Steyn poised for national selection
8 Oct 2006
Luke Watson still won’t make the Springbok squad for the Ireland and English tests, but the national selectors will blood several in-form Currie Cup players.
The form of Pierre Spies gives White an escape not to pick Watson, although Spies has been devastating as a No 8 in the Absa Currie Cup and not as an open-side option. Watson, consistently, has been the best open-side flanker in the country, through the Super 14 and the Currie Cup. He was very good playing in a beaten pack in Western Province’s semi-final defeat and newspaper reports that played off his performance against that of Spies were outrageous. One played openside flank in a pack whose tight five got murdered. The other played No 8 in a pack that marched relentlessly to a final.
Most independent observers would laud the possibility of Watson playing as open-sider, Spies playing at No 8 and Juan Smith completing the loose-trio. For those who still argue that Watson misses out because there are better, don’t kid yourself. Watson misses out because White does not rate him and never will.
White this weekend told the Sunday newspapers, English and Afrikaans, that for the first time his focus was on winning the World Cup and not the next test. Let’s hope the national coach can maintain this supposed belief on tour. He mentioned a similar thing prior to the Tri Nations. Then the Boks got hammered by France and White feared for his job. His reaction was to stick with the same players who failed him the year before.
Injuries forced him to introduce younger players and Spies was one of those to benefit with two outstanding home tests against New Zealand and Australia. But before we get too carried away, look at the impact of Spies at No 8 in his test debut. Yeah, there was no impact because there was nothing happening among the tight five.
To beat Ireland and to get at least one win out of two against England will require a tight five that is dominant and not just competitive. The loosies in the northern hemisphere will only ever be as good as their tight five. And White and his selectors will have to think carefully about who goes and stays in that department.
Rudolf Straeuli also opted for a young tight five in 2002 to play France, Scotland and England. Deon Carstens, Bakkies Botha and Wessel Roux were all the stars of the domestic competition. They got smashed by teams, whose tight five were well versed in technique.
It will require a mix and match in selection if White is to succeed where all Bok teams have failed since 1997.
Taking younger loose-forwards and backs is to be applauded, but the wiser and more battle-hardened souls are the non negotiables among the pack.
Speculation, based on White having a banter with the Sunday newspapers, include the selection of Francois Steyn as a utility back, potentially Brad Barritt and Jaco Pretorius as a second string midfield combination and the injection of youth in Hilton Lobberts and Kabamba Floors. Chiliboy Ralepelle will again tour, despite the Bulls selectors rating him third, at best, in their current senior set-up – a rating I fully agree with when you consider the quality of Botha and replacement hooker Strauss.
White will not select overseas-based players like Cobus Visagie, although there is a very strong case to be made for Visagie, given he has given all the English props a torrid time in the last two seasons, while French-based Shaun Sowerby would be a ‘horses for courses’ selection.
White will continue to pick John Smit as his first choice hooker and captain, but Os du Randt and Percy Montgomery will be rested. There is also talk that White will ‘rest’ his best outside back in the last two tests in Breyton Paulse. Just why only the selectors would know because Paulse has played very few matches this year and has ended his overseas commitments with Clermont two months ago.
With Montgomery out, White can choose between Bevin Fortuin, JP Pietersen and Steyn, but it seems Johan Roets is very much in the Watson mould. Regardless of what he does, he won’t make the team.
Of the contracted Boks who SARU will be paying until the end of 2007, Hanyani Shimange, Eddie Andrews, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Marius Joubert and De Wet Barry are unlikely to tour, while a decision has to be made on Jacques Cronje and Victor Matfield.
Joe van Niekerk, who has not had any rugby since the away leg of the Tri Nations, is also unclear about his tour involvement. Van Niekerk hurt his neck in August and it would be wiser to give him an additional month to make a complete recovery.
White’s biggest selection headache comes at lock. Matfield is the best contesting lineout in the world and Bakkies Botha is the best foil in a partnership to Matfield. Without Botha and Matfield, the likes of Johann Muller, Albert van den Berg and Danie Rossouw aren’t as imposing a prospect.
If you look at the two teams that will contest the Currie Cup final, the majority of the players are unlikely to feature in the touring squad. Of the Free Staters, Fortuin is the only probable backline inclusion, with Floors and Jannie du Plessis candidates among the pack. Among the Bulls, Ndungane and Wynand Olivier will probably tour, while Spies, Lobberts, Rossouw and Gary Botha should be in the national squad of 30. That’s less that 10 players out of the 30 coming from the two teams who have dominated the domestic competition.
652 Comments
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8 Oct 2006, 14:35 pm
Egon is the most underrated player in SA.
He is a try scoring machine! I mean 69 in 76 matches?
That’s one hell of a record!
