2015 Rugby World Cup: The Springboks' best back three

By The Crowd / Roar Guru

“Everything that has a beginning has an end,” were the words of Agent Smith to Neo in Matrix Revolutions. And so we come to the end of the Springbok candidates Heyneke Meyer will consider at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

When looking at the back three positions there aren’t that many players to consider. Meyer was not very experimental in this area over the past three seasons.

Willie le Roux is one of the most exciting fullbacks in world rugby. It is largely due to him that the Springbok backline showed more creativity in recent times, being able to find space between and behind defences. Without him the Springbok backline is very predictable.

Le Roux has proven that he understands when to delay a pass and get his support runner into space. He has an uncanny ability to read what is in front of him and can make decisions on the fly. He has an eye for a gap and the acceleration necessary to hit through it. He can offload or find the open spaces with a well-executed chip kick too.

He is not without his faults though, defensively he can be questionable and while his ability under the high ball has improved it is by no means consistent.

His performances in general can be inconsistent, or should I say error-ridden, but with any measure of risk there is a potential for errors to occur. Generally this is because he is trying too much, but it is understandable when things aren’t going South Africa’s way that he wants to be the game breaker.

Bryan Habana is the best winger is South Africa. He has the feel and anticipation for the intercept, his workrate and ability to support the ball carrier is unparalleled, and finishing moves with pace to burn shows he is still a world-class winger.

Habana is also one of the best defensive wings in world rugby. Not only does he rarely miss a tackle, but his ability to get onto his feet and contest the ruck is of high quality.

This will be his last World Cup, and his experience will be invaluable. Without Habana the back three look decidedly bland.

Although JP Pietersen is only 28 years old, he has been to two World Cups and has the necessary experience Meyer requires. Strong in the tackle, Pietersen has the ability to break the line, offload and is deceptively quicker than he looks. Defensively he is one of the most solid wingers in world rugby.

Capped for South Africa 59 times and having crossed the whitewash 18 times, Pietersen may not be as prolific a finisher as Habana, yet he will be a valuable member of the Springbok squad.

However conditioning is a concern, as Pietersen has not looked in great form the last two seasons.

Cornal Hendricks came onto the scene with a bang for South Africa, scoring a handful of tries in his first eight Test matches. At 1.89 metres and 90 kilograms, Hendricks is physical enough to break the tackles, while possessing a good step and enough pace to fly down the sideline. In attack he is an exciting prospect.

However it is his defensive frailties and hesitation under the high ball that should be of great concern. This is one area of his play which opponents will exploit and considering the nature of finals rugby, these facets have to be improved if he wants to be a regular starter come the Wold Cup.

Sadly, there isn’t much else to talk about. Meyer really only has these four players to consider for selection, and again as with the midfield, he is gambling that these four will be ready, fit and able to participate.

I will finish the series with a summary, discuss game plans, and touch on weaknesses and strengths for the Springboks.

The Crowd Says:

2015-02-09T17:44:18+00:00


Reason why I didn't mention him is because Meyer will not look at any uncapped players for the World Cup, and the reason why Meyer has not considered him is lack of size.

2015-02-09T17:34:20+00:00

Ball Handling Hooker

Roar Rookie


I'm not a Saffa, far from it being from Ireland but can someone answer me on one player that hasn't been mentioned at all. Cheslin Kolbe. The kid was outstanding at U20s level, finally got his chance at the tail end of last year's Super Rugby and looked awesome in the Currie Cup. He's got a big season ahead of him, and I can't see how Cornal Hendricks is that good. I'd nearly have Sergeal Petersen start over him at the Cheetahs.

2015-02-09T12:57:04+00:00

Harry Jones

Expert


Great news: http://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/65979690/Key-Springboks-to-be-managed-through-Super-Rugby-with-eye-on-Rugby-World-Cup

2015-02-09T12:46:19+00:00

Harry Jones

Expert


Biltong Do you see that the Bulls lost 120kg utility forward Jacques du Plessis? Report from 24: "There were whispers at Loftus Versfeld that he wasn’t happy with the arrival of Cheetahs flank Lappies Labuschagne - on a contract said to be more than double Du Plessis’ current salary, and was furthermore nonplussed by the prospect of moving to lock. Given this background, the massive offer - said to be in the region of R5 million a season - was almost impossible to refuse, especially as it is around six times the youngster’s current salary. The weak rand played its part, but not even an earnest plea from Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer - who phoned Du Plessis and tried to convince him to stay, could stop the player from following the money."

2015-02-05T16:48:19+00:00


Armand, here are the stats of our midfielders during Super rugby 2014 http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/12/06/south-africas-midfield-conundrum/

2015-02-05T16:41:17+00:00

Armand van Zyl

Roar Guru


Much obliged.

2015-02-05T16:40:36+00:00

Armand van Zyl

Roar Guru


Well to be honest Engelbrecht didn't do himself any favors in 2014. He was the worst Bulls backline player of the year.

2015-02-05T14:16:05+00:00


I must say, I love his commitment on defence, and he is also quite pacey as well.

2015-02-05T13:56:56+00:00

Harry Jones

Expert


At 15, Hougaard's defence at the back would be nice to have at 75:00-80:00 in a KO game and also his ability to counter like a wing

2015-02-05T13:51:53+00:00


No mate, I didn't know he had.

2015-02-05T13:51:28+00:00

Harry Jones

Expert


Yes!!!!! That's a great core

2015-02-05T13:48:43+00:00

Harry Jones

Expert


I liked Goose at 15. Huge boot! More freedom to run. In a KO match, if Willie was hurt, I'd probably go w Pat at 15 Never see him out of position; issue 1 for 15 BB, have you ever seen Hougaard play 15?

2015-02-05T13:12:53+00:00


Well youy have to look at the whole backline, and this is going to depend who Meyer sees where. There are a number of players who are effective in a number of positions. At Fullback you literally have four players that can play there, Goosen, Lambie, F Steyn and Willie.

2015-02-05T12:59:00+00:00

Harry Jones

Expert


So who is our backup 15? Lambie, still?

2015-02-05T09:08:27+00:00

Turnover

Roar Guru


Agreed on Mvovo. He looks like he could be ushered into touch. You don't even need to tackle him!

2015-02-05T06:42:25+00:00


I don't think Habana is the fastest, that Amreican chap Ngwenya? was faster than him. I think Habana has pace, but he also has the ability to change direction at pace, which makes him more lethal.

2015-02-05T06:38:23+00:00

44bottles

Roar Guru


I guess it's not something they really focus on. People quote 100m times from players when they were at school, and so a lot lighter and better suited to sprinting, for some players. The closest thing I've seen was a race a couple years back with Lachie Turner, a couple of Leaguies and a couple of AFL players. Turner won it, but he said later on that it wasn't taken seriously by anyone. They didn't want to injure themselves during this run for a publicity stunt, so they all ran well within their capabilities.

2015-02-05T04:40:07+00:00

RobC

Roar Guru


Yes mate. The Irish showed the way. I fear others will follow, and get in the way of SB 2016!

2015-02-05T04:39:04+00:00


Yep, a worrying facet.

2015-02-05T04:38:03+00:00


Haha, I'll have to buy the Roar first and register the domain in South Africa first, eh?

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