Smit starts at hooker
John Smit will revert to his strongest position this Saturday while the uncapped Dewald Potgieter has been named on the bench.
Smit played down the shift when probed on the matter. On a tour marred by poor scrumming and front-row injuries, the Springboks have lost Gurthro Steenkamp, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Jannie du Plessis and most recently Adriaan Strauss. Bismarck du Plessis has had a rib concern, while CJ van der Linde has just recovered from a hamstring ailment.
The string of injuries sees Smit reverting to the position where many experts, including former team-mate Os du Randt, feel he’s best.
‘It’s been awhile since I’ve played hooker – I think my last start was in the Super 14. Hopefully it’s just like riding a bicycle,’ Smit told keo.co.za.
‘It’s going to be an epic Test. They’re the Six Nations champions and we’ve enjoyed a good year, so it’s going to be tough.’
Peter de Villiers has also selected BJ Botha at tighthead and Beast Mtawarira at loosehead after this front-row combination impressed in the closing stages of the Italy Test. De Villiers, however, refused to say whether this combination would be retained in future matches.
‘We now have a lot of options and can opt for a horse for courses approach,’ the Bok coach said. ‘The front row we’ve selected is perfect for how we want to play against Ireland.’
Botha (Ulster), Van der Linde (Leinster) and Jean de Villiers (Munster) all play their club rugby in Ireland, and are included despite the policy that frowns on the selection of overseas-based players.
Peter de Villiers said this stance was relaxed given the number of injuries and the fact that the trio were playing in Ireland.
‘We will always look inside our own country first. If we can’t find someone good enough, only then will we look outside.
‘We are fortunate that Jean was here and thought it would be stupid to fly a replacement out from South Africa. He knows the system and it’s not even three months since he last played for South Africa.’
Other changes to the pack see Danie Rossouw shifted to No 8 in place of Ryan Kankowski while Schalk Burger returns from a rib injury. Bakkies Botha is still battling a back injury but is named in the starting side.
De Villiers said the change at No 8 is down to injury and not because of the physicality Rossouw can bring to the contest.
‘Kanko got a bump against Italy and we’ve decided to manage him,’ said De Villiers, even though Kankowski trained with the Boks on Thursday. ‘It’s going to be a tough Super 14 so we have to think of the player as well.’
Wynand Olivier is preferred in the centres with Jean de Villiers warming the bench. De Villiers was a late replacement for injured centre Adi Jacobs.
Springboks – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Danie Rossouw, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Dewald Potgieter, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Jean de Villiers.
By Jon Cardinelli, in Dublin
November 26th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
@SodaJoe: huge dilemma at the sharks i tell you….watch this space….kak gonna go down there still…..
November 26th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
@SodaJoe:
I was prepared to go with PDv on the Smit change to 3, but it’s obvious he has not dominated. Kinda “holding your own…sometimes” is not good enough for a Bok 3. He now needs to battle it out with Bissie for the no 2 berth.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
@grant10:
Whats the story Grant?
November 26th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
@SodaJoe:
look at our most successful teams
Piennar & Kitch
Teich & Mallet (until mallet screwed the pooch with bob)
Barney and Jake
and now
Barney and PdV…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
@whatever: I think we have focused on the front 3 improved scrummaging effort last week.
But Danie at 8 and Deysel at 7 were just as important.
Oom Danie is a great Springbok, biggest heart ever. Won us a World Cup. By himself.
Willem Alberts is the next Danie Roussouw, and every Bok team should have one.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
@skopskiet: Have a look at S14 Bulls Points For, Bulls Points Against. Your argument is totally flawed.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Grant you reckon fins gonna fly in the sharktank?
November 26th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
@whatever: I agree.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
skop…only way boks would go into a battle without MS would be if F Steyn was at 15…..RP dont like that responsibility at all….oke looks like he is about to burst into tears at the prospect…cat on a hot tin roof….
I am not sure whether F Steyn is first choice kicker in France? Hope so, because he has the ability to be a Bok front line kicker….till then the conservative nature of the SAffas will rule the roost.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
@whatever: no…just speculating….Bissy a handfull….and wont take kindly to sharing the 2 duties….Smit surely cant play 3 at sharks and 2 for Boks?
And a fait accompli that BJ and Cj gonna be back….
Last man standing stuff….competetion is good.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
@gunther: Boet. John Smit is our Greatest Ever Captain. No argument. An all time great rugby player on a global stage.
At hooker.
If deemed indispensable, then play him at 2. That’s Piet Snor’s call. Not 3.
Tighthead we are emerging from our own bums.
WP Nel
Bj Botha
Kevin Buys
CJ V. D Linde
All 4 are significantly better than John. All are Bok material.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
@SodaJoe:
Yeah, great tackle at the WC, but for a big bloke he is too upright and gets knocked back too often for my liking… he blows hot and cold.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
@grant10:
test match rugby is conservative…the boks have never been a running team why would we start now..
and if i remember rightly we carved australia to pieces with this “stifled” backline…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
@Slappes: Boet, Speedy is just wishing on a lucky penny.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
@Slappes: Sardines,, Tuna…great whites….kak in the aquarium….watch my man….Tsunami of trouble…watch…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
@whatever: I think he’s always better than good, and gives everything.
