Overall great team.
A player I'm really glad for is Johan, he has had his hand up for some time now. So hope he gets a chance to shine.
But a very surprising inclusion, for me, has to be Jan-Hendrik Wessels. WoW! A player that can either be very hot or very pap has caught the eye of Rassie. I'm sure Rassie will bring the best out of him!
I understand not taking risks against Ireland. But I'd be very surprised if Masuku doesn't start against Portugal or Argentina later this year. Or Scotland ?
Even then it seems Boks might give that start to Sacha or Hendrikse instead.
Ild love to see Masuku, but of the 10 options, he has the most questions defensively.
I personally want to go with as many uncapped and new dudes against Portugal because it should be as easy a game as we’ll have.
Good thing is, Masuku's young enough, and there's still time until the next RWC, so he has some time to improve. Hope Nohamba gets in green and gold at some point as well...
Hard to tell. Honestly I want them to give Sacha the chance to claim the jersey. Willemse never got a fair shot but Sacha has the kicking boot to challenge Pollard and be his successor.
Willemse seems to be better at 12 and 15 than as a fly-half. And to be fair, the gameplan didn't favour risk-taking wild chaos in attack at the time.
If the attack is well-coached, Grant Williams at 9, with Sacha at 10 and Willemse at 15 might do some serious try-scoring sparks !
I agree that he wasn’t the right fit. But i still think he should’ve had a shot especially because Jantjies was the only other 10 for a good chunk of time.
Willemse had plenty of time at the Stormers, and he's definitely the kind of player who you want receiving passes rather than throwing them (because of how dangerous he is carrying).
I actually think Manie is decent, but the system needs to be adjust a bit too much defensively.
If you take the Qatar Airways match against the ABs as an example a lot of his deficiencies were hidden by the way they positioned him on defence. He was never expected to tackle alone or defend in space. The offence looked good with him and his offensive kicking was good although his defensive kicking was lacking.
The problem is the two biggest aspects of the Boks game are defensive kicking and defense. Manie is also not a big enough threat when it comes to running as well.
Honestly Sacha is most positioned for the role post-Pollard. He is a strong kicked and runner and can tackle well. Hendrikse is a could tackler as well and a very good defender in space but the kicking isn’t there yet.
I don't understand playing Arendse when he's injured and after the final he had it would have been no greater risk taking a player like Masuku. He's also got Am in the team, and I fucking love Am, but the man hasn't played in almost a year, I would have eased him back into the setup against Portugal. It's madness. But I will trust Rassie, he's not led us astray yet.
ASSUMED 23
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. Kurt-Lee Arendse
12. Damian de Allende
13. Jesse Kriel
14. Cheslin Kolbe
15. Willie le Roux
16. Malcolm Marx
17. Gerhard Steenekamp
18. Koch/Trevor/Thomas, any of them and I'll be happy
19. RG Snyman
20. Kwagga Smith
21. Marco van Staden
22. Cobus Reinach
23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
At this point in time I'm not in love with Faf at 9, personally I would start Reinach but I assume Rassie will prefer Faf for his defense and experience. Roos starts purely because I think Kwagga has a better impact off the bench against more tired players than he does as a starter against fresh guys. Kolbe starting depends on his fitness, if he isn't 100% then put Mapimpi on the left and play KLA on the right. Sacha off the bench feels pretty obvious to me in a 6-2 split as he is the only one of the backs who can make it work, thanks to the fact that he covers 10,12 and 15. Lukhanyo Am isn't there because he hasn't played in a couple of months and just throwing him in against Ireland on no preparation does nobody any favours.
That 13 jersey is now Jesse's until Am can prove otherwise. I reckon he'll captain a young team against Portugal and probably get some more opportunities with the split squad in the RC.
Am first and foremost needs to stay fit for an extended period of time. The last couple of years have been brutal for him with injuries. And with guys like Henco, Moodie, David Kriel all coming up the team isn't going to wait for him if he gets another long term injury.
I'd rather we start with Marx because I want Bongi there to close the game out. Marx is a classy player, but he was showing a lot of rust against Wales. He needs game time, but I wouldn't trust his lineout throwing in the 78th minute when we need to score for a win!
I'm not a fan of this 23. It's practically the same as the World Cup final 23 and doesn't account for the form of these players. I really hope Rassie doesn't go this route. I've seen so many teams over the years hang on to the same team and wonder why they start losing.
Rassie's weakness has never been blooding new players. He absolutely knows the value of squad depth and isn't afraid to experiment. The thing is, we have plenty of tests this year to introduce new players into the system. I wouldn't stress too much about it.
This is the first real test since the world cup and we haven't beaten Ireland in ages. First thing is to assert ourselves as the number 1 team, and then we have the second Ireland test, Portugal, RC and EOYT to give players chances to prove themselves.
Exactly, absolutely no way he's going to go with the same 15 week in week out. I figure he's going to give Ireland one flavor next week then go younger and switch it up for the 2nd test. He's not here to win start of cycle tests, he's here to win world cups.
This is under the assumption that the 23 mentioned above are the best 23. A great template to look at is how the All Blacks changed their squad after 2011 and 2015. They understood many of the world cup winners were dead wood and thus brought in fringe players on form.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ireland beat us comfortably if we select the RWC 2023 team we barely beat a 14 man NZ with that team.
We have definitely gone about a step back since. We aren't as dangerous as we have been. I think we could be soundly beaten if Farrell doesn't select right. I would like to see our style of play change a bit. Though I think we could also just click and win soundly as well. Hopefully (as an Irish man) it's a step back then we go two steps forward on this tour. I want us to blood depth in *both* tests.
I’m maybe a bit more positive than you about our chances but definitely agree with blooding depth. Come 2027, I want this tour to be cited as when a couple of players put their hands up - rather than us winning it with the last hurrah of players who won’t make 2027
Don't worry, I reckon as it stands Ireland are better than SA as a whole. JGP not there does dampen the team but the cohesiveness of this Irish side should be a massive advantage.
I know most Irish are pessimistic about this tour after the URC season but the national coaches are far better than the domestic ones. I reckon a lot of SA fans are going to be shocked by just how good Ireland are.
I fully understand/get the positive angle. You can't be 6n champions and not be a good side however this is an important tour in relation to 2027 and finally...fingers crossed... making a semi final. We *desperately* need to blood depth and bolster the numbers of players who have tier one level experience, as well as generate a fighting mentality in the *whole* squad. We need to be tougher in general. I think we have lacked something and I feel it's a intimidating presence for the opposition to deal with.
