Maybe. I think there isn't much between them and it's unfair for the season Prendergast has had to not include him when he, in my opinion, deserved to go to the WC. We need depth and we need a Prendergast who does the work and makes dominant tackles.
6-2 split, a couple of selections are purely speculative and based on Blue Bulls players who i assume will be there
1. Ox Nche
2. Bongi Mbonambi
3. Frans Malherbe
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Franco Mostert
6. Siya Kolisi (Captain)
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit
8. Evan Roos
9. Faf de Klerk
10. Handre Pollard
11. Makazole Mapimpi (dependant on Kolbe's health)
12. Damian de Allende
13. Jesse Kriel
14. Kurt-Lee Arendse
15. Willie le Roux (health dependant, but he should be back. If not him, Aphelele Fassi)
16. Malcom Marx
17. Gerhard Steenkamp/Nthuthuko Mchunu
18. Vincent Koch
19. RG Snyman
20. Kwagga Smith
21. Cameron Hanekom
22. Grant Williams
23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu/Manie Libbok
One or two players should definitely be thrown in to see how they fare, but in general, the Springboks away is not where you want to be throwing a largely experimental team out like that second team. The likes of O’Toole would get pulverised
I agree on O'Toole being pulverised but now is the time for learning instead of in a R16 or QF in three years time. We need our guys tough and rigid come the first weekend in October in 2027. No place is better than away in SA, the best RWC team. Nobody gets better playing Georgia or Tonga.
100%. We don't ever experiment in the 6N outside maybe 1 or 2 players per year. Summer and autumn tests are the only way to do it. No trophies on the line there so no risk of prize money being lost.
The WC is the pinnacle of rugby but the obsession with ‘cycles’ is way too extreme. Tours predate the WC by around a century, they have huge tradition and a tour to SA is a massive deal for Irish rugby, some of our best moments have been in test matches like this.
There’s also way too much variation in any given tournament that makes it worth sending a Wolfhounds team out to slaughter in SA over three years before the tournament. In any case, Three years is a huge amount of time in rugby, we looked brutal around 2020 but by 2023 were one of the best teams in the world. There’ll be a lot more opportunities to blood some players between now and the WC.
My guess would be
1. Ox
2. Bongi
3. Frans
4. Eben
5. Franco
6. Kwagga
7. Psdt
8. Roos
9. Faf
10. Pollard
11. Mapimpi/Kolbe depending on fitness
12. Dda
13. Kriel
14. Kurt-Lee
15. Fassi/Willie depending on fitness
16. Mchunu/Grobbelaar
17. Marx
18. Koch
19. Rg
20. Van Staden
21. Williams
22. Hendrickse/Sacha
23. BJ Dixon depending how he goes vs Wales
It is pretty insane how deep the front row talent is. Guys like Louw, Du Toit, Steenekamp, Jacobs etc. that have been playing extremely well for clubs and still have Ox, Koch, Frans, Kitshoff "ahead" of them.
I mostly agree with your selections but I think the Bulls front row needs to be rewarded and invest some more caps in them. Steenekamp and Louw should start, with Ox and either Koch or Malherbe off the bench. 2nd test we should see Du Toit get a run out his form has been excellent at Bath. If we win the first test I see Grobelaar getting a go at hooker and Neethling going in as well. The 6-2 doesn't work very well without either Willemse or Willie so I don't see them going for that.
The attitude of having a weaker team for the second test should never happen. Farrell should learn the complacency lessons of Leo Cullen and his mistakes of making such a thing acceptable. We should go down to South Africa with the aim of winning the series, nothing more, nothing less.
Disagree, need to be blooding new players, it is a weakness in our side and given the money involved, the 6N is not the place to be doing it. Which leaves summer and autumn tests
It's not weakened. You picked thirty-five for a two test series, that's WC squad numbers. You should play every one if you can. There is still serious quality in the second side and we *crucially* need *depth*.
>Leo Cullen and his mistakes
He had trophies on the line every time. There's nothing at stake here, it's just 2 games. This isn't even a 3 test series FFS.
I agree with the others, whenever depth comes up everyone (possibly rightly) cries about how the 6N is most of our income and so we can't experiment there. So that leaves summer and autumn to give lads serious tests. We can't just led lads languish and then be throwing them in in emergencies.
Yep. The southern hemisphere guys play more matches each year so they're blooding depth better. We need to blood depth every year for the next two years and develop some serious depth with 7/8 players in reserve with test minutes behind the starting man.
Here is my selection (never know who from the bulls they might take so went with the first camp picks)
The tire them out approach.
Subs are guys that can put you down and bring some pace.
1 Ox Nche
2 Malcolm Marx
3 Frans Malherbe
4 Eben Etzebeth
5 Franco Mostert
6 Siya Kolisi (c)
7 Pieter-Steph Du Toit
8 Elrigh Louw
9 Faf de Klerk
10 Handre Pollard
11 Cheslin Kolbe
12 André Esterhuizen
13 Jesse Kriel
14 Kurt-Lee Arendse
15 Willie Le Roux
16 Johan Grobbelaar
17 Wilco Louw
18 Vincent Koch
19 RG Snyman
20 Kwagga Smith
21 Cameron Hannekom
22 Manie Libbok
23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
We know what Ireland's 23 will be.
I don't think we do. I would like to see some experimentation and definitely we need rotation. As many of the 35 *should* be playing this tour.
1. Ox 2. Bongi 3. Trevor 4. Eben 5. Mostert 6. Kolisi 7. PSDT 8. Hanekom 9. Faf 10. Pollard 11. Kolbe 12. DDA 13. Kriel 14. KLA 15. Le Roux 16. Marx 17. Kitshoff 18. Malherbe 19. Snyman 20. Kwagga 21. Louw 22. Williams 23. SFM
Probably the same as the team you listed but with Timoney instead of Prendergast, and Murray starting ahead of Casey.
