If you were the Springbok coach, what would your backline look like? Currently there are only a few experienced players who still look like they can do the business. It is really only Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen who look to be at international standard.
Halfback:
Fourie du Preez was once touted the best halfback in world rugby, but I consider him to be a kick and chase expert. His accuracy at box kicking, his work around the ruck and his ability to read the game are his strengths.
Francois Hougaard is a free spirited player who is at his best when he is allowed to do his own thing.
His passing is crisp when he doesn’t play under the shroud of an overbearing structure. He is strong in attack and defence and has quick pace off the mark but is not renowned for his kicking prowess.
Sarel Pretorius went to the Waratahs in hope of establishing himself as a match winner. However, for whatever reason he was not selected often and in the little time he did get to play, he made a big difference to the pace at which the Waratahs backline received ball.
His passing can at times be a little erratic, but an opportunist if there ever was one.
Ruan Pienaar, his pedantic play behind the ruck has been frustrating to say the least, however every time Goosen came in, Pienaar’s service was quicker, more crisp and more enthusiastic
There are a number of youngsters putting up their hands at Currie Cup level. Charl Mcleod has always been consistent in Super Rugby and is a solid player.
Nick Groom has been lighting up the Western Province backline. Michael Bondisio has looked good for the Lions, and then of course there is Piet van Zyl who did very well for the cheetahs.
Flyhalf:
Johan Goosen has shown promise much in the same way Naas Botha did all those years ago. He can do it all but perhaps his one weakness to work on is defence. But then Naas Botha himself was never a good defender.
Patrick Lambie’s strength is his versatility. He can play 10, 12 and 15 but I wonder if even he knows his best position.
Elton Jantjies has gone under the radar for the past few seasons, yet he has the ability to light up the Lions backline and his kicking accuracy stands back for no one.
Morne Steyn, the metronome, however his rhythm is gone and he is now more like a broken watch.
Left wing:
Bryan Habana has admittedly had a few poor seasons and his confidence seemed down.
However, in recent months he has shown a renewed appetite for scoring individual tries and is still a very solid defender with great positional play.
Francois Hougaard came onto the international scene by making a big impression against Wales at wing during the pool rounds of the World Cup but there is still some doubt as to whether he is a halfback or a winger.
Raymond Rhule is another promising player. He won the Junior World Cup with South Africa, and since then has made a good impression in the Currie Cup. However, he is still a little green and has more to learn before he becomes a complete player.
Inside centre:
Frans Steyn has been around for a while now, yet he is still only 25, he is big, strong and has a huge boot. He showed some deft skills during the English tour and created a few tries with his distribution, but has he lost pace?
Jan Serfontein was named Junior World Cup player of the year and really impressed with his hard running, try scoring ability and good vision.
Patrick Lambie, a player with vision and a willingness to attack the gainline, his distribution is never under question. However, like Hougaard, there is still some doubt as to his best position.
Outside centre:
Jean de Villiers has oodles of experience and in defence you will be hard pressed to find someone more able to organise. However, his distribution skills have been found out and he has lost pace. He no longer looks anywhere near as good as he did in 2007.
Juan de Jongh is a bit of a conundrum. There is no question he can hit the line and has the pace to get through, however his distribution is virtually non existent.
Of all the U20 players of the Junior World Cup, Paul Jordaan is the one player who has shown undeniably that he can step up against the big boys. He had a fantastic Super Rugby year and has shown all round skills.
JP Pietersen is most likely the best back line player in South Africa today, a shame his injury has stalled his scintillating form.
John Plumtree regularly used him at outside centre this year and it paid huge dividends, he has vision, is strong and always looks for the offload, you could do worse than him at outside centre.
Right wing:
Paul Jordaan played right wing for most of the Junior World Cup and was very impressive there, however at Super Rugby he was also employed at outside centre. He is a player full of running and a crowd pleaser who loves interplay with his backs. A very promising player.
Louis Ludick, since his move to the Sharks has improved immensely and is unlucky to not have had a call up yet.
JP Pietersen’s strength is defence. Who will forget his try saving tackles at the 2007 World Cup. He is a deceptively quick runner and is in great form. Where will he be most useful to South africa?
