Boks call up big guns
12 Aug 2008
Percy Montgomery and Fourie du Preez will start against the All Blacks on Saturday.
They replace Ricky Januarie and Conrad Jantjes in the starting line-up, with the other changes coming at lock, where Andries Bekker starts in place of the injured Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger in for Luke Watson at openside flank and Danie Rossouw and Frans Steyn coming onto the wood.
Montgomery will earn his 100th Test cap at Newlands in a back three that won the World Cup and one that started when they broke a 10-year losing streak at Dunedin earlier in the tournament.
“It’s a special moment for me, particularly because it’s at Newlands where I spent a big part of my career and against the All Blacks. You couldn’t have asked for a better script,” he told keo.co.za. Montgomery will share his special occasion with Juan Smith, who makes his 50th appearance for the Springboks.
Du Preez was somewhat of a surprise inclusion given how loyal coach Peter De Villiers has been to Ricky Januarie. However, there can be no question that Du Preez offers a more complete option, particularly from a tactical-kicking perspective.
De Villiers said it was a hard decision to drop Januarie but pointed towards fatigue as a decisive factor.
“We can’t live in the past. We have to move on,” De Villiers said in response to the question of whether Januarie’s performance against the All Blacks in Dunedin wasn’t enough to warrant a start.
“If you look at Ricky’s workload this year in the Super 14 and in the Test matches, you’ll realise that a lot has been asked of him. The legs were definitely starting to get a bit heavier and it was time to make the change.
“I’ve always promised players that I’ll be honest with them in all areas and while it was a hard call to make, I feel it was the right one given the type of game we want to play. It’s great to be in a position to say to two players who have done nothing wrong, ‘Look sorry but you’re not going to start’. It’s a blessing.”
Du Preez and Montgomery’s inclusion hints that their play may be characterised by territorial dominance gained through tactical kicking. De Villiers refused to confirm the game plan, saying: “I might as well invite the All Blacks to our training sessions if I told you that.
“Ricky and Conrad don’t have bad kicking games at all,” he asserted. “But Fourie is very good off the boot and Percy offers us a left-footed option which is valuable. We know how we want to play against New Zealand and those players offer us the strengths we need to play the game we want to.”
Asked whether their inclusion was partly designed to take some kicking pressure off Butch James, De Villiers said: “I aim to have 15 perfect players who are able to execute a wide range of skills. They will read the situation and play accordingly. But it’s always soothing to know you have two players who can do that job and that frees Butch to shift the ball.”
Captain Victor Matfield said he expected a physical contest. “We’ll give each other as good as we get. It won’t be a lot different to traditional Springbok/All Blacks Tests.”
In Dunedin the All Blacks dominated possession 58% to 42%, while they spent 66% of the game in South Africa’s territory. Despite this, the Springboks scored two tries to their one and crafted the better scoring opportunities. This also speaks volumes about the defensive work done by the visitors, who began to slip tackles late in the match (a total of 22 to New Zealand’s 6) but scrambled desperately in search of redemption. They made 205 tackles in total – massive by Test standards.
Asked if they expected to defend as much as that this weekend Matfield was non-committal.
“If you look at the stats from games over the last two years you’ll see that often the team that has less possession won the game. Maybe there’s a trend developing there,” he said.
“But decision making will be key. We put a premium on keeping possession but it’s important that we read the situation and make sharp decisions and execute accurately. Using the ball in the right manner is extremely important against the All Blacks.”
Springboks – 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Andries Bekker, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Brian Mujati, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Luke Watson, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Frans Steyn, 22 Conrad Jantjes
By Ryan Vrede, in Cape Town
731 Comments
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12 Aug 2008, 15:57 pm
#523 Puma: A fit JF is in a class of his own. Adi not even close.
12 Aug 2008, 15:57 pm
#535 rangerman: How`s it going? How`s your subsistence-fishing plan coming along?
12 Aug 2008, 15:57 pm
I think Percy should die his hair canon ash white for the big occasion.
I must say his lokke is pretty impressive – almost in the same class as the legend Helgard Muller
12 Aug 2008, 15:57 pm
#522 klippies101: pie eaters, read between the vines
12 Aug 2008, 15:58 pm
What time does Midmar close?
12 Aug 2008, 15:58 pm
ja fourie is a great centre and he has agression which i dont think adi has
12 Aug 2008, 15:59 pm
#555 Dawn: Dam or liquor store?
12 Aug 2008, 15:59 pm
#552 sondebok: its on hold mate.
i may have to work for those blerrie beers after all.
