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
Pages: « 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10 11 12 13 14 … 15 » Show All
12 Aug 2008, 14:59 pm
#381 klippies101:
That could have been said about 2/3 seasons back.But Rodney is now clearly the best 8 in NZ..even the world along with Sergio Parisse(ITALY)
Tuiali’i is going to struggle to keep his place ahead of young Nasi Manu at Canterbury next season.His time has come and gone
12 Aug 2008, 15:00 pm
gbs boet n voorry met heinke , smitty , bj sal enige scrum pap druk
12 Aug 2008, 15:01 pm
#389 Corndog: the tight ones look especially nice in pink, like the ones Stade Francais wear.
12 Aug 2008, 15:01 pm
i think spies is rusty cause of his long health battle but he will come right in no time
12 Aug 2008, 15:02 pm
#397 blhoo:
Nou soek jy vir marakkas!
Ek vermy daai naam deesdae.
12 Aug 2008, 15:02 pm
#282 Dawn: why would anybody want a kalashnikov watch? it’s the chronographic equivilent of a hummer.
12 Aug 2008, 15:03 pm
I must say I am not worried. This all-black side is probably the most mediocre to have set foot on SA soil in about ten years. That said even a mediocre All Black side is no cake walk. But I reckon we can beat them fairly easily, even without our first choice or second choice enforcer, our first or second choice outside centre and a vulnerable scrum, and even playing under new rules that our style of play is not suited to.
12 Aug 2008, 15:03 pm
#401 mshiniwami:
Buddy, your knowledge is impressive.
12 Aug 2008, 15:04 pm
which is better omega rolex or tag
12 Aug 2008, 15:04 pm
#374 stormbokbefok: Yes no daft running on our try line. If we do that they will just nail us there. Just have to boot the damn thing up and out. Pleased Percy is back for that. Jantjies is great but always just runs with the ball on our try line and thats daft. Cant do that against the Ab’s. Play it tight and MUST be very physical they hate that especially Carter. Yeah, really pleased that FdP is back. Just wish that big Joe was on the bench. Well I suppose Watson to cover for Burger for just incase but would have had Big Joe. Also like it that Danie is on the bench. Great team this . We should win this if we play smart.
12 Aug 2008, 15:05 pm
the reoson why spies peformd better on saturday was cause the boks were running away with the game and that’s the type of game he likes to play,
against the blacks the game is gonna be much tighter and everyone of the forwards is gonna need to do their part,that includes spies and victor matfield
12 Aug 2008, 15:05 pm
#403 sondebok: Agree they should let all teams that wear tight jerseys have jerseys in pastel colors.
12 Aug 2008, 15:05 pm
#409 klippies101: casio, with a calculator.
12 Aug 2008, 15:07 pm
#406 the peanut gallery:
12 Aug 2008, 15:08 pm
#305 Tisme: ja, but that was the old days. Ozmob have had a ruling in place that only players eligible for Wallaby selection can play in the Super 14.
12 Aug 2008, 15:08 pm
#405 Pietman: Ja want Cheeky se familie blog ook hier.
12 Aug 2008, 15:08 pm
#394 Corndog: Had a little laugh there. Not sure why Spies is not holding onto the ball this year. Last year he was great. Maybe he will have a cracker of a game Saturday.
12 Aug 2008, 15:10 pm
#63 katman: Sorry all, I know I’m WAY behind here, but that’s the most sense spoken about Watermelon Watson this week.
Sure, he is a decent player, and yes, he had an OK game on Saturday, for a frikking CENTRE!
I think he’s too small, too light and possibly too scared to roll his sleeves up and get his hands dirty. That’s where he belongs, NOT out in the backline away from the ball and looking for that one glory pass.
12 Aug 2008, 15:10 pm
#417 Puma: Hope so for our sake, maybe they can sew some bells into the ball or something
12 Aug 2008, 15:11 pm
#409 klippies101: Breitling
12 Aug 2008, 15:11 pm
#411 st.a.t.w: I agree with you fully there. As i said, its going to be his biggest test to date. To see wether he can play the tight game well.
I hope he does because he is a freak of nature and SA are alot better off with him playing well.
On another note, i see Freddie Michalak has said that kankowski is the most talented rugby player he has seen in SA. He said that he was from ‘another planet’ and that, barring injuries, could be one of the best no.8s ever to play the game.
12 Aug 2008, 15:12 pm
PdV managed the whole Percy situation very well. That Monty is playing his 100th test match at Newlands, against the All Blacks nogal; this is what you call a bok dream come true.
Truly a dream come true. I’m happy to see this moment come to pass and all i can pray for is that the man does not pickk up an injury this week.