Truthfully I think this may be his last tour.
Alberts should have been on this tour.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Bring back the post ref no Keo!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
@gunther: aye.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
@whatever: It is DRIVING ME CRAZY!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
@SodaJoe:
Agreed. Then again there were quite a few blokes left behind
November 26th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
@grant10: You wish.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
@whatever:
that is a tough concept for soda to understand…
americans never leave a man behind…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
S14 or CC rugby is not international rugby. I take a M. Du Plessis, Carter, Larkham, Lynagh, Honiball type fly half over a Grant Fox, Naas Botha, Andrew Mehrtens, Joel Stransky, Jannie De Beer type fly half any day of the week. But thats just me. I prefer watching creative genius probing space than rigid kicking metronome machines.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
@gunther: Never ever. Only the ones who are too cheap to buy a round.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
@gunther: ja…i agree…i played 10….skop would of hated my style….kicked the **** out the ball….but we won a few we should of lost
On the other hand i slipped more tackles than Naas Botha…..and still get a nervous tic when i hear the name Gert Smal…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
@skopskiet:
I would put Lynagh in the latter category!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
@Sodajoe you mean wishing on his lucky 10yr old speedo lovepants?
November 26th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
@skopskiet: Skops, no doubt and you are not alone. You like an exciting fluid backline.
I like to win.
And winning ugly is still winning.
Without opening an unnecessary can of worm, I think we have moved forward, even with Morne to a pretty exciting brand of rugby.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
this number stuff is hectic….wtf has happened here…
Roy????
November 26th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
@grant10:
i watched the sa ireland game where we equalled the unbeaten run record under mallet…honiball was awesome we broke the mould with that one…ruan is no honiball…we need to play to ou strengths and ou strengths are no some bastardised multi-phased australian running game..
November 26th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
@Slappes: It is rumoured that Speedy sacrificed his beloved blue & white speedo on the Weber for a front row. I am eternally grateful. Thank you Speedo10.
(He did say that he was unable to burn the green & gold version, this Rubicon was a little too deep).
November 26th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Check the Giteau mess last Sat….again the kicker can win the game…or lose it!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
@grant10: No one would blame you for having a nervous tic from Gert Smal.
Best shortarm punch in the history of boxing.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
@grant10:
its the mark of a great team…
one that wins games that it shouldn’t…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Roy you lazy ****, fix the site.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
@gunther: how great was Bob Skinstad in that game G !!!!
My boy Bob….best loosie i ever seen!
Ja, we are by nature risk averse…and like the contact….Honibal was a helleva strange but effective 10!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
@SodaJoe: i was so desperate after the Italian game i was prepared to sacrifice the blondes dog!!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
@grant10: aye
November 26th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
@SodaJoe:
i met him with his wife a few years back even she had a nervous tic…that guy has got the biggest hands i have ever seen…
along with schalk…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
@SodaJoe: ja…that kiwi Gary Knight i think…..goodnight nurse
November 26th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
@grant10: Honestly – I was up to 3 goats, and it was getting expensive, and the neighbours were looking at me funny.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
@grant10:
bob the saddest story in rugby for me …. he could have been the greatest ever…and a nicer guy you couldn’t meet…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
One of our greatest test teams ever had
Joost 9
Honiball 10
P. Roussouw 11
Le Roux – R. Fleck 12
A. Snyman 13
J. Small – B. Paulse 14
A. Joubert 15
All creative running backs and hardly a kicker in sight.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
@SodaJoe: #306
SA scored 4 tries last Saturday. All by back line players. Did MS play a role in any of them?
At the end of the season people will look back and say the Boks scored so many tries by the backs with MS as pivot forgetting about all the tries in which he absolutely played no role. Apart from last weeks four tries I can think of another three out of the top of my head in which he played no role.
This is in no way an effort to put MS down. We should just keep perspective when we start to use things like points for/against to gauge the role of a FH in it.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
@SodaJoe:
try renting the goats..
November 26th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
@grant10: Seriously boet. You love Bobby, but Ruben Krugerrand, Morne Dup, Schalk V1, we have had so many better players, he needed to not believe his own hype. And he fkd it up all by himself.
I will give him this – he was potentially unbelievable, and his comeback truly inspirational – quite something. If he had those testicles as a youngster – maybe all time best.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
@gunther: i met him through a mate …he has a holiday house at Onrus…and there kids play together….very quiet and unassuming oke….
It was the Watson debacle so i kept quiet, didnt want to get into a heated debate with someone that size….he was Asst Bok coach then….
November 26th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Sodajoe,
Grants rubicon is clifton beach and he crosses it daily , whilst scaring the living **** out of the sunbathers.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
@SodaJoe: LOL
@gunther: Absolutely….a genius…damn that Marshall….sod!!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
@nama1: Boet a rugby team has 15 players on the field.
Morne Steyn is our 10, an imo our best 10.
And the teams he plays in score plenty of tries, and usually win the trophies.
That’s my argument.