The Winter Tours in the Southern Hemisphere is a thing of the past, with a clear advantage to the Southern Hemisphere in the results, except for an Australian hickup against England in the 2nd Test and 2 results for Scotland against Argentina. The rest of the results all went the way of the Southern Hemisphere.
I am still not fully happy though with the Springbok run-up to the Tri-Nations and think our National coach missed some opportunities in selecting or establishing the true pecking order in a few positions.
In the front row, loosehead is well and truly sorted out, with Gurthro Steenkamp and Beast Mtawarira, but the other 2 positions, that of hooker and tighthead prop is a worry.
As reserve hooker Chiliboy is now established in the position but would it not have served the Bokke better to have gone with either Gary Botha or Tiaan Liebenberg as backup. These players were after all the 1st choice players for their respective Franchises and showed wonderful form during the whole Super 14.
At tighthead Jannie du Plessis and BJ Botha are now the chosen ones but BJ Botha did not set the world alight… in my mind the Winter Tours were the ideal opportunity to experiment with new blood in this position and Werner Kruger of the Bulls can consider himself unlucky not to have been given the opportunity to show whether he could step up to the plate and make the depth and quality in this position better.
At lock and in the backrow forwards I have no complaints.
At scumhalf, the Bokke are probably most porous, considering the world’s best scrumhalf, Fourie du Preez is out with a lenghty injury. His tactical nous, decision making ability and tactical boot will be sorely missed and a player should have been selected who plays a game which closely mimics Fourie du Preez’ game, in order to achieve close to the same result… that player is non other than Ruan Pienaar. In stead, Ricky January, the nuggety and instinctive “Meercat” has been employed throughout and Ruan is being messed around once again between fullback, flyhalf and scrumhalf substitution. It is just potently wrong and unforgivable.
At flyhalf there’s Morné Steyn, the points machine, but what happens in the event he gets injured…. does Ruan get the nod or does Butch get the nod? I don’t even think Peter de Villiers is sure about this one. Butch has not added much to the Bokke, to be frank! It would probably have served the Bokke better had Peter Grant been involved right throughout the Winter Tours, with Ruan exclusively playing at scrumhalf.
Inside centre (No 12) is also still a lottery, with 3 players vying for a spot here, Wynand Olivier, Juan de Jongh and Jean de Villiers. Who is the incumbant? By now the midfield combination between one of the 3 and Jaque Fourie at outside centre should have been running like clockwork.
Depth at outside centre is another problem area should Jaque Fourie be injured. Jean de Villiers never impressed at No 13 and at the moment I suppose Juan de Jongh would have the inside track on filling that void.
At left wing Bryan Habana is clearly the No 1 choice and Francois Hougaard provides very good cover in that position.
At right wing Gio Aplon seems to be the man in the saddle, with Jean de Villiers as cover… but Jean is a natural inside centre, not a true wing.
In the last vestage Zane Kirchner should be the man in the saddle, with Gio Aplon covering that position in event of an injury, then exposing the right wing as very iffy as far as replacements go.
The bottomline is we could have had more established combinations going forward, more depth developed and certainly at scrumhalf a better run-on option established.
I’m not saying I am unhappy about Peter’s squad in general, in fact I would only possibly have made 3 or 4 changes overall, but rhytm and continuity should have been established now already, with these same available players!
29@ tight head:
Yip!!
For a small fee of course…. hehehehe
I know i am not a fundi like some of you guys, but this is how it seems to me.
AND ……….. i have really learnt a lot here on RT.
Dam part of my sentence didnt come out, I just feel if he was as good as his press says he is, he would have a position by now and there would be no quibbleing about it.
32@ Treehugger:
Glad you learnt a lot… we have some guys and gals here who add a lot.
@ Treehugger:
I learnt a lot on that other blog.
But not about rugby!!!
35@ tight head:
11 Months today since I left that hell-hole.
@ grootblousmile:
Kaapstad!!!
Can i fall in here without reading the article? I have not had any conversation lately with other RT talkers, simply because i am here when you all have left.
I will start by saying hello
What is the big talking points?