12 Aug 2008, 15:12 pm
413 good one katman
wat bout the watch michael knight had
it could talk to cars thats some watch
12 Aug 2008, 15:12 pm
#392 grootblousmile:
Then you can add Sephaka to that list..Has been the “Rock of Gilbraltar(spelling???) since coming back from France.He is the form Tighthead in the CC better than BJ/Jannie at present.Destroyed Guthro last week.
But BJ/Heinke-prone to penalties due to “questionable” scrumming techniques.(As pointed out aplenty by Drotske/Hansen etc),plus their dimunitive size renders them a little light come cleaning time.Lastly mobility and skills wise they are not up to standard.
i kno tighthead will have my “***” for the above.But if we have to pick them,it should only be one in the XV.both at once we lose too much else(breakdowns etc)-(ex:Guthro,Bismark,BJ or Heinke Bismak,CJ etc)
Mujati will come good,great prospect.Ability wise he is on par with Heinke but better in the loose.Remenber Heinke also didnt dominate Jones(Welsh 3) last yr-so he is also a work in progress.So easy with the “saviour of Bok scrum” praise on Heinke/BJ.
12 Aug 2008, 15:13 pm
#412 Corndog: Absolutely. And the socks can be luminous green, 80`s style legwarmers.
12 Aug 2008, 15:14 pm
#401 mshiniwami:
I think Rodney is useless
12 Aug 2008, 15:14 pm
#423 klippies101:
12 Aug 2008, 15:15 pm
#22 Tacitus: Yes its a good team, but would you not have had Big Joe instead of Watson? I know if Burger got injured then maybe Watson can fit in there but Spies also played there in 2006 and was quiet good.
12 Aug 2008, 15:15 pm
and rainbow coloured scrum caps
12 Aug 2008, 15:16 pm
#418 thefeather: and exactly the same can be said about matfield.
so why when vic spends the whole game out in the backs does no-one critisize him?
12 Aug 2008, 15:16 pm
When is SA gonna join the medal table at the Olympics ?
12 Aug 2008, 15:16 pm
#429 klippies101:
What’s the name of the shop that sell chilli mussels?
12 Aug 2008, 15:16 pm
Imagine they bring in a system where each team is allowed to veto one of the opposing players before a match.
We’d veto Carter. I wonder who they’d veto?
12 Aug 2008, 15:17 pm
#421 Biggles:
yes i think kanko is slightly better then spies ,but both of them need to give more attention to the tight facets of their game
12 Aug 2008, 15:17 pm
#431 vindicated:
Here we go.
12 Aug 2008, 15:17 pm
olypics smimpics who cares . sa will win gold at nuaghts and crosses
12 Aug 2008, 15:17 pm
#431 vindicated:
We are boycotting the Olympics.
12 Aug 2008, 15:17 pm
#425 sondebok: welcome back! how was the trip? eat any oysters off the rocks in coffee bay?
12 Aug 2008, 15:18 pm
#419 Corndog: Hahahaha. Good one.
12 Aug 2008, 15:19 pm
You have it wrong with Spies, Juan must get stuck in how many times does he ( Juan) receive the ball on outside centre, Number 8 should be there not 7,
Luke was the vrot kol he should get his nose in the gound and let Spies/ BJoe do the the running. but in stead he wants to get the shine. Luckely Sckalk is back.
Spies/Big joe/Kanko/Koster are all Gary Teichman types not Straulli, or J Cronje types
12 Aug 2008, 15:19 pm
#431 vindicated: One day when there’s a huge boicot of the Olympics and it is only us and Zim competing.
12 Aug 2008, 15:19 pm
#433 WP Till I Die: Reckon Schalk.
12 Aug 2008, 15:20 pm
i haven’t seen a south african fullback this year that looked so good under the high ball as jantjes looked on saturday not even percy is that good under the highball but he does bring other quilties to the side
12 Aug 2008, 15:20 pm
#431 vindicated: The games have only just started. Lets talk about that next week.
12 Aug 2008, 15:21 pm
#436 klippies101:
klippies wat is die naam van die winkel met die chilli mussels!
12 Aug 2008, 15:22 pm
did’nt percy miss a couple of crucial penalty kicks in the dunedin test
12 Aug 2008, 15:22 pm
People please don’t bother answering vindicated’s **** questions.
12 Aug 2008, 15:23 pm
#433 WP Till I Die: S. Burger of course. They fear him.
12 Aug 2008, 15:23 pm
With PdV in charge i’d chill off Watson. Scheme it’s a wise thing to do.
Joe is in fine form and i would have chosen him ahead of Luke for this game but i wont diss Luke for making the team. The only thing i have to look forward to is the coaching decision which put Luke ahead of Joe and that unfortunately, can only be tested during the game.
12 Aug 2008, 15:23 pm
#447 Dawn: Well said Dawn. Then maybe he will just go away.
Pages: « 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10 11 12 13 14 … 15 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.