The Springbok side named to take on New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday:
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Bench: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Dean Greyling, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Johan Goosen, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Patrick Lambie
So after a draw against England at home, a draw against Argentina in Mendoza, and a loss to the Aussies in Perth, the best Heyneke Meyer can come up with is the single unforced change of Francois Louw for Marcell Coetzee. Now do not get me wrong, Louw is a good player, and deserves his call up. But Coetzee has hardly been the reason for the Bok demise! This while Morne Steyn and Zane Kirchner get yet another go …
Thankfully, Meyer seems to be coming round to the role of a fetcher in international rugby, but a fetcher is best utilized with a backline willing take the initial point of contact a little wider, yet still maintain possession, and get the big guys like Alberts, Flip and Duane Vermeulen running into space while at full tilt. They have been wasted (and thus crticised) in a game plan that sees them running at organized defences from pop passes close to the initial first phase.
I suppose one can applaud the loyalty, but hells bells, this is taking it to the extreme. And do not get me wrong, I do not see Johan Goosen and Pat Lambie as the immediate saviours, but I do see them being part of a Bok game plan embracing the future, where losses and draws would be easier to stomach as the Boks embarked on a journey that had some potential … At the moment, Meyer seems to be harping on the past, utilizing a game plan that does not speak to the current talent.
And after all the fuss about Bakkies Botha being “Put on standby” given the Eben Etzebeth suspension, common sense prevails. There is an obvious question mark with regard to the penalties he gives away and yellow cards he cops, but Flip van der Merwe is a robust international class lock who is next on the pecking order. He deserves a start. A call to Botha would have been a slap in the face to Flip, and all those players waiting in the wings, and would have smacked of panic.
Also much fuss made of Frans Malherbe being sent over as cover for tighthead (yours truly included), but as predicted, Jannie du Plessis has been selected despite struggling with a hamstring niggle. He will be given until Friday to fully shake off his injury, but if he fails to recover in time, Pat Cilliers will start in the No 3-shirt. So Malherbe only there if things really had to go pear shaped. That said, if your starting tighthead is going to be carrying some sort of injury, why put a loose head on the bench?
Hope you got your team in on time … Courtesy of Energade, I am hosting the winners of the Energade Bok Barometer competition on a trip to see the Boks play in Argentina next year. The winners being the guys or girls who correctly predict the Bok side that Heyneke Meyer picks each week this year …
The 28-man Springbok squad in New Zealand:
Forwards (16): Willem Alberts, Andries Bekker, Craig Burden, Pat Cilliers, Marcell Coetzee, Jannie du Plessis, Dean Greyling, Juandré Kruger, Tiaan Liebenberg, Francois Louw, Frans Malherbe, Tendai Mtawarira, Jacques Potgieter, Adriaan Strauss, Flip van der Merwe, Duane Vermeulen
Backs (12): Jean de Villiers (captain), Juan de Jongh, Johan Goosen, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Zane Kirchner, Patrick Lambie, Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Pienaar, Frans Steyn, Morné Steyn, Jano Vermaak.
Agree, don’t quite see the reasons why Francois Louw in for Marcell Coetzee either. And am sure that any coach whoever they are wouldn’t expose Goosen to the AB’s from the start.
The moaning and groaning about Morne and Zane is becoming a bit boring! Every second writer has been moaning about this.
What I don’t read is the inability of our Captain JdV and Frans Steyn. Not being able to make any impact. We don’t read about JdV being a bad defender.
We also don’t see any comments on Jannie Dup performing badly. Any rugby guru will tell you that games are won and lost in the front. If your tighthead does not dominate the whole team is under pressure.
Fact is playing Goosen and Lambie will not change anything. As long as the forwards don’t dominate not even Dan Carter will make a difference!
Start to fix the mess by getting rid of the tight head and pick a go forward pack. Jannie, Duane, Flo and Flip will not give you that so once again your 9 and 10 will be under immense pressure and with the inability of the captain to make impact nothing will change this weekend or weekends to come! Fact—- as long as the forwards are weak no number 10 or 15 you pick will make any difference!
Are you serious Trevor? Every facet looks bad because we keep kicking the ball away, and never seem to attack the gain line. Our forwards primary job is to chase the ball that has been kicked away and then make countless tackles. Goosen and Lambie are not going to magically fix everything, and nobody is saying that they will, but it will be a statement that the Springboks are willing to try something a little different because clearly what they are doing now is not working.
I would have moved Alberts to lock and brought in Flo with Coetzee and Vermuelen. But what the ffffffff (I so want to swear right now) is Meyer doing when it comes to Steyn and Zane?! It’s bloody ridiculous!
I think I’ll rather keep my beers for the Currie Cup games!
HM really frustrates me! And according to the blogs I’ve read so far. . . . all Bok supporters feel the same!
U taking off the player that has made the most tackles….yeah let’s see how that works.i woulda put Alberta on the benches…Meyer needs to realize that brawn don’t cut it no more
Ek kan nie anders as om in my moedertaal te praat nie so kwaad is ek!
Wat de D&(*^%* dink HM doen hy?
Hoe lank nog moet ons na die Steyn en Kirchner grap verder kyk?
Waarvoor is Lambie saam gesleep heel toer lank?
Daar is nie ‘n manier wat ons die toernooi gaan wen nie, so hoekom het hy nie maar die wedstryd gebruik om bietjie te eksperimenteer nie? O ja jammer het vergeet bulle eksperimenteer nie hulle skop net balle weg! Soos Nick Mallet gese het ons kan nie eers driee druk deur die bal in die agterlyn te laat afgaan nie! Habanna moes in ‘n losgemaal in om ‘n drie te kon kry!
Belaglike Bokke dis waarmee HM besig is. Ek sal self maar my dop & Tjop bere vir die Currie Beker games verder.
Tank, I agree wholeheartedly! The selection of Steyn at 10 in particular does not take the Boks forward at all. With Steyn at 10 the All Blacks must be straining themselves to discover anything that they haven’t seen before (over and over) …seriously can we play in any different way with Steyn at 10? I think not. So we will try to beat the AB’s on Saturday with essentially the same game plan which didn’t work against Oz. With this game plan I bet Heyneke and company would have preferred to play on the old Carisbrook House of pain on a muddy pitch and with wind rain pelting down, then the Boks could play their old game and Steyn could kick to his hearts content and perhaps even be effective. But times have moved on, its the Forsyth Bar in Duneden where a seriously modern and creative enemy awaits! I would have selected Lambie at 10 to try and ignite something in the backs and to take pressure of Goosen and them move Lambie to 15 later on. Trevor you cant be serious mate!
Does anyone know how the selection process works while overseas? Is it all left to Meyer to pick whoever he wants from within the squad or does the selection committee still have some input? Where is Rassie – he hasn’t been on the tour at all – is he still involved in the squad?
Would be interested to know whats going on …. this is all becoming too depressing!!
I’ve run out of intelligible rants so ill just say, “damn, I didn’t predict the Flo change!”
Happy Scotsman
There was a young lad called Josh,
Who wanted to make some dosh,
He would be paid in Gilt
If he wore the Kilt
And played in the mud and the slosh!