After the announcement of the Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship on Saturday, it is clear that Heyneke Meyer has not yet removed his blue-tinted glasses.
The Springbok squad is:
Props: Pat Cilliers, Tendai Mtawarira, Jannie du Plessis, Dean Greyling
Hookers: Adriaan Strauss, Bismarck du Plessis, Chiliboy Ralapelle
Locks: Flip van der Merwe, Andries Bekker, Eben Etzebeth, Juandre Kruger
Backrow: Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel, Jacques Potgieter, Pierre Spies, Siya Kolisi
Halfbacks: Ruan Pienaar, Francois Hougaard, Jano Vermaak
Fly halves: Elton Jantjies, Morne Steyn
Midfield: Jean de Villiers, Francois Steyn, JJ Engelbrecht
Back three: Bryan Habana, Zane Kirchner, Patrick Lambie, Lwazi Mvovo, JP Pietersen.
It seems the only thing Meyer has learnt from the English Test series is that Werner Kruger is not of international standard.
There seems to be an obsession with Meyer to go for the Bulls player when indecisive about the best player in a position.
When you consider players like Steven Kitshoff, Tiaan Strauss, Anton Bresler, Ryan Kankowski, Piet van Zyl, Louis Ludick or Willie le Roux compared to Dean Greyling, Chiliboy Ralapelle, Flip v d Merwe, Pierre Spies, Jano Vermaak or Zane Kirchner, then it is clear his vision is marred by the fading blue colour of a clouding sky.
Consider how poorly the Bulls scrum have performed at times during the Super rugby campaign. Why would you still consider Dean Greyling and Chiliboy Ralapelle?
Flip v d Merwe is solid, but compared to the work rate of Bresler during the season there shouldn’t be any doubt as to who would give you more in defence, scrum or lineout.
Pierre Spies would most likely himself admit that he hasn’t been in top form for some time, sure Kankowski has signed to play in Japan, but so did Fourie du Preez, whom Meyer himself wooed over a candlelit dinner, offering him the captaincy to ensure his return for the English series.
Jano Vermaak has played very little rugby during the Super Rugyb and although an experienced half back is not the future of Springbok rugby, where are the young guns that will lead the Springboks into the future?
Zane Kirchner has shown again this season that as a front foot player he can be effective, but that is where it ends, his gameplay is one dimensional and predictable.
The selections of Heyneke Meyer proves that there is no forward thinking about evolving the Springbok game plan, conservatism will once again trump variety in attack and allowing players to use their natural instincts to break down defenses, it will be structured, methodical and predictable.
The only way Springbok rugby will move forward is by introducing younger players outside of the conservative format the Bulls and Stormers have played during the season. But then when Jean de Villiers, one of the remaining “old guard” was appointed captain, the writing was already on the wall.
Surely an astute rugby man such as Heyneke Meyer must recognise the balanced and effective way the Sharks and Cheetahs have played during the year.
I may be jumping the gun here, but it seems he hasn’t.
Ben S
Roar Guru
I'd always take Strauss as my bench option, but at the beginning of the Super season I was very impressed with Ralepelle.
Ben S
Roar Guru
Yeah, that's kind of my thinking too. Pretty mystified by the talks of him as the missing link. Obviously Spies is no titan of the game, but Vermeulen playing in a back row with Alberts would be just ever so slightly slow.
That is essentially the prblem"the fear of losing"
stuff happens
Guest
Yep, looks like 'back to the future' with Meyer. It will be the coaching that undoes the 'Boks ,not the players he's picked. The backline game plan has been obviously flawed. I suspect Meyer is approaching his first 4N as a coach who is afraid of losing.
Yep, if the kick and chase is our strngth, then we are pretty poor at everything else.
Suzy Poison
Guest
I no longer hold out any hope of the Boks doing well with Meyer picking Bulls buddies again. The best we can hope for is third in the Upcoming Championships. I will settle for a home win against Argentina and possibly Australia. That's all we can hope for. This year is a write off before it has began. We might as well wait for Goosen, next year ,because Morne is sure to waste everyone's time. the Boks cannot win anything, if they select Morne. full stop. Meyer is talking about kicking and kick chasing again....same old same old...play to our strengths rubbish. It's depressing. I have given up all hope for the Boks. It might be a blessing in disguise if we get totally smashed, or else we will hear the same talk, after another close loss to Australia. Have you heard this one before, when asked if the kick-chase game plan is flawed, this is the usual response from a Bulls / Bok player; "It's not the game plan that's flawed but the execution!" No you fool, it is the game plan that's flawed.
mania
Guest
ok maybe i'm being too optimistic. bakkiesBotha to get a call up? http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/7436236/Springboks-consider-Bakkies-Botha-recall
mania
Guest
its real early in meyers tenure biltongbek. let him find his feet first. the boks he turned out in the mid year tests were an entirely new better beast. your doom and gloom about the RC already. i reckon the boks will do a lot better than most people think and rattle the cage that is international rugby its only debilitating if they lose abysmally and learn nothing. give meyer his chance. i was against meyer before the 1st test for the same reasons your espouting in that i thought he was old skool and too bulls orientated. but despite those fears, which are still apparent now, he still revitalised that bok team and instilled passion and energy. lets not forget how effective the forwards and backs are working together now. unseen in the last 4 years. rome wasnt built in a day. nor will the boks. good things take time and team work takes the longest.
