[RWC2023] South Africa vs Romania (17/09/2023)

[TRF_Ezequiel]

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This team is interesting. Scrum half on the wing. Loose forward as backup hooker. 4-3 split. Our best centre pairing. Willemse at flyhalf, likely for the full game. Fun times

Edit: Wait… I just spotted our backline reserves. Double scrum half reserves means Faf is going to play a bit at flyhalf.

Reminds me of Francois Hougaard.

Looks like we got what I wanted with the 5-3 split. It is however painfully obvious that we are missing a proper fly-half.

Does anyone know what the status is with Pollard and Am? Are they healthy enough to be called up if we run into injuries?

 

[saulan]

Does anyone know what the status is with Pollard and Am? Are they healthy enough to be called up if we run into injuries?

Don't know about Am, but Pollard was fit and good to play before the World Cup started, just wasn't deemed match fit enough for the World Cup so he wasn't included. If there is an injury in the backline I'm sure he is first person in.

 

[duncanb]

Walk in the park for saffers B team.
Nice fixture after scotland, schedule works well for them.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

So Marx joins Etzebeth as injury concerns.

Traffic lights along with the team announcement with Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden as hooker cover, Faf and Jaden back up fly halves, Williams on the wing. What a merry circus but somehow you also can't scream total BS.

 

[Al Bangor]

South Africa could probably win this match by 100 if they really pushed it.

 

[OldSchoolRugga]

Bongi captain ? Bonkers.

 

[saulan]

So Marx joins Etzebeth as injury concerns.

Traffic lights along with the team announcement with Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden as hooker cover, Faf and Jaden back up fly halves, Williams on the wing. What a merry circus but somehow you also can't scream total BS.

Oof, this is indeed quite tough. Etzebeth being injured we can deal with. Marx being out means we are going to have to ship in Dweba and there is risk he brings to his game in his lineout throwing accuracy. Plus just the general Marx being great and above all the rest of our hookers.

The rest I'm not really worried about in terms of scrumhalves covering... all the things. I guess good to see some capability there in case we are backed into a corner and there isn't really a risk here if it doesn't work out. Additional flyhalf cover we need. Additional wing cover is probably a position where we are the most stacked.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Marx out of the world cup by the sound of it. Probably one of about three guys without an adequate replacement (or going from world class to average international anyway). Huge loss, hate to see players like that miss out.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Who's next in line?
Akker probably the closest play style but not been involved in the Boks for 5 years

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Who's next in line?
Akker probably the closest play style but not been involved in the Boks for 5 years

Im getting to the real extremities of my knowledge when it gets to third choice SA hookers... I remember Dweba (?) Playing the RC, don't remember being particularly impressed but if he's got presumably he comes in.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Yeah it'll be Dweba. Will be interesting to see whether he comes straight into the 23 for the big games or whether they'll stick with Fourie. Either way, an enormous downgrade.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Ah, I thought Dweba was already there tbh, forgot about Fourie

Yeah, he's bad, but it'll be him

 

[saulan]

Ugh. That's a big hit. Yes we will bring in Dweba, and it will become Bongi starting and Dweba as back-up you suspect. Critical now to see this weekend how Fourie can do at hooker as he did play in this position for years. He is a like for like replacement for Marx in terms of jackals and being a physical nuisance, but who knows how he is at lineouts and scrums nowadays.

If he does well, I'd probably rather have him as our back up to Dweba, as I feel like he brings a lot more by being on the field than what Dweba does, and we are already aware that Dweba comes with shortcomings.

 

[saulan]

Oh wow, we aren't even bringing in Dweba yet. We are saying we have enough coverage with Fourie and Marco van Staden for now… I think they are waiting to see how our players pan out in the next few games… and then you know… nice path to bring Pollard back.

Bok superstar ruled out of World Cup

NEWS: The Springboks suffered a hammer blow with the news that one of their key players has been ruled out of the World Cup.

rugby365.com

 

[Jer1cho]

Marx out of the world cup by the sound of it. Probably one of about three guys without an adequate replacement (or going from world class to average international anyway). Huge loss, hate to see players like that miss out.

Massive massive loss. So many players we would have rather lost. Gutted

 

[OllyM97]

Marx out of the world cup by the sound of it. Probably one of about three guys without an adequate replacement (or going from world class to average international anyway). Huge loss, hate to see players like that miss out.

That's a killer blow for SA i would suggest. Marx is irreplaceable. I would put him at the same level of importance to their teams as Dupont or Sexton. Bongi is very good, but he isn't Malcolm Marx. It's the work he does over the breakdown that I think is game-changing for the Springboks.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Oh wow, we aren't even bringing in Dweba yet. We are saying we have enough coverage with Fourie and Marco van Staden for now… I think they are waiting to see how our players pan out in the next few games… and then you know… nice path to bring Pollard back.

Bok superstar ruled out of World Cup

NEWS: The Springboks suffered a hammer blow with the news that one of their key players has been ruled out of the World Cup.

rugby365.com

That's crazy. What experience does van Staden have in the front row besides being vaguely the right build for it? Feels like World Rugby shouldn't be allowing this tbh.

 

[saulan]

That's crazy. What experience does van Staden have in the front row besides being vaguely the right build for it? Feels like World Rugby shouldn't be allowing this tbh.

I think high school level and that's it. I see reference to him having starting his career at hooker, but anything from Varsity Cup onwards he had always been a loose forward.

 

[Jer1cho]

That's crazy. What experience does van Staden have in the front row besides being vaguely the right build for it? Feels like World Rugby shouldn't be allowing this tbh.

In SA, by the time you are out of school you have played virtually every position in the 15.