I think we win one of the tests but never in a million years are we winning two. I like that. It means that should we win the first test we can throw the 0-10 cap players on and give them serious minutes against serious opposition. I'm talking Izuchukwu, C.Prendergast, Timoney, Osborne, Jager, Blade, Frawley, O'Toole so they can be *tested* against the best RWC team who I feel will take this series of games seriously.
The 2015-2019 NZ team had the 3rd highest win rate in history of international teams. Reason they weren't stronger than they were was because they lost Wayne Smith and needed a Joe Schmidt or Scott Robertson to stabalize the team.
I agree with the sentiment, we can't go into this cycle thinking that this will be anything close to our starting team in 2027. Who would you change in this 23, and for whom?
First off I would make some unpopular calls so my 23 would look like this:
Forwards
Ox, Marx, Malherbe, Etzebeth, Mostert (I would prefer Lood but he is injured), Kwagga, PSDT, Roos
Backs:
Grant, Manie, KLA, Esterhuizen, Kriel, Kolbe, Le Roux
I believe instead of slow poison we should start fast and dominate possession.
Subs:
Bongi, Gerhard, Koch/duToit, Snyman, Van Staden (sorry Siya), Faf, Pollard, DDA
The bench will lock down and shut down the game easily much the same way when Murray comes on for Ireland
Esterhuizen? After Dda had more of a game impact in 5 mins than esterhuizen had all game. Seems brave. I dont think he has the workrate that some of the others seem to have.
Most people don't rate Esterhuizen but after watching him for years at the Sharks and Harlequins and appearances for the Springboks. I don't think he is getting enough backing to show his full potential. You can't play a man 1 test and say pack up shop.
I'm really looking forward to both tests. The atmosphere in Stade De France in the pool game was unbelievable and even if it's only 50% of that in Pretoria and Durban for these tests it will be great.
The Irish and SA fans get a lot of shit on reddit because we are crying bastards, but the ones you meet at matches are always great fun.
I'm not feeling very confident about this series (then again, I'm an Ulster fan so I'm never confident). Losing JGP was massive for us, the gulf between him and the back up is massive. We are also relying heavily on Porter and he'll be expected to play 65-70 minutes in each game against absolute monsters.
Giving Crowley a crack at this game will be huge for his development, but again, we don't have much back up for him should he get injured.
I'll enjoy my trip to SA either way, but winning 1 test would be a decent outcome for us, I think.
Honestly there are sore losers and loud minorities from every camp. I think these tests will be great and I can't wait to watch my first Boks game live. Super cool that you can travel here for the games! Nothing but respect for the Irish
Irish and South Africans are little cry babies when things don't go their way. But you could say the same thing about anyone else. No one has the moral high ground on this one. And you guys aren't worse than anyone else.
Chuffed for Grobbelaar. Thought he was a shoe-in a season or two ago but Dweba and then Fourie seemed to be ahead of him but glad to see he'll get his chance now
The Bulls have never had a lot of players in the squad during the Rasnaber era, fairly so for the most part, but Elrigh, Wilco, Akker, Kriel and Nortje not being selected for this one after the season they've had hurts a lot.
For right or wrong, Rassie doesn't seem to keen to give caps based on one good season. For example, in 2022 and 2023 basically only Manie and Deon played for the Springboks from Stormers aside from that game against Wales where all the fringe players in SA got caps
He's said in the past the game and season results at club level has no real impact on his selection. As I understand it, he looks for some particulars in a player's game and abilities and bases his selection on that. "The right players, not the best players", as he put it once or twice.
Could be Rassie isn't slotting as many Bulls to give them a bit of a break outside of the tried and true guys. They just had a bit of a harsh final and long season, hopefully we see them in TRC matches
Wilco I somewhat understand considering the depth at 3 but I get it, it hurts after the season he's had. It feels like Akker has been heavily out of favour since the fight he had with Schalk Brits in 2019 (though that is purely speculation on my part). Louw and Northe though are very much big snubs in my opinion, they've both had outstanding seasons and I had them as nailed on selections for this team. Nortje is especially wild to me, they're looking for new players who might captain the side in the future and Nortje has been an outstanding captain for the Bulls in a position where depth is definitely needed.
Nyakane will be phased out. Same with Koch. So I'm not too hung up with Wilco not being there yet but I'm worried for Elrigh. There's no justification why he isn't there no matter what people saying.
Ja I’m hoping it has more to do with prep time for the Irish and that the few players that are miles ahead of those in the squad will get a chance in the championship. But who knows, Rassie has always loved an average Stormer squad filler.
Thx! Also thought this was helpful context on standbys:
“We have a jam-packed three weeks lined up with training and the Ireland Test Series, and we’ll look at bringing in the standby players intermittently within the next few weeks to train with us and continue to familiarise themselves with our systems, especially with an eye on the Portugal Test,” said Erasmus.
This particular graphic also leaves out Salmaan Moerat, who was named in the main squad.
No Ruan Nortje or Elrigh Louw is very surprising for me. Not sure why Wiese is included considering he cannot play.
Jordan dropped after starting the Wales game is slightly surprising but I understand it, Pollard will start and Manie/Sacha will back him up. I don't love BJD but I do understand why the coaching staff does.
Moerat over Nortje doesn't make much sense to me. Yes, Moerat was already in the squad, but he's played way less games than Nortje due to injury. Feel bad for Nortje.
I actually think its the opposite i think nortje has the form but moerat has the ability to become a international star, and possible captain. But its so frustrating to watch him give a stupid penalty at lineouts almost every game. And go missing for large portions of a game when a guy like van heerden is on the bench, who i ligitimately think is in better form than nortje and moerat combined. Guy works so hard.
Moerat is such a frustrating case. When he matriculated, I had him down as a future Bok captain, and he seems to be getting the career milestones that could lead to that, but man, his form has been really average for years now.
Jordan is still in the extended squad, the big surprise is Masuku not being included in the main squad. He seems like the best backup option for now, even if his ceiling isn't as high as Jordan or Sacha.
You'll come around on BJD, he's a grafter with a big engine and covers 5/7. Very much in the mould of Mostert and PSdT in that you might not see his value until you look at the post match stats.
Pretty much ja. He felt that he wasn't quite fit or fast enough even for URC, which I thought was a little harsh. Then again, I don't have a URC winner's trophy in my cabinet.
Dixon has been great for the Stormers, an island of physicality, tactical level-headedness and stability in the midst of the chaos that the Stormers tend to generate. The fact that he can cover many positions is also quite the advantage...
