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Heyneke Meyer will select three hookers, three locks, three scrumhalves, and three flyhalves for his Rugby World Cup squad. The Springboks will probably need four locks and only two flyhalves.
Meyer’s easiest position to select is hooker. Bismarck du Plessis will be the king of abrasion, Adriaan Strauss brings ball-carrying skills, and Schalk Brits will feel right at home at Twickenham.
The six props will include the Sharks’ Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira and Jannie du Plessis, who look imperious when paired, and the Bulls’ Trevor Nyakane and Marcel van der Merwe will probably make the flight to London.
The Stormer tighthead Frans Malherbe should get a ticket, given Vincent Koch’s struggles with referee Romain Poite (fair or unfair), and the final place may go to Heinke van der Merwe, because Coenie Oosthuizen’s neck is not right.
Eben Etzebeth is one of the first names Meyer typed months ago. Victor Matfield is sure of one last run at glory. So, it’s the versatile lock-flank Pieter-Steph du Toit versus the workhorse Lood de Jager for the third place. I might take Lood, and name Du Toit as the fifth loose forward.
Francois Louw and Duane Vermeulen appear to be rehabilitating well for the tournament, while Marcell Coetzee might be unlucky with his knee. So, we may well see Willem Alberts join Louw and ‘Thor’ in a loose trio that has not previously been outplayed by many.
Schalk Burger would need to play No.8 until Vermeulen is ready, which leaves a possibility for Heinrich Brussow – he’s the only genuine fetcher that can replace Louw.
Somehow Meyer knows Fourie du Preez can play without any game time. Ruan Pienaar is the best backup halfback in world rugby if holding on to a lead, but if the Boks need to play catchup, either Cobus Reinach or Rudy Paige would up the tempo. I’d go with Reinach, because it would be wild to throw Paige in at the deepest end of rugby.
Handre Pollard and Pat Lambie can continue their wonderful duel for playmaker-in-chief, while Morne Steyn probably still pips Elton Jantjies because of his experience at taking winning penalty kicks.
The conundrum at centre is all about Jean de Villiers’ jaw and his captaincy. We’ve all wanted De Villiers to take the decision away from Meyer, but that’s too much to ask for a man whose whole life led to this moment. So, Meyer will probably take De Villiers, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Frans Steyn as his centres, with Jan Serfontein the odd man out. Kriel and Steyn can play almost anywhere in the backline.
The outside backs are probably the still old-but-good Bryan Habana and not-so-old-and-not-so-good JP Pietersen, with Willie le Roux at fullback. But the fourth selection is a bonus, really, because Lambie, Steyn, Pienaar, or Kriel can cover fullback, and Le Roux can switch to wing in a pinch.
So, Meyer does not have to go with a ‘true’ fullback like Zane Kirchner. He can take Lwazi Mvovo or even Francois Hougaard.
What do you think, Roarers?
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.