12 Aug 2008, 15:59 pm
#543 rangerman:
How dare the makers of this dubious timepiece misuse the name of the greatest firearm ever.
12 Aug 2008, 15:59 pm
#552 sondebok: geting enough sleep so far, had a few shaky moments for a while, but going ok at the mome…..zzzzzzz…….zzzzz sorry moment!
12 Aug 2008, 16:00 pm
#557 katman:
12 Aug 2008, 16:00 pm
The administrators will come back from the games and blame the athletes.
The reality is that we are going backwards at a hell of a pace, in spite of the fact that we have a talent pool that is massive in our country.
Reason is simple.
Our sport is governed by people who are self serving, incompetent, short sighted, racialistic and who believe they are more important than the athletes they are meant to serve.
One big gravy train!!
I have personal experience of this.
The tragedy is that, if this was not the case, we would be world beaters with our natural talent pool.
Cry the beloved country!!
12 Aug 2008, 16:00 pm
#546 BuckT: He He, the Dageraad was a fish! Plenty of oke`s out there that will give you Dagga Raad though.
I was about 14 years old at the time of striking that shot into the 18th at Hermanus, I“d never hit a par 5 in 2 before that so I thought it would be a safe shot.. That old Hogan 4-wood with the bent shaft. I loved that club.
12 Aug 2008, 16:00 pm
#549 klippies101:
Your blind drunk – i’m just waiting for the brail to appear on the screen
12 Aug 2008, 16:00 pm
#559 Dawn: they timed it well though.
12 Aug 2008, 16:00 pm
#548 BuckT: Whatever we can lay our hands on. Our latest attempt is Magnesium Phosphate tablets – dissolve 2 in 4ml of boiled cooled water and give him 2ml at a time.
12 Aug 2008, 16:01 pm
rangerman: have to say that i enjoy ur balanced views, and Mshini
12 Aug 2008, 16:01 pm
#543 rangerman:
And then have the unadulterated nerve to charge the GDP of a small country for it.
12 Aug 2008, 16:01 pm
We will win gold in the stone skimming! Fikkie Van der Klippiesteen is in the final!
Bring the Medal home BOKKIE!
12 Aug 2008, 16:01 pm
Holy smokes Tenielle Gibbs is one costly stikkie
From IOL
“The notice was filed as part of her application for personal maintenance of R96 500 a month, which is expected to be heard on Friday.
His wife’s list of monthly expenses includes R25 000 for rent, R6 000 for groceries, R5 000 for petrol, R5 000 for clothing, R2 500 for skin products and toiletries, R2 500 for her cellphone, R2 500 for entertainment, R2 500 for holidays, R3 000 for a psychologist, R2 000 for an Apple Macbook with a 3G Internet connection, R10 000 for her credit card and life policies to the value of R5 000.”
Can treat myself to a new Russian wife (out of the box nogal) every second month for that kind of money.
Damn gold digger Tanielle
12 Aug 2008, 16:01 pm
#515 sondebok: New meds? Check.
12 Aug 2008, 16:02 pm
#551 K9_BaasPatrolliehond: Agree with that. Was hoping to see JF playing this Saturday. Well its not to be. Hope he gets over that injury quick.
12 Aug 2008, 16:02 pm
#547 katman: Those $&%$&% Yanks – they just keep pumping out the Bomber champs – year after year. They just have a superior Fast Food chain network – Spur just cannot compete – McD’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Carls Jnr, Jack in a box – and that is just burgers!
12 Aug 2008, 16:02 pm
“R3 000 for a psychologist”
And then, Tenielle still has mental issues
Give us males a break lady
12 Aug 2008, 16:03 pm
#561 Dawn: Dunno, but Diamonds Liquor in Chiappini Street closes at 6. And Harleys in Buitengracht is open till after 8.
12 Aug 2008, 16:03 pm
Oh, you wanted Midmar because they still do papsak?
12 Aug 2008, 16:03 pm
PD Villiers continues to surprise and delight me! A great balance between experience and youth. Great for Andries Bekker, i am sure he will impress and perform the enforcer role required. A bit surprised about Joe Van Niekerk, Luke though deserves the bench job as he can fill the fetcher role should, heaven forbid, Schalk go down early.
12 Aug 2008, 16:03 pm
We might get some medals in rowing – bit disappointed we didn’t pick anything up in swimming.
What surprises me though is the fact that we never compete at the shooting events – you’d think that, in a country like South Africa, competitive shooting would be second nature for us?