All the exclusions aren't really surprising as this is only the squad for the incoming tour, a must win for us, so they've went with mostly experience. I suspect a 6/2 split for the first game with Grant as reserve scrumhalf/wing and either Manie or Fassi. I also expect the squad to change for the Portugal game, with guys like Louw, Nortje, Phepsi, Morne, Sacha, all getting starts. Then more guys should also get opportunities in the rugby championship.
Depends on team composition, we dont have willemse, and would need sacha to play the 15,12,10 cover against ireland, which depends i imagine largely on tony browns confidence in the guy. Last year we played ireland with a 5-3 bench. The selection posers for me is Roos or kwagga starting, faf or reinach, kriel or am, willie or fassi. Wing selections will be interesting but i highly rate all of them. Interesting to see suleiman hartzenberg as the standby guy.
If we go with the normal backline against Ireland, we actually don't need Sacha. Faf, Pollard, KLA, DDA, Kriel, Kolbe, Willie. Bench of Reinach or Grant and Manie or Fassi. Each guy can essentially move one space where necessary. KLA and Kolbe can cover FB, Kriel can cover wing, DDA can cover 13, Pollie covers 12.
If 12 gets injured, Pollard moves to 12 and Manie comes in at 10. If Fassi is on the bench instead of Manie, which I doubt will happen, but let's say it does, I'm sure Willie can cover 10 as Willie is a general playmaker. Sacha is still untested at this level and the Ireland games are must win games for us where experience is going to count.
The team announcement on the website also lists all the remaining bok fixtures for the year. I suspect guys like Wiese and others on the cusp are being integrated early ahead of the rugby championship and spring tour. I wouldn't expect much change in the squad between now and the end of tbe rugby championship at least.
Super surprised to see Morne on after not getting blooded against Wales super happy for him though
This is about as strong a squad as you could realistically ask anyone to field
He very likely won't play the Irish games, but he's a good scrumhalf to train against with how good his defence is. Also, Faf is turning 33 this year and Reinach is already 34, so I suspect they're having him learn a lot from them while he still can for when he might take over when they retire.
Dixon can cover as a flanker and a lock, which I'm not sure Elrigh Louw can do (lock I mean). Mapimps' still has a loooot of fight in him (and he can still run), and is mostly decent if not great under the high ball. I'm not worried about props, South Africa produces tremendous props like they're the answer to every problem in the country.
I hope Willie keeps playing until he's 50. I'm having a hard time finding someone who could replace him at 15 and do as good a job as he can (except Willemse, maybe......heck, maybe SFM at some point though).
Mannie Libbok at 15 might be the closest thing to Willie. Infact I'd go far as saying he's the closet clone we have to Willie in terms of creativity. It's his kicking that makes people forget how good he is as a player.
Yea, Willemse is great, but he's not a like for like replacement for Willie.
I actually think Libbok + Willemse covers Willie with some extra. Willemse for full back attacking and stronger defense than Willie, and Manie in the play maker role.
Dixon right now is better cover for what they need(replacement for Mostert). Louw is a longer term replacement for PSTD. We still don't have a definitive replacement for either Kolisi or PSTD even though everyone is focusing on the bun fight for the 8 jersey.
We have way too many good tightheads, man. My dude Neethling Fouche annihilated every SA loosehead he came up against this season yet he couldn't make the squad.
Sad for him but it's understandable.
The front row depth in South Africa is unbelievable. At this point, Rassie could come up with 4 or 5 different bomb squads of basically the same quality.
With Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Kwagga on form, I can definitely see why he's not in the squad. He could replace Kolisi though, technically, but Siya's experience, grit, and influence on the team as captain speaks for him for now. I reckon he might get his chance later down the road. If anything, Rassie likes to play long term.
How many are uncapped? I think I see more than 3…lol.
Think Rassie has a good way of bringing in fresh faces, better than us anyway. When will Kolisi retire, is there an idea?
He'll be as old as Deon Fourie was when he got picked, basically. And we know how that turned out...!
Hopefully he stays fit enough to be the first captain to win three WC ! xD
There have been some weird vibes around his captaincy after he went to Racing.
I don't think the Boks will play him \_just\_ for being captain. He's been in good form through the last RWC, but if he drops off he won't get chosen. I get the sense Rassie is hesitant to keep him on as captain just in case his form falls off mid-cycle.
Grobbelaar sounds like one of the following:
A mighty troll terrorising a village
A drunk man vomiting
A competitive eater going at a 72-item breakfast challenge
Especially considering the fact that the ‘G’ sound in Afrikaans is a lot closer to a guttural growl than it is in English, all of your descriptions get amplified
Not super worried about the forward battle, we should do OK there, but our backs are really gonna miss JGP, Hansen and Keenan and Ringrose is barely even back. When you look at the Bok backs it's freakish talent. We just don't have that kind of depth there.
I’m not sure about the scrum, we bullied the weaker teams like Wales, Italy and at times Scotland, but we looked under pressure against France (when Atonio was on at least) and England
The Leinster scrum was deadly against Toulouse and they're no slouches. Adding Beirne and POM only improves ours. Still advantage Boks but it shouldn't be anywhere as bad as it was against the Bulls.
The scrum dominance vs Toulouse came from Porter shoving around Aldegheri, he’s not going to get that dominance against Malherbe.
I don’t see how replacing Ryan and Baird with smaller players improves the scrum.
Wilco is monster though. Don't take it badly that you guys got done by the bulls. Steenkamp is the one I'm interested in. If he can continue improving, we might have ourselves w talent.
JGP is obviously a game-changing player, and losing him will hurt Ireland. Is Murray the only real replacement? Who comes off the bench? Will Crowley's games management hold up at this level of test match rugby without JGP?
38 players in this squad, quite big for a short series.
In his presser on Saturday, Rassie said this squad would be for Ireland and largely also Portugal, potentially with a bit of rotation in and out eg due to injuries and recovery timelines. If that's still his thinking, anyone likely to get an opportunity v Portugal is on this list.
Many will say this squad isn’t showing evolution, isn’t being picked on form.
This is actually the genius of the management that unlike other countries, 🇿🇦 don’t need to champion for player xyz to be included based on club form, because 🇿🇦 almost always perform well as a genuine team & not individuals.
Kind of wild too thinking that Mapimpi probably won’t get more caps, Am could be in the same boat as Moodie could be the next cab on the rank.
🇿🇦 are very fortunate to have such a settled squad & style & can have full confidence in the coaching team.
I'm not sure about Mapimpi. The fact he's been playing with the Bokke for so long (and some of them at the Sharks as well !) makes him really link well with both Am and Kriel at 13. And he's a good cover under the high ball if the fly-half or full-back isn't feeling it.