Plus, he has good defense, good hands and a lot of experience.
8 Oct 2006, 14:36 pm
Just saw it now Simeon, no worries, he will be banned for that I can promise you.
Well done on your team and an awesome display yesterday btw, catch you guys later.
8 Oct 2006, 14:36 pm
Skim,
Spot on wrt Egon, okay now I am really gone
8 Oct 2006, 14:37 pm
Simeon you idiot!
Phillip Burger?
AJ?
van der merwe?
Pieterse instead of Matfield?
You had too much boerewors rolls yesterday.
8 Oct 2006, 14:37 pm
David,
I was at Loftus yesterday….only managed to pluck up the courage to surface an hour ago!!
It’s goooooooood to be a Bull!
8 Oct 2006, 14:38 pm
not sure steyn or barrit need selection, but jaco pretorius and johan roedts would be good selections.
bakkies will be missed more than matfield on the NH tour, but the most difficult to replace is Os. Agree that a hardy tight 5 is needed. I’d pick Ackerman and Rossouw for the 1st test with Muller as backup.
BJ Botha is a must at TH and will make a big difference to the bok scrum at twickenham. We need a grizzled prop to replace OS, but there are none, CJ should train at LH, his build and natural strength seem better suited to this position.
Finally if we are too test combinations, Gary Botha should be selected ahead of Smit who can be on the bench as cover for the frontrow.
Tight 5 for EOY tour
1. CJ 2. Botha 3. BJ
4. Ackerman 5. Rossouw
Bench: Muller, Smit
8 Oct 2006, 14:39 pm
PLEASE dont pick Francois Steyn!
He had one good game against WP but then he sucked consistently.
8 Oct 2006, 14:39 pm
Ek gaan nou ‘n regmakertjie drink, dan die getape’de game kyk….om weer lekker te kry!
Oor en uit vir nou!
8 Oct 2006, 14:40 pm
As groot gaan gaan ek ook.
Eks net hier vir sy plesier.
8 Oct 2006, 14:41 pm
and the young backrow forward from WP to be selected should be Diack not Watson.
8 Oct 2006, 14:42 pm
Skim,
Ek soek jou gereeld op die blog hierdie week, pella!
8 Oct 2006, 14:42 pm
En n GROOT BLOU hello aan my BlOU BROERS!
8 Oct 2006, 14:43 pm
Cab
I think Ackerman might be one season to far next year. I’d rather opt for Pieterse.
Interesting that nobody has mentioned big Albert considering Jakes insistance that he’s the like for like replacement for Matfield.
8 Oct 2006, 14:43 pm
NOU DIE BLOU MASJIEN!
8 Oct 2006, 14:44 pm
Groot,
ek sit ok met n “ietsie”
8 Oct 2006, 14:44 pm
Dis reg so Groot.
8 Oct 2006, 14:47 pm
Ek sal baie kom.
8 Oct 2006, 14:51 pm
Cheers van my kant af ook my BLOU BROERS!
8 Oct 2006, 14:51 pm
Rossouw is hands down the best forward in S.A. and he should play on the blindside for south africa!
8 Oct 2006, 14:52 pm
Skim,
Philip Burger – Face it, even if he has an attitude he has electric pace, a good kicking boot and
he is not selfish. 14 tries in the CC and he has started in 4 games.
I did not say Barend should be ahead of Matfield, he must be his back-up.
AJ and Ryno – Both work like donkeys for their team and have leadership qualities. Discipline good.
I would not tell people their an idiot with a nick like that. Your team stinks, no they reek.
8 Oct 2006, 14:53 pm
piennar- there is nothing wrong with rossouw’s eyesight!
8 Oct 2006, 14:58 pm
Skuim,
Sephaka?
Danie Rossouw?
Luke Watson?
Egon Thirds?
Roets?
8 Oct 2006, 15:06 pm
David,
ja might be spot on, was wondering the same thing, not the same player he was last year, Pieterse is perhaps the way forward, leading SA lineout oke in the S12/S14 for 2 successive seasons. Need some determined controlled aggro up there. Perhaps a Rossouw/Muller combo is ok?
8 Oct 2006, 15:16 pm
I’m tired of people like Skim mking bullshit comments without backing them up. Here area few FACTS.
Barend Pieterse – leading lock for SA teams for 2 years in Super rugby.
Philip Burger – leading try scorer with 4 starts in the whole season.
Rayno vd Merwe – he puts his body on the line in every game for his province. None of Luke’s agro. We need more of his sort.
Go stick THAT up your arse.
8 Oct 2006, 15:37 pm
Jake you are an *******. Pick Luke and swallow your pride (that is if you have any left).
Also there is no problem at lock, pick Johan Ackerman.