Fullback:
Zane Kirchner does not distribute, he doesn’t like to share, but he is a strong runner and has a good boot. However, the way Aaron Smith outfoxed him in defence will forever be a mark against him.
Patrick Lambie can make incisive moves from the back into the backline, however his defence is perhaps a little questionable.
Frans Steyn, is solid as a rock at the back and his big boot and calm exterior make him more suited to the role.
Jaco Taute has been in Meyer’s plans from the beginning, but an injury put an end to his season. He is only 21-years-old and has an air of Andre Joubert about him.
Final selections:
It is important to have some experience in the backline, it would be risky to select a backline comprising inexperienced youngsters. Therefore, my choices are conditional to having some experience mixed with the exuberance of youth.
Goosen must get and opportunity at 10. South Africa will not go forward unless they insert a 10 with running skills, vision and someone who is not afraid to take on the advantage line.
The main question is who to pair Goosen up with. Sarel Pretorius needs experience and Fourie du Preez on form might still not be the answer as he will most likely revert to the kick and chase game.
However he will take a lot of pressure off Goosen by controlling the pressure situations, he certainly has the ability to read when the attack is on as well. So perhaps adding him into the mix for a few matches could be the answer until Goosen has settled.
Outside Goosen it will be important to have an experienced player again, so Frans Steyn gets my vote. A playmaker is required outside of Steyn, so JP Pietersen with his defensive abilities and distribution could set the wings on fire.
Habana at left wing, Hougaard at right wing and Lambie at the back would make for better all round attacking ability and good ball skills. Habana is still there to organise the back three and defensively they should do well.
So my backline for next year is:
9. Fourie du Preez to phase Sarel Pretorius in
10. Johan Goosen
11. Bryan Habana
12. Frans Steyn
13. JP Pietersen
14. Francois Hougaard
15. Patrick Lambie.
Rusty
Roar Guru
Replace Pat with Kitshoff - that kid has got a future I too would like to see Bresler get a shot
Ivan, I think this year is pretty much set. For the home leg I reckon there won't be much change, probably the only likely changes could be Goosen for Steyn and Lambie for Kirchner. Of Course JP Pietersen is back as well. Then by November I would expect Taute, Jordaan and maybe someone like Pretorius to get a run. My thinking is more for next year, by then I doubt Jean de Villiers will be captain and it will be easier for Meyer to drop him due to poor form. He should have learnt from some experiments during the November tour and could by then have confidence in the younger guys. As far as the frwards are concerned, he sed about twenty during this year so far. So when you we consider the returnees for injury as well he has got his forwards. Props: Beast, Coenie, Jannie and Pat Cilliers (Perhaps Kitshoff to be added) Hookers: Strauss, Bismarck, TIaan Liebenberg, Chiliboy (maybe) Locks: Flip v d Merwe, Eben Etzebeth, Andries Bekker and Juandre Kruger (I would like to see Bresler get a chance) Loosies: Burger, Brussow, Alberts, SPies, Coetzee, Vermeulen,
Mike
Guest
I doubt that defeat in Pretoria would be a surprise, given that we have never won there. Still, it would be nice to finally break that hoodoo. I hope the lads give it a really good crack.
IvanN
Roar Guru
you, and many aussies, are in for a surprise. Boks by 20+ in pretoria Boks by 10 in Soweto
IvanN
Roar Guru
Biltong, it all depends on WHEN you are talking about. If we are talking about the home legs of the RC - then i would say Hougaard, Goosen, Habana, Frans, De Jongh, Aplon, Lambie I like the look of a few youngsters coming through. Jordaan most notably, that kid has some serious talent and vision Serfontein hasnt made the step up yet. But at the Bulls, what did he expect. I cant see Jean de Villiers making hte next world cup, so unlike John smit - he needs to do the honorable thing and fall on his boot. HM needs to identify a talent pool of say 20 backs, and rotate those players in the games that are not NZ. Likewise with forwards, pick 24 forwards and rotate for each game SA plays, especially EOYT.
Mike
Guest
What a shame we don't still have Vickerman in the line-out - fluent in Afrikaans!
