[November Tests 2017 EOYT] Wales vs. South Africa (02/12/2017)

[TRF_heineken]

Venue: Principality Stadium​

Time: 16:30 CAT (SA, GMT+2)​

 

[MikeTheNative]

Not confident at all with this, assuming all English based players are unavailable the team is looking pretty thin, Leon Brown will have start tight head and if Lee isn't fit then they must have to call another up.
My team: ( I would like Patchell to start but apparently he has been struggling with injury since the start of AI's so I'll leave him off.)

Rob Evans
Ken Owens
Leon Brown
Seb Davies
Alun Wyn Jones
Shignler
Tirpuic
Navadi
Gareth Davies
Priestland
Steff Evans
Scott Williams
Owen Watkins
Amos
Halfpenny

Dee, Wyn Jones, ummm....... (Adam Jones still playing?) Hill, Lydiate, Aled Davies, Biggar, Parkes,

Seriously struggling at tight head and the back three since they didn't call anyone up.

 

[TRF_heineken]

So far the Boks will be without Francois Louw, Duane Vermeulen, & Franco Mostert.

Marx has been declared fit and available for the match, and Thomas Du Toit has been called up as cover for Beast Mtawarira.

Siya Kolisi has also rejoined the squad after his wife gave birth last week.

So I expect the following team:

1. Steven Kitshoff
2. Malcolm Marx
3. Wilco Louw
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Lood De Jager
6. Siya Kolisi
7. Pieter-Steph Du Toit
8. Dan Du Preez

9. Rudy Paige
10. Handre Pollard
11. Courtnal Skosan
12. Francois Venter
13. Jesse Kriel
14. Dillyn Leyds
15. Andries Coetzee

16. Bongi Mbonambi
17. Thomas Du Toit
18. Trevor Nyakane
19. Teboho Mohoje
20. Uzair Cassiem
21. Ross Cronje
22. Elton Jantjies
23. Warrick Gelant

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I'd love to see Wales win this which would fire Scotland into the top 5. It'd be cool to have 3triple crown sides in there, doubt it's ever happened before. Can't see it happening though, really unimpressed with Wales! .

 

[MikeTheNative]

really unimpressed with Wales! .

We are all too

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

We are all too

Yeah it wasn't a dig by any means even though I like throwing them out at you lot!

It's two sides who should be far better but are being held back by bad coaching and worse unions, could be a grim enough spectacle!

 

[AM_Bokke]

It will be interesting to see the difference in the defensive performance without Loew and Vermuelen. I thought both were excellent on Saturday and really showed that they wanted to be there. I expect a defensive drop off and a little more of a shootout type game.

I want Kolisi to have a big game. He should have lots of space to run out wide. Him and Gelant passing back and forth to each other at pace down the wing would be quite the sight to behold.

I don't know enough about Wales to know how their pack will be impacted by not having Premiership players available. I know that one prop plays for Glaws. But our pack looks to be relatively unaffected. If we can dominate forward play then the backs should have some room to run on a big dry pitch. They need to catch the ball and make good decisions!!!!

 

[MikeTheNative]

It will be interesting to see the difference in the defensive performance without Loew and Vermuelen. I thought both were excellent on Saturday and really showed that they wanted to be there. I expect a defensive drop off and a little more of a shootout type game.

I want Kolisi to have a big game. He should have lots of space to run out wide. Him and Gelant passing back and forth to each other at pace down the wing would be quite the sight to behold.

I don't know enough about Wales to know how their pack will be impacted by not having Premiership players available. I know that one prop plays for Glaws. But our pack looks to be relatively unaffected. If we can dominate forward play then the backs should have some room to run on a big dry pitch. They need to catch the ball and make good decisions!!!!

Faleteau should be missing but there was talk of him actually playing, he would be a big miss although I expect Navadi to step upto the plate after preforming rather well so far this series. Francis the starting tight head prop is missing and maybe also the 3rd choice tight head, Scott Andrews leaving 1 THP in the squad, who has 3 caps. The rest is backs, so Owen Williams not available, just realised Preistland as well so that Biggar will have to start. But luckily Roberts as well, so he doesn't get picked.

 

[SomeOke]

For us Francois Louw, Duane Vermulen, Franco Mostert, Elton Jantjies (a maybe), and Tendai Mtawarira (Injury) will be unavailable.
That means our back row is going to look seriously depleted, but the rest of our team can handle the unavailable players pretty well, with our reserve loose head/fly-half and locks mostly being just as good or better in some cases.

Even though we've won our last two I feel like this team just wants to go home, nothing inspiring going on and the 1-3-3-1 system we were using amongst our forwards in the RC seems to have been abandoned for old school bashing.

We're going to have to find another gear somewhere if we want to win this game. There is no way the team we've been in the last 3 games will beat the Wales who were pretty competitive against NZ on Saturday (barring Ioane).

These last two years have made me very cynical, time for a change, hopefully the rumours of AC's departure are correct.

 

[mdaclarke]

Is this a proper test match? I note it is outside the test window. If Ruan Botha and Thomas Du Toit play, will they be captured by South Africa?

 

[The Jones Boy]

Sometimes it's the games that are expected to be dire that end up being an enjoyable spectacle.

 

[saulan]

Is this a proper test match? I note it is outside the test window. If Ruan Botha and Thomas Du Toit play, will they be captured by South Africa?