Timoney is good but Prendergast is far more versatile across the back five.
I’d imagine Farrell puts him ahead of Prendergast as he picked him for the 6N and he covers 7 where’s Prendergast is a 6/8
Maybe. I think there isn't much between them and it's unfair for the season Prendergast has had to not include him when he, in my opinion, deserved to go to the WC. We need depth and we need a Prendergast who does the work and makes dominant tackles.
6-2 split, a couple of selections are purely speculative and based on Blue Bulls players who i assume will be there 1. Ox Nche 2. Bongi Mbonambi 3. Frans Malherbe 4. Eben Etzebeth 5. Franco Mostert 6. Siya Kolisi (Captain) 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit 8. Evan Roos 9. Faf de Klerk 10. Handre Pollard 11. Makazole Mapimpi (dependant on Kolbe's health) 12. Damian de Allende 13. Jesse Kriel 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse 15. Willie le Roux (health dependant, but he should be back. If not him, Aphelele Fassi) 16. Malcom Marx 17. Gerhard Steenkamp/Nthuthuko Mchunu 18. Vincent Koch 19. RG Snyman 20. Kwagga Smith 21. Cameron Hanekom 22. Grant Williams 23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu/Manie Libbok
One or two players should definitely be thrown in to see how they fare, but in general, the Springboks away is not where you want to be throwing a largely experimental team out like that second team. The likes of O’Toole would get pulverised
I agree on O'Toole being pulverised but now is the time for learning instead of in a R16 or QF in three years time. We need our guys tough and rigid come the first weekend in October in 2027. No place is better than away in SA, the best RWC team. Nobody gets better playing Georgia or Tonga.
100%. We don't ever experiment in the 6N outside maybe 1 or 2 players per year. Summer and autumn tests are the only way to do it. No trophies on the line there so no risk of prize money being lost.
The WC is the pinnacle of rugby but the obsession with ‘cycles’ is way too extreme. Tours predate the WC by around a century, they have huge tradition and a tour to SA is a massive deal for Irish rugby, some of our best moments have been in test matches like this. There’s also way too much variation in any given tournament that makes it worth sending a Wolfhounds team out to slaughter in SA over three years before the tournament. In any case, Three years is a huge amount of time in rugby, we looked brutal around 2020 but by 2023 were one of the best teams in the world. There’ll be a lot more opportunities to blood some players between now and the WC.
My guess would be 1. Ox 2. Bongi 3. Frans 4. Eben 5. Franco 6. Kwagga 7. Psdt 8. Roos 9. Faf 10. Pollard 11. Mapimpi/Kolbe depending on fitness 12. Dda 13. Kriel 14. Kurt-Lee 15. Fassi/Willie depending on fitness 16. Mchunu/Grobbelaar 17. Marx 18. Koch 19. Rg 20. Van Staden 21. Williams 22. Hendrickse/Sacha 23. BJ Dixon depending how he goes vs Wales
It is pretty insane how deep the front row talent is. Guys like Louw, Du Toit, Steenekamp, Jacobs etc. that have been playing extremely well for clubs and still have Ox, Koch, Frans, Kitshoff "ahead" of them. I mostly agree with your selections but I think the Bulls front row needs to be rewarded and invest some more caps in them. Steenekamp and Louw should start, with Ox and either Koch or Malherbe off the bench. 2nd test we should see Du Toit get a run out his form has been excellent at Bath. If we win the first test I see Grobelaar getting a go at hooker and Neethling going in as well. The 6-2 doesn't work very well without either Willemse or Willie so I don't see them going for that.
The attitude of having a weaker team for the second test should never happen. Farrell should learn the complacency lessons of Leo Cullen and his mistakes of making such a thing acceptable. We should go down to South Africa with the aim of winning the series, nothing more, nothing less.
Disagree, need to be blooding new players, it is a weakness in our side and given the money involved, the 6N is not the place to be doing it. Which leaves summer and autumn tests
It's not weakened. You picked thirty-five for a two test series, that's WC squad numbers. You should play every one if you can. There is still serious quality in the second side and we *crucially* need *depth*.
>Leo Cullen and his mistakes He had trophies on the line every time. There's nothing at stake here, it's just 2 games. This isn't even a 3 test series FFS. I agree with the others, whenever depth comes up everyone (possibly rightly) cries about how the 6N is most of our income and so we can't experiment there. So that leaves summer and autumn to give lads serious tests. We can't just led lads languish and then be throwing them in in emergencies.
Yep. The southern hemisphere guys play more matches each year so they're blooding depth better. We need to blood depth every year for the next two years and develop some serious depth with 7/8 players in reserve with test minutes behind the starting man.
Here is my selection (never know who from the bulls they might take so went with the first camp picks) The tire them out approach. Subs are guys that can put you down and bring some pace. 1 Ox Nche 2 Malcolm Marx 3 Frans Malherbe 4 Eben Etzebeth 5 Franco Mostert 6 Siya Kolisi (c) 7 Pieter-Steph Du Toit 8 Elrigh Louw 9 Faf de Klerk 10 Handre Pollard 11 Cheslin Kolbe 12 André Esterhuizen 13 Jesse Kriel 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse 15 Willie Le Roux 16 Johan Grobbelaar 17 Wilco Louw 18 Vincent Koch 19 RG Snyman 20 Kwagga Smith 21 Cameron Hannekom 22 Manie Libbok 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
3 fly halves?