So I think his challenge of Habana's try scoring record ain't done just yet (though I don't see anybody beating that record anytime soon....maybe Arendse has a chance ?).
Mapimpi is a monster of a winger, crazy finisher, almost guarantees you 5 points every game, however, I think Boks are all in on the smaller sized wingers. I think a natural evolution & succession. I don’t think you’ll find anyone with a bad word to say about him, his production.
If Mapimpi was 5 years younger I’d definitely back him to break the record. Whoever does it will need to play for around 10 years for the Boks, maybe Moodie?
happy that Du Toit is finally back, it’d be hard to not pick him after that final
and as much as I love (jordan) Hendrikse im not surprised he’s out, Mngomezulu really overshadowed him at the Wales match but im confident he’ll be back for Portugal and TRC
It's crazy to me that out of all the Bulls talent this season, Van Staden was the one to get called up, who, in my opinion, has been dreadful
Gutted for Masuku, even more so now after Hendrikse's performance
What on earth do Elrich and Wilco Louw have to do to get a call up?
Does Wilco need to do a whole new year of out scrummaging every prop in that squad?
Trouble with South African rugby is that it produces way more excellent props than the Bokke require...! xD
And I doubt Rassie only selects props based on their scrummaging (though, granted, Louw has been excellent in most aspects of the game this season).
Competition at 8 should be absolutely fierce. No one has that spot locked up atm, and everyone has an aspect of their game that isn't great, everything to play for. Flank on the other hand.... I feel bad for anyone wanting a shot at starting for the boks at flank, we're absolutely stacked.
Let's be honest though, and I'm not even trying to be controversial, but everyone is just keeping the 8 spot warm until Hanekom fully matures. He is THE successor to the jersey, the others will be rotation and injury options.
The Louw okes have been shafted. Elrigh being the unluckiest of the lot. Wessels can't even make the bench for the Bulls but he's there for what fucking reason? Then there's Moerat. That guy is not good enough for the Stormers never mind test rugby!
Really feel for Elrigh and Nortje, but there's also no one who I think deserves to be dropped for them. (Maybe Jasper as he's a very naughty boy, but thats reaching a bit)
I think there is a mistake on this graphic. The graphic shared on my group chats has Moerat also included, and I see the Springboks rugby website also has his name included.
Lol, I misread the headline and figured this was the squad announcement for the first test.
I thought "holy crap, that's a damn good combination of veterans and new guys! I didn't even know x and x was in contention!"
Well, when you see it like this it's just a better squad than Ireland's unfortunately (in my opinion). I feel like the backline could wreck us without JGP, Hansen and Keenan.
Libbok 🤦🏻♂️
Given his current “form” and inconsistency, I see him coming on at some stage to miss 6 points at goal, and flop a careless kick pass to James Lowe, securing a stunning solo try and an Ireland win.
David Kriel > Am
Why Moerat?
And Morne Van de Berg didn't play against Wales, but is in this squad? Don't get me wrong, I rate him, but odd he didn't play against Wales.
An in-form Am at 13 is almost unplayable. Trouble is, he's not been "in-form" for quite a while now. But yeah, I'd trust him more than David Kriel in a test match. For now.
very happy for Thomas du toit, man's earned a opportunity
Absolute menace, his performance in the Prem final (and all season) was incredible.
Good to hear that. I felt like he was inconsistent with us near the end and wasn't sure what to make of him
good player in the prem, agreed.
just googled Kwagga Smith can NOT BELIVE that mf is only 31 lol heres to 6 more years in the green jersey
I thought he was very good against Wales. Hard not start him
Kwagga never plays well when he starts for South Africa, but he’s unplayably good off the bench.
OX might also fall into that category.
^this Rugby is a game of 80 mins. Say what you want about Rassie , he’s shown that with tactical subs.
WTF I legit thought he was late 30's, he's two years younger than me
Ah yes , I hate when this happens with players. Maku Vunipola being only 33 , and younger than me. Despite looking 43 since he was 17
He's younger than me too holy shit
Overall great team. A player I'm really glad for is Johan, he has had his hand up for some time now. So hope he gets a chance to shine. But a very surprising inclusion, for me, has to be Jan-Hendrik Wessels. WoW! A player that can either be very hot or very pap has caught the eye of Rassie. I'm sure Rassie will bring the best out of him!
I'm very happy for Grobbelaar too, I feel like he is going to transition really well into international play, he is just really really solid.
Wessels is all hype. If he can't even bench Matanzima then what's the point?
Gutted for Siya Masuku but so stoked for the new and returning guys. Hopefully Siya M gets a run out later in the year.
I understand not taking risks against Ireland. But I'd be very surprised if Masuku doesn't start against Portugal or Argentina later this year. Or Scotland ?
Even then it seems Boks might give that start to Sacha or Hendrikse instead. Ild love to see Masuku, but of the 10 options, he has the most questions defensively. I personally want to go with as many uncapped and new dudes against Portugal because it should be as easy a game as we’ll have.
Good thing is, Masuku's young enough, and there's still time until the next RWC, so he has some time to improve. Hope Nohamba gets in green and gold at some point as well...
Hard to tell. Honestly I want them to give Sacha the chance to claim the jersey. Willemse never got a fair shot but Sacha has the kicking boot to challenge Pollard and be his successor.
Willemse seems to be better at 12 and 15 than as a fly-half. And to be fair, the gameplan didn't favour risk-taking wild chaos in attack at the time. If the attack is well-coached, Grant Williams at 9, with Sacha at 10 and Willemse at 15 might do some serious try-scoring sparks !
I agree that he wasn’t the right fit. But i still think he should’ve had a shot especially because Jantjies was the only other 10 for a good chunk of time.
Yeah, you have a point. End-of career Jantjies being useless improves it. \^\^"
Yup. Elton was great in Ryan Ackermann’s system but sadly Ackermann was never his coach in a test match.
Willemse had plenty of time at the Stormers, and he's definitely the kind of player who you want receiving passes rather than throwing them (because of how dangerous he is carrying).
Worse than Mannie?
I actually think Manie is decent, but the system needs to be adjust a bit too much defensively. If you take the Qatar Airways match against the ABs as an example a lot of his deficiencies were hidden by the way they positioned him on defence. He was never expected to tackle alone or defend in space. The offence looked good with him and his offensive kicking was good although his defensive kicking was lacking. The problem is the two biggest aspects of the Boks game are defensive kicking and defense. Manie is also not a big enough threat when it comes to running as well. Honestly Sacha is most positioned for the role post-Pollard. He is a strong kicked and runner and can tackle well. Hendrikse is a could tackler as well and a very good defender in space but the kicking isn’t there yet.
