Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has stuck with his guns and pretty much as expected gone for continuity, in selecting the same team as last weekend accept for two changes to the starting fifteen and one on the bench.
The two changes made to the Starting 15 were pretty much as expected as earlier reports coming through from the Bok camp, that Gurthro Steenkamp was back to full fitness and Juan De Jong was a definite starter in the 13 jumper.
What is somewhat of a surprise is CJ replacing Pat Cilliers on the bench as Pat made an excellent impact when he took to the field last weekend in that dramatic turn around victory by the Springboks.
Springboks: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (Captain), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Morné Steyn, 22 Jaco Taute, 23 Lwazi Mvovo.
Hm getting easy to read 😆 even me as a Sharks supporter is reading him like the Sunday Rapport 😆
Ok jokes aside though, this does tell us that HM will not bow to political pressure and that even when sometimes stupidly so he seems to put faith in certain players and come hell or high water he will stick to them.
I don’t see this team changing for the England test either and unless injuries occur?? this will pretty much be it next weekend.
Glad lambie is given another chance, he deserves it, also glad for Juan, as many are, I would have played jaco at 15 but HM does seem to like Zane.
Forwards unchanged except for Gurthro which is good.
Lets get those dress wearing tripe eaters!
For me the only shock is Cilliers dropping out of the 23, CJ did not play well and should never have replaced Cilliers’
HM one can clearly see is sticking to continuity and no doubt next week will be no different, again if no injuries and JDJ has a good match this weekend? then expect no changes next week, If JDJ has a bad match?? he will swop out with Taute.
Good team, though would have had Pat Cilliers on the bench and NOT CJ. Really pleased to see Heinke get another shot.
Go Bokke!
Just want to see the Boks play more with ball in hand and not just bashing it up, backs need to be brought in more.
Oh for got. JUANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! Feel so great for him to start. Deserves it. Also pleased to see Steenkamp starting.
@ Stormersboy:
😆 BullScot is gonna come after you 😆
Now we know Meyer rates Taute so we KNOW we will see him come in at Fullback. Hope he gets more than 20min at fullback. If we in a good lead at the break bring him there with about 35min to go. Also don’t just give Marcell 15min this time Meyer. Marcell came in on the 65th minute. Bring him in with 30 min or 35min to go. That way we will get to see the best from him. He added so much speed to our loosies.
Okay just noticed no Elton. Feel for him really, it should be Elton on the bench, not Morne. Also please Meyer give Mvovo a chance as well. 20min will be great.
@ Puma:
Yup Pooms, Lets hope this continuity makes the Players wake up and deliver.
2 @ Stormersboy:
hahahahahaha. Bring on the Blue Faced Brave Hearts………….. Boks are waiting….hehehehe.
@ Sharks_forever:
Well he better pick up his dress and lift those knees, I’ve been known to make a pretty quick exit when required
@ Puma:
Yup Pooms, HM is under presure though and needs nothing but victories thus he is not taking risks, This team will not change next weekend unless there is injuries, or for example someone has a absolute shocker.
So next weekend expect the same to be honest.
8 @ Sharks_forever:
I hope so bro, don’t think Meyer would have gone with the same players if he never believed in them. Tells me something well sort of.
Here is Alan Solomans backline. Only read his article on Sports24 now. Think it was written days ago.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would love to see a backline, even on this tour, of Hougaard, Lambie, De Villiers, De Jongh, Lwazi Mvovo, JP Pietersen and Taute. I think that backline would certainly do some damage.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would love to see that backline as well. Only if we could play a faster game with ball in hand, it would be great. We could we have the players on the field mostly just a bit of change. I too would like to see Hougie again at scrummie. I know we all said he is no sh, but think with the new 5 sec rule he would be faster than Ruan. Just like we all say, just no box kicks. Though think Ruan is playing to the Bok game plan and we will see him still giving the ball mostly to the forwards to bash it up. Pity, but that is the game plan.
@ Stormersboy:
10 @ Stormersboy:
hahahahaha. That was funny bro……….LOL. Also I have to laugh at some of these smiley things we have here, they are funny….hahaha.
@ Puma:
I dont agree with Hougaard ahead of Ruan as the conditions are very heavy, some people are underestimating Ruans peformance last weekend, If anything i would have Hougaard on the bench to cover 9/13/wing
But HM is sticking to his guns so lets respect that and be huge in support this weekend, 😆
11 @ Sharks_forever:
I am expecting the same next weekend, unless one does have a shocker. Though the whole team had a shocker in the first half on Saturday, so he could not drop all of them………..LOL. Continuity does bring success, then we also have to have the right selection to have continuity. Think he has got it right now, only one change we might see is Jaco at fb next week, then no scrap that, he won’t risk anything against England. He may even start with Morne as he feels comfortable with him I think. Hope not.