Thank God we are leaving Steady Eddie behind.
8 Oct 2006, 15:45 pm
And give Luke a break, he had an off day but is still miles ahead of any other fetcher we have in this country (Schalk Burger excluded).
A combination of Luke, Big Joe (or AJ Venter) and and Spies sounds good to me.
8 Oct 2006, 16:19 pm
226- in the super 14 when the bulls hammered the stormers jake asked where were luke and brits when the stormers really needed them. the springboks need guys who are goin to stand up and be counted against nz and france next year. not okes who can only put in big performances against the lesser teams like italy and canada
8 Oct 2006, 16:51 pm
Ek gee nie flenter om of Jake White Watson kies of nie,sal laasgenoemde verkies..hy beteken baie vir ons by WP.Hy het gister n lelike blaps gemaak wat op n direkte drie uitgeloop het,maar onthou hy’s nog net n snuiter van 22 wat n bloedjong span uitstekend lei!!
Ek dink nie dis per toeval dat so n klomp jong laaities met soveel selfvertroue speel nie,hul kaptein se vertroue en spel smeer af aan hulle.
Ja ons het nie gister gewen nie en as is verbrande hout, maar so seker as wat die Bokke gaan klippe kou op die jaar einde toer(jammer om dit te se)so se ek nou hou hierdie span dop!
Die Bulle was so paar jaar terug die “laughing stock” van SA rugby met n klomp palukas en kyk hoe speel daai selfde palukas vandag!
Jy kon sien die Bulle het gister gespeel soos n span wat die beker wil terug he,met daai drie van Hottie het die hele pak soos een man agter hom aangehardloop reg om n aangee aan te vat, as stutte,slotte so hardloop moet jy weet hul is op n missie…
Net so het die Cheetahs gewys die Bulle gaan nie net sommer Bloem toe gaan om die beker te gaan haal nie..
Luke en sy troepe,soos Mcdaddy se: Thx boys,jul het my ure se rugby genot die seisoen verskaf,ek sien met groot afwagting uit na 2007!!
ps:pieterman,jinx…
my ritueel het toe nie gehelp nie, dalk werk dit nie vir semi’s nie want dit het indie ander 2 games gehelp…
8 Oct 2006, 16:53 pm
Wie’s die baasblou hier op die blog…sjoe wat n idioot!!
8 Oct 2006, 17:25 pm
Ok here I am, tail between legs…
Well played Bulls, you guys certainly deserved your win. To all the Bulls fans, well done boys, your team was fantastic on the day.
We made too many silly mistakes and you capitalised on every single one of them.
Muskadel, excellent post 228. I agree completely, we have had a great season and did so much better than I ever thought possible.
Province, thanks for the entertainment and here`s to the Cup in 2007!
Lastly, go the states!!!
8 Oct 2006, 17:36 pm
Some very bitter people on the blog today.
Congrats to all my fellow Bulls supporters, it was a convincing win.
8 Oct 2006, 18:04 pm
Congratulations to the Bulls and Cheetahs.
Staying with the headline article, I would like to see Keo’s probable touring squad before next Wednesday.
On the assumption that not too many of the Bulls and Cheetahs members will get added to the Bok squad. Agreed, but then why should they be?
All we saw from the semis, was that Muir and van der Merwe are as unsettled in their selections and game plans as the Cheetahs and Bulls are committed to theirs. Muir, in particular, has flattered to deceive this year.
All of the 3 runners up, WP, Sharks and Lions can provide a strong ‘mid week’ squad that would contain most of the exciting youngsters as well as the ill used and under valued more experienced players. Unfortunately we still need that strong forward platform together with stable decision makers that can influence the game so the CC final and the Bok squads will provide these players from the Bulls and Cheetahs camps.
Mostly what can be learnt from this season is that strength versus strength is the only way to go. Outside of this, we will stay amongst the also rans of world rugby until we use squad capping and a draft system amongst the top eight teams.
8 Oct 2006, 18:14 pm
yes sarky, agree with your assessment of the CC and strength-v-strength.
Muir’s youngsters have flattered to deceive a bit, but the side that has really come online is the Lions with: Ernst Joubert (Ig spot on here), Heinke Van der Merwe, Jaco Pretorius, and Ludik all looking good.
8 Oct 2006, 18:35 pm
Vrystaaaat VIVA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kalfsvleis wat wag die naweek…
8 Oct 2006, 18:39 pm
the new men are exiting but look at Gary Bothas comeback, inactive at Jakes camp ,was seriously injured, and then the comeback. a Must for England.
Derick Hougaart is as good as anyone of Francios Steyn , WdWaal… and has experience whats it with Jake to take greenhorns on nicely paid holidays?