Suzy Poison
Guest
Hugo, Quade Cooper is injured. So Deans choice is either Berrick or Kurtley Beale. Both of whom, are lot better than Morne. And both of whom, are a lot more experienced than Goosen. If I was Deans I would start with Berrick at 10, for his kicking game on the highveld. Pin the Boks in their own half, they won't like it. Also Berrick is pretty good defender, and I am sure that Goosen will have crack a few times. Kurtley can then also be a real threat for Ruan Pienaar usual wayward box kicks. Sharpie will again get under the skin of the Bok lineout jumpers. I would expect Sharpie to have a go at Eben again, it's quite funny, he is a wise old dog, isn't he? But I reckon Meyer will pick Andries Bekker to secure the lineouts. All up, the pressure will be on the Meyer's Boks, and I expect them to be a little more desperate. There will only be try in in, and then a few penalty kicks. It will be another tight game. I don't expect the Boks to run away with it. Even the Wallaby B team just knows how to play the Boks.
Hugo Verne
Guest
Re the chance of Meyer changing tactics against the W's - if he drops Morne for Goosen and shakes up Vermuelen and Alberts then I believe the Boks will win in Pretoria against what is, in reality, Australia A. The choice of Quade or Berrick is the choice between two players who are below standard at 5/8 for internationals. If Barnes can be persuaded not to kick away possession then I think he'll do less harm to the Ws' chances than Cooper would. But it still won't be enough.
Jacko, Naas Botha played in 28 official/unoffical tests for SA We scored 73 tries in those 28 matches. Ok, so my memory has failed me slightly, but the point is we averaged a good try count with him as fly half.
Jacko
Guest
Apologies I mean post isolation he's stats are played 5 lost 5 with and average of 1.2 tries per test. Pre-isolation he's try scoring average is under 2 as well. No doubt a legend in SA rugby but was never a complete fly half. He played perfect Bulls rugby for the time. Lets hope we see the Goose work a back line with Steyn, JP, Habana, Hougard and later Serfontein, Jordaan and Small-Smith. He creates magic for the players around him as they suddenly have space and time!
Jacko
Guest
Not sure where you got those stats, Naas only played in 5 official tests and which we scored a total of 6 tries at an average of 1.2 tries per test and lost every single match. I know you are going to say yes but what about those so called world teams, NZ cavaliers and South America also counted but you know they dont. Its like we played a Barbarian side every year with a lot of the best players refusing to come and play. Look at a typical Barbarian game....its an expedition game...thats all they were. They also had make shift backlines and coaching etc etc. You can see by the results against teams that actually played together what happened... we lost every game! Naas was a great Currie Cup player... possibly the greatest fly half if you look at the points he scored. It must be put into perspective that is all he really was as we unfortunately could not put him up against the best.
Very nice 2015 backline there mate, just one thing, we all percieved Naas Botha as a kicking flyhalf, the fact it he was a devesating accurate kicker, and his kicks out of hand were unerringly accurate, but go check his stats we averaged more than 3 tries per test match with him. He knew how to win games and when to distribute.
Not if they make themselves unavailable.
Pogo
Guest
I reckon that's pretty good, Steyn (F) and Habana were the only backs who looked remotely threatening in the first half in Dunedin.
Mike
Guest
"Is there another international team in the world that has a player who has played 10, 12, 15 in his last four games and a player who has played 14, 15, 13?" Which invites the obvious response: Is there another international team in the world that has lost as many of its top players to injury recently? If we lose one more fly-half, then Benn Robinson might have to start polishing his ball-distributing skills and tactical kicking. I agree with your last point, this thread is about the boks not the wallas, but the above does raise a point about what is "reasonable depth" for any international side.
Behold
Roar Rookie
To be fair to Deans if he wasn't obsessed with switching players positions in the team we would have a lot more depth than we currently do. Is there another international team in the world that has a player who has played 10, 12, 15 in his last four games and a player who has played 14, 15, 13? two positions I understand but three is getting out of hand. Particularly when they aren't like for like replacements of the player they are replacing. Australian Rugby would be a lot better placed if Deans had specifics for each position, rather than changing the entire game plan depending on who is available in what position. If you can't have continuity of players you have to have continuity of game plan. I don't think Deans picks players with Mongrels he is too obsessed with players x-factor. If he wanted mongrel his front row would always have Holmes and Moore in it. He hasn't really developed Douglas, who made his first Wallabies squad this year. Douglas on form should've been playing ahead of Timani in the Welsh series and in the early games of the RC. Hooper looks good for depth, Pocock remains ahead of him because of his ability to turn the ball over at the international level something Hooper hasn't really been doing. The extra depth should pay dividends in the long run as long as none of Hooper/Pocock/Gill become disillusioned by Deans who handled the whole Smith/Pocock thing terribly and we lost a man we desperately needed at last WC. But this an article about the Boks so maybe I should leave the Deans bashing for another time.
