was Chiliboy, I would move to the Lions, where he might be No 1 hooker and starting in matches… if he performs then, well higher honours might come his way.
The only thing standing in the way of such a move would be the quality of the rest of the Lions squad, which might pull him down and reduce his chances for higher honours.
@ grootblousmile:
Do you hate the guy that much 😆 sending him there. EISHHHHH
You might have inside info that i dont have , but the way HM operates he wont just throw away a player that he himself bought. So if he did the investment on CR he will give him a fair chance. That is the whole foundation of the Bulls success.
Where would one place Chiliboy in the pecking order in the other SA Franchises….
Bulls – No 3
Stormers – No 3, maybe No 2 at best, behind Tiaan Liebenberg and Deon Fourie
Sharks – No 3 behind John Smit and Bismarck
Cheetahs – No 2 behind Adriaan Strauss
Lions – No 1
I think this is a fair reflection of the true state of affairs?
37@ superBul:
No, I don’t hate Chiliboy at all, I just think a player with such potential should be at a Franchise where he gets to play in the starting lineup.
See, I said that he might be pulled down by the rest of the Lions squad…. heheehe.
Hopefully the Lions under Mitchell develops some unity and attract some good players to the Union…. that is, till Muir farks it up for them next season again…. eishhhhhhhhh.
@ dWeePer:
Heyneke answered:
Tiger is `n baie begaafde speler en het vir ons `n spesifieke rol in die Vodacomreeks vervul tov jonger spelers.
Ek dink as afrigter moet jy optree in die beste belang van die speler en Tiger kry die geleenheid om te begin by `n ander unie, wat nie noodwendig die geval hier sou wees nie.
Soos ek genoem het, glo ons daaraan om jonger spelers blootstelling te gee en vanjaar se Curriebeker sal nie anders wees nie. Tiger is reeds 30 en sou moes terugstaan in dié groter prentjie.
Ek voorsien dat Tiger in die toekoms weer deel sal word van die Bulle in die afrigtingstrukture. Hy is geweldig kundig en ons het reeds met hom daaroor gesels.
@ grootblousmile:
All depends what you want as a hooker. I think at the Stormers he might be 20th, they like these showoffs to play there.
Just look at the way HM thinks, thats why i feel that CR will get his fair chance at the Bulls.
With regards to Basson, he is a world class player, so you are right. We also rate Lionel Mapoe and some others out there.
It is sometimes frustrating to see how little respect other union show towards contracts.
We can be more aggressive.
Our whole culture is build upon respect for each other, integrity and doing the right thing.
There cannot be grey areas and players respect you for that. We win cups because we stick to what we believe. Often those type of deals come back to haunt you because other players become unhappy of promises made to them and is then not kept.
42@ superBul:
With the way the Bulls Union think, that is exactly why Chiliboy is No 3 there…. no favourites, merit selection rule.
Players respect merit selection, players respect that they have to come through the ranks on their own.
@ superBul:
Nothing wrong with a hooker showing off 🙂
@ Pam Anderson:
😆 yeah you got me there. 😀
13@ tight head:
Ja, BJ scrummed with a Smit that was already carrying a hamstring strain from the start on Sat. About BJ being small, he weighed 116 Kgs a few years ago, Smit at hooker weighed 118, and he was already a bit overweight.
Then when Smit was forceed to TH, he put on a lot of fat. BJ is back and has gained alot of experience has matured and some muscle, he weighs 118Kgs I think. This is no problem for a TH, very compact and very powerful. Before the last wolrd cup they had a poll among the S14 union players remember, and all said that BJ was the toughest to scrum against. I think he must get chance among the Sh players, before we brand him.
As far as hooker are concerned, my order is:
1 Smit
2 Du Plessis
3 Botha
4 Liebenberg
5 Strauss
6 Brannas
7 Burden
8 Chili (even Bandjes is giving him a good go)
22@ grootblousmile:
Wat van 5:
Victor
Bekker
J Kruger (beste slot in NH)
Franco
Muller
Anton v Zyl
Pieterse
Hargreaves kan ek nie verstaan waarom die knaap daar is nie, maar ons sal moet sien wanneer die “belangrike” toetse aangekondig word.
no 4:
Bakkies
Danie
Flippie
Mostert (as reg is)
Fondse
Breedt.
45@ superBul:
Super, ek het jou gereply op die ander draad.
@ Die Blou Kuberruim Wandelaar:
watter draad?
catch up after 5 , i am out till then
48@ superBul:
Um…die ene met jou laaste reply aan my. 🙂
@ tight head: I might accept “intellectual capital” when talking of a prop…now and then…..but never of a hooker 🙂
Guys…what about the Saracens hooker…he has been fundamental to their success this year and that is playing in the “cauldron” of front rows.
France, meanwhile, admited they were totally outplayed and gave credit to the South Africans, but at the same time blamed most of their heartache on the first few minutes when the match was over as a contest.
The visitors were 7-0 behind when Pierre Spies scored after 90 seconds, fell further behind (10-0) after eight minutes, and trailed 20-0 after 24 minutes.
France’s coach, Marc Lievremont, said the hiding they received would not change their approach and planning for the World Cup.
“The difference was those first few minutes,” he said, adding that France were simply out of the game early on, describing it as “a catastrophe”.
“We were as physical as we should have been,” Lievremont said concerning the pre-match hype about the physical clash that was expected.
However, he bemoaned the fact that they could not play their natural game and had to rely on South Africa’s sometimes aimless kicking for possession with which to attack.
“The quality of South Africa’s forwards denied us playing our own game,” he admitted.
“We came to the match with great intent,” said captain Thierry Dusautoir, “but those first minutes cost us. We have no excuses.” – Sapa
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