Pedrie is another stalward who must prove himself over and over again, so is Wickus leave the youngsters to mature, they are not superhuman players, they dont run on air they are just unknown thats why they surprize the opponents for a while. The moment videos is studied by thier opponents they counter them with ease because of thier lack of experience.
8 Oct 2006, 18:40 pm
“Watson, consistently, has been the best open-side flanker in the country, through the Super 14 and the Currie Cup.” A bold statement indeed.
8 Oct 2006, 18:47 pm
Jake must get serious about the England games, we need to beat them properly , i am serious we MUST beat them.
Look at our record
24 Oct 1999 Win: 44-21 Stade de France, Paris
17 Jun 2000 Win: 18-13 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
24 Jun 2000 Lose: 22-27 Free State Stadium,
02 Dec 2000 Lose: 17-25 Twickenham, London
24 Nov 2001 Lose: 9-29 Twickenham, London
23 Nov 2002 Lose: 3-53 Twickenham, London
18 Oct 2003 Lose: 6-25 Subiaco Oval, Perth
20 Nov 2004 Lose: 16-32 Twickenham, London
We cant go to the world cup with a worse record than the above , last win in 2000.
8 Oct 2006, 18:48 pm
Worst even , look at the scores in the last 4 games
8 Oct 2006, 18:52 pm
sure…by taking fran van skankenburger,jp nil,roots,frikkie welshman,first gear cronje and a few other doghnuts from up north…splendid.
the boks need vision and they aint got it now and certainly wont have it while joke is still the coach.too late to sack the plodder now,should have done it at the begining of season.
lobberts and spies are the only visionaries in that moftus team,the others are all bonheads(bakies,matfield and du preez excluded ofcoarse)
8 Oct 2006, 18:52 pm
Super,sien nie baie uit na die jaar einde toer nie, dis asof iets by die manne kort as ons daar speel
bevoorreg om n toer mee te maak laas jaar..bv. die wedstryd op Cardiff het die manne eenvoudig net nie lus gelyk vir speel nie.
hoekom?kouete(want KOUD was dit),te veel rugby …
ons sal die manne se koppe moet begin reg kry!
8 Oct 2006, 18:54 pm
Mac..
who would u vote for coach?
8 Oct 2006, 19:00 pm
Like Frik dP said if he does the honourable thing and walk..I’ll look no further than Heyneke Meyer
(hoop die ander WP ouens sien nie die post nie!)
8 Oct 2006, 19:05 pm
howzit muskadel,you know as strange as it sounds….rassie!
in only his second season he has reached the final of prehaps the greatest rugby comp on the planet.
no showboating needed,the guy has brains and has coaching skills way beyond his years.joke started ok good but has gone the same way as all the others have before him…he has buckeled under the pressure(kitch excluded ofcoarse).
there is no more pazzazz mate.i was at the tri nations match wher the boks klopped the all blacks at newlands and it was epic! then again i was also at the france game at newlands this year too and everyone around me knew what was going to happen next.
boks have lost there aura,so we won the last 2 games of the tri nations this year BIG DEAL!
we still came last and the all blacks still won the comp before the boks played a game on home soil,that is a disgrace mate
8 Oct 2006, 19:07 pm
hoonika meyer,are you NUTS?
no more 10 man rugby pleeeeeeez!
we want flashy,entertaining rugga.champagne style.
en muskadel,ek is ook n wp man ****.
8 Oct 2006, 19:09 pm
Mac..
HM laat hul net 10man rugby speel want hy weet hul het nie backs nie!
Wie sal jy se??
8 Oct 2006, 19:09 pm
rassie as next bok coach.pieter de villiers to be his assitant
8 Oct 2006, 19:10 pm
Mac
sorry only saw your post now re: Rassie..
8 Oct 2006, 19:11 pm
Gee Rassie nog so 4jaar dan praat ek dalk saam..sy roem het net te gou gekom vir my.
Sal graag wil sien wat maak hy in moeilike tye!
8 Oct 2006, 19:13 pm
muskadel,in only his second season as coach he has got the cheetahs to the final of prehaps the greatest cop in world rugga,with limited resourses.
he has natural coaching talent.even nick mallet used
his ideas when he (mallet) was the boks coach.
mallet reckons he should be the next ou to put the bok coaching blazer on and mallet has cred coz he along with the boks of 98 equalled the record of 17(or 18) straight wins.
that has to count for something,right?
8 Oct 2006, 19:16 pm
ok cool muskadel,lets check out this up and coming currie cup final.
as die cheetahs die moftus ous klop dan moet rassie die volgende kerel wies.
just think if he had the financial power behind him of say…the bulls or wp or the sharks even.
and he did ok in this years ss14.
lets see what he does next season,who knows
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