37@ tight head:Huh??
38@ superBul:
Hello vrind !
Hoe hang die ghoenne?
@ grootblousmile:
Hell hole.
Voldy or Kaapstad?
Just taking the piss out of our WP manne!!
41@ tight head:
Voldy of course…. I actually like Slaapstad…. hehehehe
GBS hulle hang laag tyd vir….
Nou nie gelees wat almal se nnie
What was said about the disappearing of Grant, i must say he impressed me in this years S14.
@ superBul:
Hello Super.
Are you well?
Talking about Frans Steyn.
Has he got a groot kop?
Ricky Januarie, can he still play at the pace needed?
43@ superBul:
Nothing much was said about Peter Grant.
@ grootblousmile:
Yes, me too.
My family are all in Kaapstad.
I just like stirring it up with the people down there!!
46@ tight head:
Sensitive souls those from Slaapstad…. well either sensitive or full of Slaapstad rust!
Luckily I don’t have family down there…. my people are from educated stock…. hahahaha
@ tight head:
44
Frans is not one of my fav. players, one must say he was b#ggered around by Dick and kie.
Ricky is the next most experienced no 9 after FdP, but like GBS said this was the time to try Ruan, i think if Hougaart was not injured he would have played 9 though , in at least 2 tests.
@ grootblousmile:
Hee Hee!!
Off to watch Nederland on TV.
I can hear the Vuvus from my office here.
I am enjoying the WC, but it also reminds me why I love rugby!!
49@ tight head:
Cheers
Those Slaapstad people feel SA owes them a CC or S14 by now. Shame they must harden up, supporters and team are alike, can not finish the job.
Hope they dont wait 29 years like the Cheetahs though. We need them on our blogs, they better have something to brag about soon.
51@ superBul:
Looks like the fishing is slow today… no bites from our bait…
If Puma can tear himself away from his friends and the soccer we can chat some cricket here.
Score now
SA 296/6
Ok was off doing the feeding thing and will be again just now.
I still enjoy reading Voldy and do the occasional post, lots of new people, but i must say i do feel more comfortable here, almost as if some of you know me a bit and understand some of what i write even tho i do not express myself very well with the written word.
And every now and then i do squeeze in a little animal thing to try get you guys to empathise with them, and no one has said anything about it, well bad that is.
It is just me. But talking aribbaaaaaaa, that i do very well. 😆
@ superBul:
This is one set of cricket games i have not been interested in, i think it must be because i dont find the Windies to be very good anymore.
Not exciteing.
You honestly think you going to see Puma with the Netherlands playing lol.
I see they 1 nil up.
@ Treehugger:
very little notice was given to this series, but it is OK for me we rack up the records.
Think Kallis , AB and GS missed out earlier in this test
Nee wat, niks se ge-doekies omdraai nie- Gary moes daar gewees het asook; Gerhard; Werner; Frans Steyn. Dis nou net 4 spelers uit `n groep van 28.
Dis 15% van jou groep, my hemel man! GBS is reg, Pieter het die pot heeltemal misgeskeit. Wynand en Ruan word rondgemors en hulle maak nou met die belowende De Jongh mannetjie wat hulle met Chiliboy gemaak het. Hulle het Chiliboy se loopbaan gekniehalter, en Ruan `n “utility” speler bestempel. En kyk nou. Nee wat, die groep kan die Drie Nasies titel behou, maar die bestuur wys dat hulle koppe stam oor eenvoudige besluite soos uitgelê in die nuwe uitgawe van SARugby. Maar wat kan ons doen?
@ superBul:
Watched the Natwest one dayers with England and Australia, that was good.
Couldnt believe England beating the Aussies thou.
@ Die Blou Kuberruim Wandelaar:
Ek het gister gepost wie missing is van laasjaar se AB destroyers. Die Grootste name wat ek mis en as jy terugdink aan hul moerse bydraes laat dit my nogal worry wat in PdV se koppie aangaan.
Vat nou FduP, Juan Smith, Bismark, Brussow en die keuses wat daar gemaak is en se my met eerlikheid worry jy nie
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