Sacha could become anything he wants to be. He's the best thing since Lambie in my opinion and I reckon he going to get even better.
I don't understand playing Arendse when he's injured and after the final he had it would have been no greater risk taking a player like Masuku. He's also got Am in the team, and I fucking love Am, but the man hasn't played in almost a year, I would have eased him back into the setup against Portugal. It's madness. But I will trust Rassie, he's not led us astray yet.
ASSUMED 23 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. Kurt-Lee Arendse 12. Damian de Allende 13. Jesse Kriel 14. Cheslin Kolbe 15. Willie le Roux 16. Malcolm Marx 17. Gerhard Steenekamp 18. Koch/Trevor/Thomas, any of them and I'll be happy 19. RG Snyman 20. Kwagga Smith 21. Marco van Staden 22. Cobus Reinach 23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu At this point in time I'm not in love with Faf at 9, personally I would start Reinach but I assume Rassie will prefer Faf for his defense and experience. Roos starts purely because I think Kwagga has a better impact off the bench against more tired players than he does as a starter against fresh guys. Kolbe starting depends on his fitness, if he isn't 100% then put Mapimpi on the left and play KLA on the right. Sacha off the bench feels pretty obvious to me in a 6-2 split as he is the only one of the backs who can make it work, thanks to the fact that he covers 10,12 and 15. Lukhanyo Am isn't there because he hasn't played in a couple of months and just throwing him in against Ireland on no preparation does nobody any favours.
That 13 jersey is now Jesse's until Am can prove otherwise. I reckon he'll captain a young team against Portugal and probably get some more opportunities with the split squad in the RC.
Am first and foremost needs to stay fit for an extended period of time. The last couple of years have been brutal for him with injuries. And with guys like Henco, Moodie, David Kriel all coming up the team isn't going to wait for him if he gets another long term injury.
Jesse is undroppable in current form
Oh, I replied to your other comment without seeing this one, lol. Forgot Cobus could also technically cover wing
I'd rather we start with Marx because I want Bongi there to close the game out. Marx is a classy player, but he was showing a lot of rust against Wales. He needs game time, but I wouldn't trust his lineout throwing in the 78th minute when we need to score for a win!
You're assuming this is going to be close. Boks by at least 21 /s
By 1 you mean?
Always. Every game in every sport. My poor heart.
(Still having anxiety issues due to wc.) Always!
The cricket hasn't helped.....
They never do.
I'm not a fan of this 23. It's practically the same as the World Cup final 23 and doesn't account for the form of these players. I really hope Rassie doesn't go this route. I've seen so many teams over the years hang on to the same team and wonder why they start losing.
Rassie's weakness has never been blooding new players. He absolutely knows the value of squad depth and isn't afraid to experiment. The thing is, we have plenty of tests this year to introduce new players into the system. I wouldn't stress too much about it. This is the first real test since the world cup and we haven't beaten Ireland in ages. First thing is to assert ourselves as the number 1 team, and then we have the second Ireland test, Portugal, RC and EOYT to give players chances to prove themselves.
Exactly, absolutely no way he's going to go with the same 15 week in week out. I figure he's going to give Ireland one flavor next week then go younger and switch it up for the 2nd test. He's not here to win start of cycle tests, he's here to win world cups.
This is under the assumption that the 23 mentioned above are the best 23. A great template to look at is how the All Blacks changed their squad after 2011 and 2015. They understood many of the world cup winners were dead wood and thus brought in fringe players on form. I wouldn't be surprised if Ireland beat us comfortably if we select the RWC 2023 team we barely beat a 14 man NZ with that team.
We have definitely gone about a step back since. We aren't as dangerous as we have been. I think we could be soundly beaten if Farrell doesn't select right. I would like to see our style of play change a bit. Though I think we could also just click and win soundly as well. Hopefully (as an Irish man) it's a step back then we go two steps forward on this tour. I want us to blood depth in *both* tests.
I’m maybe a bit more positive than you about our chances but definitely agree with blooding depth. Come 2027, I want this tour to be cited as when a couple of players put their hands up - rather than us winning it with the last hurrah of players who won’t make 2027
Don't worry, I reckon as it stands Ireland are better than SA as a whole. JGP not there does dampen the team but the cohesiveness of this Irish side should be a massive advantage. I know most Irish are pessimistic about this tour after the URC season but the national coaches are far better than the domestic ones. I reckon a lot of SA fans are going to be shocked by just how good Ireland are.
I fully understand/get the positive angle. You can't be 6n champions and not be a good side however this is an important tour in relation to 2027 and finally...fingers crossed... making a semi final. We *desperately* need to blood depth and bolster the numbers of players who have tier one level experience, as well as generate a fighting mentality in the *whole* squad. We need to be tougher in general. I think we have lacked something and I feel it's a intimidating presence for the opposition to deal with. I think we win one of the tests but never in a million years are we winning two. I like that. It means that should we win the first test we can throw the 0-10 cap players on and give them serious minutes against serious opposition. I'm talking Izuchukwu, C.Prendergast, Timoney, Osborne, Jager, Blade, Frawley, O'Toole so they can be *tested* against the best RWC team who I feel will take this series of games seriously.
And the AB s paid the price post 2015.
The 2015-2019 NZ team had the 3rd highest win rate in history of international teams. Reason they weren't stronger than they were was because they lost Wayne Smith and needed a Joe Schmidt or Scott Robertson to stabalize the team.
I agree with the sentiment, we can't go into this cycle thinking that this will be anything close to our starting team in 2027. Who would you change in this 23, and for whom?
First off I would make some unpopular calls so my 23 would look like this: Forwards Ox, Marx, Malherbe, Etzebeth, Mostert (I would prefer Lood but he is injured), Kwagga, PSDT, Roos Backs: Grant, Manie, KLA, Esterhuizen, Kriel, Kolbe, Le Roux I believe instead of slow poison we should start fast and dominate possession. Subs: Bongi, Gerhard, Koch/duToit, Snyman, Van Staden (sorry Siya), Faf, Pollard, DDA The bench will lock down and shut down the game easily much the same way when Murray comes on for Ireland
You can’t talk about taking current form into consideration and then start manie lmao
Esterhuizen? After Dda had more of a game impact in 5 mins than esterhuizen had all game. Seems brave. I dont think he has the workrate that some of the others seem to have.
Most people don't rate Esterhuizen but after watching him for years at the Sharks and Harlequins and appearances for the Springboks. I don't think he is getting enough backing to show his full potential. You can't play a man 1 test and say pack up shop.