Mike
Guest
"Juan de Jongh is a bit of a conundrum. There is no question he can hit the line and has the pace to get through, however his distribution is virtually non existent." Ha ha, welcome to our world. On the positive side, one of the All Blacks had to be taught how to pass when he moved from wing to centre, I can't remember if it was Umaga or Nonu. But whichever, he learned very quickly.
Jacko
Guest
Biltongbek, Really like the look of your final backline. Couple comments, you question the Goose's defense? Not sure thatswarranted, in fact Meyer says he wants him less involved in the defense as he can easily injure himself with the big hits ala Honnibal. Then comparing to Naas, well Naas was MORE of a kicking flyhalf than even Morne is. Naas played in a time when rugby was unprofessional and the rules favored the kicking game. Naas would not make any Super Rugby side (bar the Kings) if he had to play right now. View him as an exceptional player for that era. If you want to compare the Goose do so with Honnibal who he is in the same mold of. Problem here is that he prospered under Mallet who allowed the team to run the ball as well. Really hope Meyer does not rob the country of seeing the talent of what could be our greatest ever fly half. Back to the backline, love it!!! Again very excited about the talents coming through, wonder that in a year or 2 what we are gonna do on centre with Steyn and Serfontein vying for inside and Jordaan and JP maybe even Small-Smith for outside. I think we can have 2 centres/wings on the bench and no flyhalf cover as there isnt in my opinion another option to Goosen who is not in the starting line up already (Lambie and F Steyn) barring Pollard coming good on the talent he has shown. Scrummie - Unfortunately I dont see Hougie as the future there, it is a position that will always be dictated to by strategy and he isn't versatile enough to make the change should the game require it. Sarel missed the most tackles in last years Super Rugby which is concerning and reason enough to leave him out for now. Ruan is my man to do the business right now and want to see him play a full game with the Goose before making a final call. I believe the future however lies with P van Zyl.... unbelievable player. I agree with you're backlline but here is my taster of a possible 2015 backline: 9. van Zyl 10. The Goose 11. Rhule (if Habana cant maintain) 12. Serfontein 13. Jordaan 14. JP 15. Steyn/Lambie 20. Sarel (impact player if he can sharpen defense) 21. Steyn/Lambie 22. Small-Smith JP and Jordaan can switch easily depending on attack or defense and so to with Lambie and Steyn depending on the game plan or possible impact needed. I do like Frans at 12 for now but what I've seen from Serfontein is unreal Danie Gerber like talent. Again, as excited as I am about this team I'm becoming more worried every game about Meyer and possible ego getting in his way 'I can coach a player into form' attitude, not forgetting that I was of his biggest pundits for years to get the job. Lets see what he does and I still have hope for him if he surrounds himself with the right coaching staff. At the moment the current staff and management are too inexperienced and from what I hear not big enough to stand up to anything Meyer decides on. Lets hope though!!!
Jiggles
Roar Guru
Yeah I don't think the Wallabies will win at Loftus. Those players out, but also they have descended to a new level of dross which I never thought possible for the national team. Both the game plan and execution is way off. Ewen could do better. He has shown time and time again that he can adapt the game plan according to his own players strengths and the opposition weaknesses. in 90% of games controlled by Link, the team is singing off the same hymn sheet and it works. Its worked against opposition who are much stronger on paper time and again. The Players also want to play for him which is a positive. He doesn't really tolerate lazy players so a few incumbents could be moved on if/when he takes over. Hopefully its before the new season.
Jiggles
Roar Guru
They also need to sort out their forward play. 1 out runners in that first channel might cut it at Super level but it is going to get eaten alive at test level. I am surprised they haven't lost more to the ABs with that sort of play. They also have a habit of of sitting over the ball in the ruck (like Australia) rather than driving through past the ball.