Yes it's a proper test match, so if Ruan Botha played he would be locked in. Thomas Du Toit is already locked in as he played for SA U20 when the U20 team was our second representative side (2015). (Botha played for U20 in 2012, the last year of our U20 side not being our second representative team).

 

[TRF_heineken]

Yes it's a proper test match, so if Ruan Botha played he would be locked in. Thomas Du Toit is already locked in as he played for SA U20 when the U20 team was our second representative side (2015). (Botha played for U20 in 2012, the last year of our U20 side not being our second representative team).

Saulan, Thomas is not yet locked. While he did play for the U20's, he didn't play in a match against an opposition team that is also that country's second representative team.

But I think he'll play this weekend in any case.

 

[TRF_heineken]

this is nowhere near a full strength Springbok side, where are the experienced players Du Plessis brothers, Strauss, Alberts, Van de Merwe, Du Preez, Pienaar?? It is an end of year tour and an opportunity to try a few new combinations and blood one or two novices but one would think that with the world rankings fluctuating on a game by game basis (again World Rugby pay attention here) they would field enough experience to remain competitive! Look at the Springbok squad for the rugby championship, again .....where is the experience? Obviously the Boks weren't taking 2017 seriously and had they bothered we wouldn't have seen that ridiculous drubbing by the All Blacks!

Geez, where have you been the last 5 years???

Du Preez and Pienaar are retired...

 

[TRF_heineken]

that was a quick fire list and perhaps one or two of the backs a better off enjoying retirement in Northern hemisphere club rugby comp'. However the bulk of the forwards still have a lot of rugby left in them and should still be playing Super rugby through to their mid thirties otherwise Super rugby wont be seen as the equivalent of the Euro competition but rather a feeder of talent to the Northern hemisphere clubs. The Super franchise needs the experienced players give the competition some shape and maintain a standard whilst providing some inspiration to those newer faces who don't have any reason to stick around!

Well I'm just going on the names you mentioned.

Strauss is also retired. He was captain of the Bokke last year before his retirement. He is still playing Super Rugby though. As for Van Der Merwe, are you referring to Flip? If that's the case, then I don't see him get a spot in the bok setup at the moment, he's not better than Eben Etzebeth, Lood De Jager or Pieter Steph Du Toit.

The Du Plessis brothers. Jannie is not a better tighthead than Wilco Louw, Frans Malherbe, Coenie Oosthuizen or even Vincent Koch. Maybe better than Nyakane, but Nyakane brings something different with his ability to poach at rucks.

Bismarck is the only guy you mentioned who I can see play for the Boks now.

 

[saulan]

Saulan, Thomas is not yet locked. While he did play for the U20's, he didn't play in a match against an opposition team that is also that country's second representative team.

But I think he'll play this weekend in any case.

It doesn't matter. The rules for when the U20 team is the representative team states that they just have to play in a tournament to be locked in. If he had been there and not played then he would have been free, but because he played against anyone, he is locked down.

Edit: World Rugby Regulation 8.3d for reference

 

[TRF_heineken]

It doesn't matter. The rules for when the U20 team is the representative team states that they just have to play in a tournament to be locked in. If he had been there and not played then he would have been free, but because he played against anyone, he is locked down.

Edit: World Rugby Regulation 8.3d for reference

That rule was introduced in 2014. But you are correct. Thomas was part of the JWC Springboks in 2015, so he's covered.

It was Steven Kitshoff who was the one I was thinking about who missed out on the new law change...

 

[MikeTheNative]

Mixed news for Wales, Faleteau looks to be available somehow but Ball is out as expected but also Tirpuic which guarantees the same starting back row. Scott Andrews is able to play so I expect him to be on the bench, expect a lot of scrum penalties when he comes on. Webb (concussion) and Scott Williams (Ankle) are both a doubts as well. Not looking too good for Wales.

 

[dullonien]

Likely Wales side:

Wales (probable): L Halfpenny; H Amos, S Williams, H Parkes, S Evans; D Biggar, R Webb; R Evans, K Owens, L Brown, C Hill, AW Jones, A Shingler, T Faletau, J Navidi.

Replacements: K Dacey, W Jones, S Andrews, S Davies, D Lydiate, G Davies, R Patchell, O Watkin.

Could see an entire Scarlets backline (bar Amos) at some stage.......

 

[CleanCut]

Hi

Bear in mind that South Africa under this coach will more than likely be looking to getting it's colour mix right rather than select on merit..

In other words we'll see a guy like Uzair Cassiem (blindside flank) selected ahead of Dan Du Preez to play 8th man. Cassiem has been exposed all season long as an average club player. He really is pathetic and doesn't belong there. We can expect Dan Du Preez to come on for the last 20 minutes or so.

Word has it that Warrick Gelant will be wearing the 15 jersey on Saturday. He is a dynamic talent and should have been in the mix ages ago. I'm hoping he 'll make the jersey his own.

I see most are a little concerned about Wales and their showing of late. I wouldn't be if I were you. Wales have beaten the useless Boks in their last three encounters. Besides ... the Boks have a a mix of quotas and bozos playing for them under this coach. The talented boys are back home preparing for the coming festive season.

I think Wales have what it takes to beat this Bok side. I will be cheering for them.

Good Luck!!