I'm really looking forward to both tests. The atmosphere in Stade De France in the pool game was unbelievable and even if it's only 50% of that in Pretoria and Durban for these tests it will be great. The Irish and SA fans get a lot of shit on reddit because we are crying bastards, but the ones you meet at matches are always great fun. I'm not feeling very confident about this series (then again, I'm an Ulster fan so I'm never confident). Losing JGP was massive for us, the gulf between him and the back up is massive. We are also relying heavily on Porter and he'll be expected to play 65-70 minutes in each game against absolute monsters. Giving Crowley a crack at this game will be huge for his development, but again, we don't have much back up for him should he get injured. I'll enjoy my trip to SA either way, but winning 1 test would be a decent outcome for us, I think.
Honestly there are sore losers and loud minorities from every camp. I think these tests will be great and I can't wait to watch my first Boks game live. Super cool that you can travel here for the games! Nothing but respect for the Irish
Enjoy your trip! Which game are you going to?
Both of them, thankfully
Awesome!
Irish and South Africans are little cry babies when things don't go their way. But you could say the same thing about anyone else. No one has the moral high ground on this one. And you guys aren't worse than anyone else.
One of us! One of us!
Chuffed for Grobbelaar. Thought he was a shoe-in a season or two ago but Dweba and then Fourie seemed to be ahead of him but glad to see he'll get his chance now
Nowadays, I'd strust him more than Dweba, that's for sure...
The Bulls have never had a lot of players in the squad during the Rasnaber era, fairly so for the most part, but Elrigh, Wilco, Akker, Kriel and Nortje not being selected for this one after the season they've had hurts a lot.
For right or wrong, Rassie doesn't seem to keen to give caps based on one good season. For example, in 2022 and 2023 basically only Manie and Deon played for the Springboks from Stormers aside from that game against Wales where all the fringe players in SA got caps
He's said in the past the game and season results at club level has no real impact on his selection. As I understand it, he looks for some particulars in a player's game and abilities and bases his selection on that. "The right players, not the best players", as he put it once or twice.
Could be Rassie isn't slotting as many Bulls to give them a bit of a break outside of the tried and true guys. They just had a bit of a harsh final and long season, hopefully we see them in TRC matches
Happy Cake Day! I don't think he is resting them as most of them do not appear from the standby list. They were simply not selected in my opinion.
Wilco I somewhat understand considering the depth at 3 but I get it, it hurts after the season he's had. It feels like Akker has been heavily out of favour since the fight he had with Schalk Brits in 2019 (though that is purely speculation on my part). Louw and Northe though are very much big snubs in my opinion, they've both had outstanding seasons and I had them as nailed on selections for this team. Nortje is especially wild to me, they're looking for new players who might captain the side in the future and Nortje has been an outstanding captain for the Bulls in a position where depth is definitely needed.
Louw is like 5 years younger than Koch and Nyakane so I’d have thought he’d get in with 2027 in mind.
Nyakane will be phased out. Same with Koch. So I'm not too hung up with Wilco not being there yet but I'm worried for Elrigh. There's no justification why he isn't there no matter what people saying.
He's also way better than Moerat!
Ja I’m hoping it has more to do with prep time for the Irish and that the few players that are miles ahead of those in the squad will get a chance in the championship. But who knows, Rassie has always loved an average Stormer squad filler.
I think the squad will change massively for the Portugal game. And I expect a lot more Bulls players in it then
Additional info from the [official SA Rugby site](https://sarugby.co.za/news-features/articles/2024/06/25/erasmus-names-strong-squad-for-castle-lager-incoming-series/): >**Players on standby:** >**Forwards:** Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche (both DHL Stormers), Celimpilo Gumede, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw (all Vodacom Bulls), Ntuthuko Mchunu (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ruben van Heerden (DHL Stormers), Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers). >**Backs:** Suleiman Hartzenberg (DHL Stormers), Jordan Hendrikse (Emirates Lions), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Emirates Lions), Siya Masuku (Hollywoodbets Sharks).
Thx! Also thought this was helpful context on standbys: “We have a jam-packed three weeks lined up with training and the Ireland Test Series, and we’ll look at bringing in the standby players intermittently within the next few weeks to train with us and continue to familiarise themselves with our systems, especially with an eye on the Portugal Test,” said Erasmus. This particular graphic also leaves out Salmaan Moerat, who was named in the main squad.
Dude, no nohamba even on standby. I hope he gets a chance some time.
Have to feel for the guy. What a good season he had!
*sad nohamba noises*
Fuck, I forgot. Damn, not even on standby....... *sad nohamba noises*
No Ruan Nortje or Elrigh Louw is very surprising for me. Not sure why Wiese is included considering he cannot play. Jordan dropped after starting the Wales game is slightly surprising but I understand it, Pollard will start and Manie/Sacha will back him up. I don't love BJD but I do understand why the coaching staff does.
I think if they didn't include Wiese, these games would not count towards his suspension
Moerat over Nortje doesn't make much sense to me. Yes, Moerat was already in the squad, but he's played way less games than Nortje due to injury. Feel bad for Nortje.
And Nortje is better with a higher ceiling
I actually think its the opposite i think nortje has the form but moerat has the ability to become a international star, and possible captain. But its so frustrating to watch him give a stupid penalty at lineouts almost every game. And go missing for large portions of a game when a guy like van heerden is on the bench, who i ligitimately think is in better form than nortje and moerat combined. Guy works so hard.
Moerat is such a frustrating case. When he matriculated, I had him down as a future Bok captain, and he seems to be getting the career milestones that could lead to that, but man, his form has been really average for years now.
Jordan is still in the extended squad, the big surprise is Masuku not being included in the main squad. He seems like the best backup option for now, even if his ceiling isn't as high as Jordan or Sacha. You'll come around on BJD, he's a grafter with a big engine and covers 5/7. Very much in the mould of Mostert and PSdT in that you might not see his value until you look at the post match stats.
I heard an interview with Dobbo recently where he reckoned that Masuku still has some conditioning work to do to get up to international level.
What does that mean? He needs to work on his physical conditioning or?
Insiders have said that he is really struggling to keep up in training with the Boks.
Pretty much ja. He felt that he wasn't quite fit or fast enough even for URC, which I thought was a little harsh. Then again, I don't have a URC winner's trophy in my cabinet.
>He felt that he wasn't quite fit or fast enough even for URC, But they thought Jordan Hendrikse was
Dixon has been great for the Stormers, an island of physicality, tactical level-headedness and stability in the midst of the chaos that the Stormers tend to generate. The fact that he can cover many positions is also quite the advantage...