Well then, if we are that good we shouldn't be drawing tests because we pick playerscin poor form. It is debilitating to our succes, don't you agree?
mania
Guest
biltongbek - yes the boks can be near their potential but it takes baby steps. TBH i dont know where aus are getting their smack talk. i've read here on roar and seen how much other aus roarers either dismiss the boks or talk them down. to me after the mid year tests i thought the boks were most improved. if they make this much improvement each test series then they will be at the top in no time. so what if the wallabies think they're better? they have their own issues to deal with and should be looking within themselves for answers to their problems. i'm not being all that positive bout boks rugby, i'm wary. i'll keep shouting it from the roof tops because i dont want the AB's to make the mistake of underestimating the boks. and i'll point out something about your final line. AB's have had an 85% winning record in the last few years. vs the boks its only 55%(based on the 6-5 in our favour). boks arent as bad as u think and now they're better than they've been in the last 4 years. thats why i'm wary
Haha Mania, I can see you are doing your level best to be positive about the Boks' chances, yes every team can be better always, but with our hidden potential that hasn't been unlocked since Nick Mallet's era we have enough potential to get back to the top. I think back to 1998 when Bill McLaren became lyrical about Bok Backline players running like Gazelles, where we won 17 tests in succession and pulverised NH teams by 50 points and some teams feared us or at the worst had huge respect for Bok rugby. That is where we belong, not sucking the rear leg of a Donkey where the Wallabies believe they are better than us and we struggle to win a match against the All Blacks convincingly even though the last 4 years the record was only 6-5 in your favour.
mania
Guest
kuruki - agree burger is irreplaceable and vital to boks rugby biltongbek - yeah burgers been out for awhile but he's a very intelligent player and will adapt & add to his game and come back better than before. late last season i noticed burger intoducing an off load game. as the WC went on burger got better and better at it. i expect burger to come back with more added to his arsenal. i rate jFourie highly but JPP has just as much, if not more, to offer, plus he can play 2 positions. though i would still have jFourie back in the squad given the opportunity JPP is becoming a world class centre. cheer up biltongbek, boks rugby isnt as bad as you think it is. while your pining away wondering how the boks could be better some of us are worried about how good the boks are right now. i'm excited and looking forward to a good ol fashion AB's boks clash. sure boks could be better but couldnt every team?
Australopithecus Africanus
Guest
Vermeulen not a shoo-in for the squad - slower than Spies and Kankofski and not nearly similar quality lineout option. Plus he will probably merely duplicate what Albers and Coetzee brings
Yeah the probelm we face is that Burger and Juan Smit are now increasingly looking like they might be lost to springbok rugby. Burger might return, but when you consider that his knee has prevented him from playing for nigh on a year it is unlikely he will be the same when he comes back. Juan Smit in my opinion has been our best player for a good number of years and I doubt we will ever see him wear a Springbok jersey again. JP will be back, but in a sense he is our biggest loss because of the form he has been in. There is nobody currently in any way shape or form that can fill his boots by a big distance, Burger and Juan Smit are both very big losses and the incumbents now are young and look promising, but also not in the same class. Then of course there is Jaque Fourie who has been one of the stand out 13's in world rugby for quite some time, but he has moved on, and so should we. It would have been pretty grand though if we had those 4.
Kuruki
Roar Guru
Huge outs for Safa. Burger is irreplaceable. He is one of my favourite players.
Agree with you, but either way Basson is out injured.
tubby
Guest
if they are going to focus on kick/chase, you could do a lot worse than basson, he is very good at chasing the high ball. mvovo has never really shown much other than pace, relying on other players to get him in the open field thenhe takes off. they both need to look at how hard habana works though,chasing every kick hard.
Befokbok
Guest
ha ha ha ha good response
Sluggy
Roar Guru
Insurance and injury benefits, yes, but no to SARU having to pay his Japanese salary IRB Reg 9.4 - 9.4 Subject to Regulation 9.18 [insurance], no Union, Association, Rugby Body or Club may require any payment or other benefit from or impose conditions relating to a Player’s participation in a National Representative Team and/or attendance at a National Squad session of his Union when such participation and/or attendance has been requested in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation 9. IRB Reg 9.9 Period of International duty for Matches 9.9 In each case of release a Union shall be entitled to exercise its Right to Release for Matches so that Players are assembled at a location determined by the Union selecting the Player and available to train at least five clear days prior to the commencement of the International Match, International Tour or International Tournament. If an International Tournament is not played on consecutive weekends then the five clear day period shall commence five days before each Match in the Tournament.
steve.h
Guest
Kankowski can't e considered because he has signed a contract with a Japanesse club and has to report for duty. SARU is busy negotiating with the club because Meyer wants him in the team and has stated that the squad selected above is only for the Argentina leg of the championship. http://www.rugby365.com/article/48914-meyer-wanted-kankowski I think Spies' rein is at a end with Meyer stating the reason for only selecting his squad for the Argentina leg is because the are some form players returning from injury, which could mean that Goosen and Vermulen will be rushed into the squad. http://www.rugby365.com/article/48897-meyer-these-are-the-best-boks