12 Aug 2008, 16:03 pm
#567 NY_Agent: cheers.
mshini is more knowledgeable than me. but he is elusive.
#568 Dawn: ag, nz can afford it. they will have to sell some fijians back to fiji and some samoans back to samoa and some pakeha back to…….uh, they will have to keep the pakeha.
12 Aug 2008, 16:04 pm
#576 katman:
Of course!
12 Aug 2008, 16:06 pm
#566 katman: if you can, try and get hold of some colief, it’s a lactase based product from the UK, which was incredible…when you add it to the milk, it breaks down most of the lactose and makes the feed more easily digestible. check the website.
12 Aug 2008, 16:06 pm
#545 stormbokbefok: With our huge depth and talent with a Coach like Robbie Deans coaching us we would be the best in the world for many, many years. He does not have a lot of players to work with in Oz and he is still making a difference there. Just really cant imagine how fantastic we would have been under him!!! Just makes us think hey!!
12 Aug 2008, 16:06 pm
468 adj nm you forgot some toi toi’ng as well…….
12 Aug 2008, 16:07 pm
#576 katman:
Ben got colic?
12 Aug 2008, 16:07 pm
#570 Saffa_Guy: PdV’s Boks By 5: this is a blatant case of a whitey ripping off the cullert come good.
its marital colonisation!
12 Aug 2008, 16:09 pm
#570 Saffa_Guy: PdV’s Boks By 5: Damn white ******* messing up the coloured guys lives. lol. Watch out Habana you are next lol.
12 Aug 2008, 16:09 pm
uh, scratch that……95k is perfectly reasonable if you live in a big city like cape town.
i was there once. i saw the bright lights on the mountin.
12 Aug 2008, 16:11 pm
#571 Spill the Beans:
Where you going on your roadkill trip?
12 Aug 2008, 16:11 pm
#580 Dawn: Go to Harrigntons in Harrington Street. Cheapest bottlestore in the country I think. They close at 7, and they have a separate entrance and counter for bergies so the `clientele` won`t get their clothes soiled. Not that I`m calling you a bergie, just describing the store
12 Aug 2008, 16:11 pm
#585 rangerman:
I say, lets those cullerts suffer. Once you go white, your wallet will never be orite
12 Aug 2008, 16:12 pm
#570 Saffa_Guy: PdV’s Boks By 5: can Gibbs also claim his *** 5 times a week since he was acustomed to…..no wonder OJ butchered Nicole………
12 Aug 2008, 16:12 pm
then again, herschelle was always more george bush than jesse, more guns ‘n roses than bon jovi.
seems his wife found his stash though.
12 Aug 2008, 16:13 pm
When Jake was the coach you had to wait till the team was announced until you knew the squad. Now all you have to do is read Peter Bills, Keo’s and a few other articles and you know the side before hand.
The last time PDV selected a squad without help was in Wellington since then he appears to read the papers and then make his selections obviously excluding the diabolical benching of Percy in Perth, either that or Peter Bills and Keo have all of a sudden become very apt at reading the Bok coaches mind. They were certainly never this accurate in the past.
12 Aug 2008, 16:14 pm
I am Elvis!!
12 Aug 2008, 16:14 pm
Stick to coloureds Herschelle they will treat you much better. And they know what you want.
12 Aug 2008, 16:14 pm
#587 rangerman:
Lights, what lights? The only time Table Mountains is alight is when its burning
12 Aug 2008, 16:14 pm
#590 Saffa_Guy: PdV’s Boks By 5: ja, when i look at gibbs, i can always see the irish showing through.
something to do with the freckles i think.
12 Aug 2008, 16:14 pm
#596 Saffa_Guy: PdV’s Boks By 5: Flashing Lights blinded herschelle
12 Aug 2008, 16:15 pm
#590 Saffa_Guy: PdV’s Boks By 5:
True.
Was Boezak’s downfall as well.
This woman is crazy, jeez, they have been rarely been married! What did she contribute towards his success?
Gibbs should put a contract out on her.
12 Aug 2008, 16:15 pm
Well everyone is hypo again just like before Aussie in Perth because we had all our big ball carriers going into battle then, well we saw just how effective our big ball carriers where then with no ground ball specialist or link man, its going to be too much of the same again with Spies Smith and Burger not providing steals and effective ground ball coverage and with Roussouw off the bench more of the same.
McCaw So’ialo Kaino and Thorn might just be smacking their lips and getting ready for a field day.
Bismark and Bekker will no doubt have to be the fetchers.
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