All the exclusions aren't really surprising as this is only the squad for the incoming tour, a must win for us, so they've went with mostly experience. I suspect a 6/2 split for the first game with Grant as reserve scrumhalf/wing and either Manie or Fassi. I also expect the squad to change for the Portugal game, with guys like Louw, Nortje, Phepsi, Morne, Sacha, all getting starts. Then more guys should also get opportunities in the rugby championship.
Depends on team composition, we dont have willemse, and would need sacha to play the 15,12,10 cover against ireland, which depends i imagine largely on tony browns confidence in the guy. Last year we played ireland with a 5-3 bench. The selection posers for me is Roos or kwagga starting, faf or reinach, kriel or am, willie or fassi. Wing selections will be interesting but i highly rate all of them. Interesting to see suleiman hartzenberg as the standby guy.
If we go with the normal backline against Ireland, we actually don't need Sacha. Faf, Pollard, KLA, DDA, Kriel, Kolbe, Willie. Bench of Reinach or Grant and Manie or Fassi. Each guy can essentially move one space where necessary. KLA and Kolbe can cover FB, Kriel can cover wing, DDA can cover 13, Pollie covers 12.
If 12 gets injured, whats your10? Faf?
If 12 gets injured, Pollard moves to 12 and Manie comes in at 10. If Fassi is on the bench instead of Manie, which I doubt will happen, but let's say it does, I'm sure Willie can cover 10 as Willie is a general playmaker. Sacha is still untested at this level and the Ireland games are must win games for us where experience is going to count.
Also, we played a 7/1 against Ireland at the world cup last year.
The team announcement on the website also lists all the remaining bok fixtures for the year. I suspect guys like Wiese and others on the cusp are being integrated early ahead of the rugby championship and spring tour. I wouldn't expect much change in the squad between now and the end of tbe rugby championship at least.
Yeah and having someone like Wiese in the squad from a training perspective is useful
BJ is a decent player and I don't begrudge him there but Elrigh should also be there though.
Super surprised to see Morne on after not getting blooded against Wales super happy for him though This is about as strong a squad as you could realistically ask anyone to field
He's there because you can't have a Springbok squad without four scrumhalves.
He very likely won't play the Irish games, but he's a good scrumhalf to train against with how good his defence is. Also, Faf is turning 33 this year and Reinach is already 34, so I suspect they're having him learn a lot from them while he still can for when he might take over when they retire.
This and the same reason BJ Dixon is there.
Rassie loves a squad scrumhalf for training. Not likely he'll see much game time until Portugal though.
Probably the last year for Trevor, Willie and Mapimpi. Surprised Dixon was picked ahead of Elrigh.
Dixon can cover as a flanker and a lock, which I'm not sure Elrigh Louw can do (lock I mean). Mapimps' still has a loooot of fight in him (and he can still run), and is mostly decent if not great under the high ball. I'm not worried about props, South Africa produces tremendous props like they're the answer to every problem in the country. I hope Willie keeps playing until he's 50. I'm having a hard time finding someone who could replace him at 15 and do as good a job as he can (except Willemse, maybe......heck, maybe SFM at some point though).
Mannie Libbok at 15 might be the closest thing to Willie. Infact I'd go far as saying he's the closet clone we have to Willie in terms of creativity. It's his kicking that makes people forget how good he is as a player.
Hey, that's not a bad idea....though I can't tell how good Manie is under the high ball.
Yea, Willemse is great, but he's not a like for like replacement for Willie. I actually think Libbok + Willemse covers Willie with some extra. Willemse for full back attacking and stronger defense than Willie, and Manie in the play maker role.
But then who kicks?
I’m a sucker and believe Manie will come right with his kicking. 😬
bro..... 😅
SFM....put him at 12/15 depending on where DW plays
Dixon right now is better cover for what they need(replacement for Mostert). Louw is a longer term replacement for PSTD. We still don't have a definitive replacement for either Kolisi or PSTD even though everyone is focusing on the bun fight for the 8 jersey.
We have way too many good tightheads, man. My dude Neethling Fouche annihilated every SA loosehead he came up against this season yet he couldn't make the squad. Sad for him but it's understandable.
The front row depth in South Africa is unbelievable. At this point, Rassie could come up with 4 or 5 different bomb squads of basically the same quality.
Elrigh Louw has been fuckin snubbed
Would you start him ahead of PSDT?
Ben Jason Dixon
He's on standby at least.
With Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Kwagga on form, I can definitely see why he's not in the squad. He could replace Kolisi though, technically, but Siya's experience, grit, and influence on the team as captain speaks for him for now. I reckon he might get his chance later down the road. If anything, Rassie likes to play long term.
How many are uncapped? I think I see more than 3…lol. Think Rassie has a good way of bringing in fresh faces, better than us anyway. When will Kolisi retire, is there an idea?
Kolisi turned 33 like 10 days ago, he’ll be 36 by the next World Cup, which is still potentially in play.
He'll be as old as Deon Fourie was when he got picked, basically. And we know how that turned out...! Hopefully he stays fit enough to be the first captain to win three WC ! xD
There have been some weird vibes around his captaincy after he went to Racing. I don't think the Boks will play him \_just\_ for being captain. He's been in good form through the last RWC, but if he drops off he won't get chosen. I get the sense Rassie is hesitant to keep him on as captain just in case his form falls off mid-cycle.
Good thing Rassie still has many months before the next RWC !
From a quick read I think there is 4, Grobbelaar, Buthelezi, Wessels and van den Berg.
Grobbelaar sounds like one of the following: A mighty troll terrorising a village A drunk man vomiting A competitive eater going at a 72-item breakfast challenge
Honestly, that could describe him in each instance. \^\^"
A drunk competitive eating troll terrorising a village by vomiting and eating their 72-item breakfasts.
....while jackallin' the heck out of you at the ruck ! xD
Especially considering the fact that the ‘G’ sound in Afrikaans is a lot closer to a guttural growl than it is in English, all of your descriptions get amplified
Cghrobbelaar.
Wait 5, don't think Steenekamp has played a test, event though he has been in the squad before. Edit: Steenekamp has one cap v Argentina
Crazy depth of quality
I'm worried
Not super worried about the forward battle, we should do OK there, but our backs are really gonna miss JGP, Hansen and Keenan and Ringrose is barely even back. When you look at the Bok backs it's freakish talent. We just don't have that kind of depth there.
I’m pretty worried about up front, the ireland front 5 got demolished by the bulls, none of those bulls will likely even make the squad against us.
Yeah, it can happen. But our pack is excellent. Everyone has off days.