@ Puma:
I dont think so, HM seems to have taken to Lambie and as long as Lambie can perform and aprove according to what his coach wants, HM will stick with him, he does now like to chop and change
15 @ Sharks_forever:
Ruan is good, but still think a wee slow. Hougie is faster, he will be far better if he had played at the Sharks. That Bulls game plan I tell ya has messed his mind up………………
Jokes aside he is better than he has shown at sh, it is the game plan for sure that has messed his game. Now agree he should be on the bench and allow Mvovo to start. Remember Mvovo was part of the team that smashed England up the last time and scored a beauty of a try.
Anyhow watch Reinach next year. Think he most definitely will be a Bok. Not the starting sh, but he will be there in the squad. Brilliantly gifted player. Pity his game went poop for the final though, he is young and he will be right up there next year for Sharks. Jordaan too a super talent as well. He may be in the Bok squad next year who knows if Meyer will look at another small player. Not that small, but small compared to Meyer’s standards.
17 @ Sharks_forever:
Hope so. He is a top class fh one of our best. I think if he slots all his goals over he will get thumbs up, think that is also what has concerned Meyer about all the fhs. He wants them to be 80% there. Hoping he has a good game like his 2nd half was very good, then the whole team were disappointing in the first half more so the forwards, that was all corrected in the 2nd half.
Looking forward to seeing Juan play. Feel great for him, he deserves it. Also very pleased to see Steenkamp there, very much like Beast.
@ Puma:
Agreed
20 @ Sharks_forever:
Do feel for Elton being left out though. Not sure what Meyer is thinking here, probably still wants Morne as insurance as he knows what he will get from him. That is the only thing I can come up with. Really thought Elton would be on the bench. My only thoughts are it could be his defence is truly not great and Meyer has stressed that is what let us down against the ABs (more so his game plan), but have to agree our defence was terrible against ABs and especially our mid field. Lambie’s defence is top class, has no fear to tackle any player no matter how big. Have to say he has huge guts when it comes to tackling big players. Well that is my 2 cents worth why Elton is not there. Not sure. His defence will be corrected when he plays for Stormers next year. So WILL Taute’s defence, he was better this past weekend, but still not the best tackler, well not in the outside centre position. Juan will be better there.
Really not sure Pooms as Jantjes is not that bad defensively
@ Puma:
Said it on another thread. For the eoyt we really should organise mid-week games or at least one, so the rest of the players on tour can get a game. That would mean of course we go with a bigger squad as the bench players can’t play in the mid-week games. Just would be fair to give everyone a game. Bring back the mid-week games they were great for that. Saru should be thinking about that for next year.
Pity about Pat Cilliers not being there, hey… in place of CJ van der Linde!
What do they see in Van der Linde that we don’t see?
@ Puma:
yeah, I remember those matches
@ grootblousmile:
Yeah Rudi, thats the only real shocker for me,
PAt was superb when he came on last weekend.
@ grootblousmile:
You agree with my assumption this 23 wont change for next week either unless someone gets injured or has an absolute shocker????
27 @ Sharks_forever:
Yes… although I think Pat Cilliers will be preferred on the bench next week because the English scrum is usually strong.
Pity Elton Jantjies is not on the bench for this Scots game…. the chance of him now making the bench for the English Test is about ZERO, I suppose.
PUMA, Check this out,
England first up for Springboks as tours return to Rugby calendar
The Springboks will play home three-Test series against England (twice), France and Ireland in the six years either side of the 2015 Rugby World Cup as a result of an International Rugby Board decision to return to ‘old-style’ rugby touring. The Boks will host England for a three-Test series in June 2012 as rugby makes an eagerly-awaited return to the touring style of the amateur era.
The England series will be the first ‘long’ tour of South Africa by a single nation in 16 years – since the three-test series against New Zealand in 1996 – following the ratification of the IRB’s fixture schedule for the period 2012 to 2019 earlier this week. The only conventional tours South Africa has received in that time were by the British & Irish Lions (1997 and 2009) who tour each of the SANZAR nations every 12 years.
“I think everyone in rugby has been yearning for a return to old style tours and the IRB has now been able to deliver,” said SARU president, Mr Oregan Hoskins. “We experience the drama that a proper tour delivers every time the British & Irish Lions appear and both the tourists and the host nations in the Southern hemisphere were keen to see this change.”
The Springboks’ other three-test series will take place in 2016 (Ireland), 2017 (France) and 2018 (England) with the 2013 and 2014 seasons being taken up with the visit of combinations of Scotland, Wales and Italy. Inbound Tests are not scheduled for the World Cup years of 2015 and 2019.
There has been no change to the format of the Springboks’ end of season tours. They will continue to play a combination of Six Nations teams, playing each country three times in the six years of the IRB Tours Schedule.
The Springboks Inbound (June) Test schedule is:
2011 – No inbound Tests
2012 – England – Three Tests
2013 – Italy – One Test
Scotland – One Test
Tier 2 nation – One Test
2014 – Wales – Two Tests
Scotland – One Test
2015 – No inbound Tests – RWC
2016 – Ireland – Three Tests
2017 – France – Three Tests
2018 – England – Three Tests
Issued by SARU Communications
Early predictions for a winning margin for this Saturday?
I say Bokke by 22.
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