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I think its safe to say that it’s time to realize that Peter de Villiers is delusional. And that all Bok fans who trust and support him are in denial as well.
Time to realize the truth, and the truth is that the Boks are in trouble. Especially this year.
Politics, bad game-plans, strange selections and combinations are all the current recipe for the Boks’ steady downfall.
We will not win the Tri-Nations as de Villiers has already pointed out. A fact that I and most of South Africans hate, because giving up is not in our nature, and never will be.
And just focusing on the World Cup won’t guarantee the Boks success.
De Villiers was dragged in front of Parliament’s portfolio committee on sport after the Boks lost both matches of their Tri-Nations’ away leg, against Australia and New Zealand, last month.
“At the moment we lack the ability to land a knockout blow when our opponents are against the ropes,” de Villiers said, according to an Afrikaans daily.
“There is an extreme fear of hazardous rugby and the standard of certain players is also a concern.”
De Villiers denied that he had sent key players to a training camp in Rustenburg during the Tri-Nations tour, insisting they had been sent there to rehabilitate from various injuries.
“In a normal year we would risk five or six of those injured players in the Tri-Nations, but this is not a normal year,” he said.
After four years at the helm, de Villiers said he deserved a medal for his efforts. “And a big one too,” he stated.
De Villiers explained that he had done an excellent job of moulding players from different unions into a team within a short space of time, and with several injury constraints.
The Springboks were set to face the Wallabies in Durban on August 13 and the All Blacks in Port Elizabeth on August 20 before the start of their World Cup campaign in New Zealand in September.
The recently selected South Africa B team may have left a bitter taste in the mouths of our Australasian friends, but the beatings the Boks got were heartfelt and agonising to many of us.
Any South African team is supported with passion and pride. And every Bok team is expected to win no matter where they play. Ludicrous, but true.
And so it is, with our Wallaby and Kiwi friends. And so it should be.
Ask any one-eyed Bok supporter and you’ll find that non are happy with the current side and management. In a perfect world, I think most of us would love this Springbok World Cup squad.
1. Beast
2. Bismarch Du Plessis
3. Jannie Du Plessis
4. Victor Matfield
5. Bakkies Botha
6. Heinrich Brussow
7. Jaun Smit
8. Willem Alberts
9. Francois Hougaard
10. Patrick Lambie
11. Bryan Habana
12. Jean de Villiers (c)
13. Jaque Fourie
14. JP Peterson
15. Francois Steyn
16. Chiliboy Ralepelle
17. BJ Botha
18. Andries Bekker
19. Danie Rossouw
20. Sarel Pretorious
21. Butch James
22. Juan De Jongh
re- Adriaan Strauss
re- Gurthro Steenkamp
re- Flip VD Merwe
re- Jean Deysel
re- Ashley Johnson
re- Charl Mcleod
re- Elton Jantjies
re- Lwazi Mvovo
Let’s hope somewhere in the future, (preferably post-de Villiers) the side would be chosen according to its merits and managed well. We all want the scary and dominant Boks of the past back, or immigrate to Australia.
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.