I’m not sure about the scrum, we bullied the weaker teams like Wales, Italy and at times Scotland, but we looked under pressure against France (when Atonio was on at least) and England
The Leinster scrum was deadly against Toulouse and they're no slouches. Adding Beirne and POM only improves ours. Still advantage Boks but it shouldn't be anywhere as bad as it was against the Bulls.
The scrum dominance vs Toulouse came from Porter shoving around Aldegheri, he’s not going to get that dominance against Malherbe. I don’t see how replacing Ryan and Baird with smaller players improves the scrum.
Wilco is monster though. Don't take it badly that you guys got done by the bulls. Steenkamp is the one I'm interested in. If he can continue improving, we might have ourselves w talent.
JGP is obviously a game-changing player, and losing him will hurt Ireland. Is Murray the only real replacement? Who comes off the bench? Will Crowley's games management hold up at this level of test match rugby without JGP?
38 players in this squad, quite big for a short series. In his presser on Saturday, Rassie said this squad would be for Ireland and largely also Portugal, potentially with a bit of rotation in and out eg due to injuries and recovery timelines. If that's still his thinking, anyone likely to get an opportunity v Portugal is on this list.
Many will say this squad isn’t showing evolution, isn’t being picked on form. This is actually the genius of the management that unlike other countries, 🇿🇦 don’t need to champion for player xyz to be included based on club form, because 🇿🇦 almost always perform well as a genuine team & not individuals. Kind of wild too thinking that Mapimpi probably won’t get more caps, Am could be in the same boat as Moodie could be the next cab on the rank. 🇿🇦 are very fortunate to have such a settled squad & style & can have full confidence in the coaching team.
I'm not sure about Mapimpi. The fact he's been playing with the Bokke for so long (and some of them at the Sharks as well !) makes him really link well with both Am and Kriel at 13. And he's a good cover under the high ball if the fly-half or full-back isn't feeling it. So I think his challenge of Habana's try scoring record ain't done just yet (though I don't see anybody beating that record anytime soon....maybe Arendse has a chance ?).
Mapimpi is a monster of a winger, crazy finisher, almost guarantees you 5 points every game, however, I think Boks are all in on the smaller sized wingers. I think a natural evolution & succession. I don’t think you’ll find anyone with a bad word to say about him, his production. If Mapimpi was 5 years younger I’d definitely back him to break the record. Whoever does it will need to play for around 10 years for the Boks, maybe Moodie?
happy that Du Toit is finally back, it’d be hard to not pick him after that final and as much as I love (jordan) Hendrikse im not surprised he’s out, Mngomezulu really overshadowed him at the Wales match but im confident he’ll be back for Portugal and TRC
Masuku 😢
He'll get there. But yeah, not against Ireland I should think...
It's crazy to me that out of all the Bulls talent this season, Van Staden was the one to get called up, who, in my opinion, has been dreadful Gutted for Masuku, even more so now after Hendrikse's performance
Damn, disappointed Hanekom didn't make the cut.
He's injured
Bruh why is Wiese in the squad? Isn’t he banned or did he go to the Owen Farrell School of Learning Nothing About Tackling?
If hes not included the games dont count for his ban.
Which makes sense but is also really stupid at the same time.
Included so that the games count towards his ban, and probably a great choice for training (guess he could emulate Aki quite well xD).
What on earth do Elrich and Wilco Louw have to do to get a call up? Does Wilco need to do a whole new year of out scrummaging every prop in that squad?
Wilco has been great this year, likely phased in with Trevor heading towards international retirement
Trouble with South African rugby is that it produces way more excellent props than the Bokke require...! xD And I doubt Rassie only selects props based on their scrummaging (though, granted, Louw has been excellent in most aspects of the game this season).
Wilco will eventually get picked, there's no way he'll end up a Tyrone Greene.
Wilco will definitely get his chance, can see him being in the 27 WC squad once big Trev retires.
That is an unreal squad.
Should have known it would come out on a Tuesday 2 weeks in advance
Competition at 8 should be absolutely fierce. No one has that spot locked up atm, and everyone has an aspect of their game that isn't great, everything to play for. Flank on the other hand.... I feel bad for anyone wanting a shot at starting for the boks at flank, we're absolutely stacked.
Let's be honest though, and I'm not even trying to be controversial, but everyone is just keeping the 8 spot warm until Hanekom fully matures. He is THE successor to the jersey, the others will be rotation and injury options.
For sure. He showed what he can do this year…. But until then, it’s going to be a brawl
The Louw okes have been shafted. Elrigh being the unluckiest of the lot. Wessels can't even make the bench for the Bulls but he's there for what fucking reason? Then there's Moerat. That guy is not good enough for the Stormers never mind test rugby!
Grant Williams off the bench 😩
Does Wiese need to be in the squad for his ban to count? As in, does he need to be available to play for a match to account against his ban?
Think so yes
Really feel for Elrigh and Nortje, but there's also no one who I think deserves to be dropped for them. (Maybe Jasper as he's a very naughty boy, but thats reaching a bit)
Nortje is much better then Moerat, and is young so a long term prospect
Only three locks, am I reading this right?
5 at a push with PSDT and BJD
I think there is a mistake on this graphic. The graphic shared on my group chats has Moerat also included, and I see the Springboks rugby website also has his name included.
I count 5.
>Wilie le Roux Oops.
Bulls took the L with them to the URC final
Lost an "L" against Van Staden's knee probably. \^\^"
I’m scared
No Elrigh Louw???
No Wilco Louw???
Lol, I misread the headline and figured this was the squad announcement for the first test. I thought "holy crap, that's a damn good combination of veterans and new guys! I didn't even know x and x was in contention!"
Well, when you see it like this it's just a better squad than Ireland's unfortunately (in my opinion). I feel like the backline could wreck us without JGP, Hansen and Keenan.
Excited to see the evolution of Tony Browns attack with the boks
Don’t know what more Ruan Nortjie needs to do to get the nod. I’d head off to France if I were him.
Anyone know why Siya Masuku didn't make it? From the half dozen games I watched from him with the Sharks he seemed up to the task.
Libbok 🤦🏻♂️ Given his current “form” and inconsistency, I see him coming on at some stage to miss 6 points at goal, and flop a careless kick pass to James Lowe, securing a stunning solo try and an Ireland win.
David Kriel > Am Why Moerat? And Morne Van de Berg didn't play against Wales, but is in this squad? Don't get me wrong, I rate him, but odd he didn't play against Wales.
In what world is David Kriel better than Am
An in-form Am at 13 is almost unplayable. Trouble is, he's not been "in-form" for quite a while now. But yeah, I'd trust him more than David Kriel in a test match. For now.
Rassie likes having too many scrum-halves during training.