Spring Tour: South Africa - England - 1st Test (09/06/2012, 16:00 GMT)

[TRF_stormer2010]

That was exactly what I thought too!! I think Heyneke tried to cover all his bases for this test because of the short time to prepare.

Glad to see Etzebeth and Coetzee getting the nod!

Yeah, Juandre was always going to be a sure bet with Bekker injured (has also been in better form than Bekker this year) and with Meyer's choices in some positions looking very conservative I would have expected to see Flippie at 4 (more experience and has an existing partnership with Juandre).

Think it's the right call to include Etzebeth and Coetzee though; you need some of that fearlessness and hunger that I'm sure these two are going to bring to bear on the unsuspecting Pommies. I just feel Coetzee need to tackle a fraction lower when coming in from the side. Other than that he brings a remarkable workrate and bruising ball carrying to the table.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'm actually pretty happy with this team, and surprised to see the negative comments about it on another forum. The only selection I'm not all to happy with is Kirchner, but I don't mind him playing at full back if it means Lambie can come on at fly half with 20 to go.

But yeah, like I said, pretty happy with the team and go into the weekends game with quite a bit more confidence. Here's hoping for Coetzee and Etzebeth to rip the poms a new one.

Looking at this game as a step towards the future Lambie coming in at 10 is the carrot that makes me accept Kirschner at 15 for this series also. Just hope Meyer at leasts considers bringing in someone who is perhaps a bit smaller but a lot more dangerous from the back in the future; we have good picks between Taute, Ludik and Pietersen. Pity Riaan Viljoen hasn't kept his form at the Sharks. He'd have been my first pick for this game if you'd have asked me end of last year.

 

[peanuts40]

Looking at this game as a step towards the future Lambie coming in at 10 is the carrot that makes me accept Kirschner at 15 for this series also. Just hope Meyer at leasts considers bringing in someone who is perhaps a bit smaller but a lot more dangerous from the back in the future; we have good picks between Taute, Ludik and Pietersen. Pity Riaan Viljoen hasn't kept his form at the Sharks. He'd have been my first pick for this game if you'd have asked me end of last year.

Like Gio Aplon perhaps?

 

[peanuts40]

Haha @ the planetrugby forums, Pommies taking the **** out of this team. Coetzee and co. to surprise them big time.

 

[Wilko's left boot]

Looks like the majority of you guys are happy with the SA team. I fear that it may not be the same case for us and the England team...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Looks like the majority of you guys are happy with the SA team. I fear that it may not be the same case for us and the England team...

We've had worse. Much worse in fact. There are still passengers and guys who are liabilities at times but it could have been worse, so I'm happier than I thought I'd be after the initial announcements.

Some of my concerns;
Kirschner generally plays like a retard as much as not for the Boks whereas he is actually generally pretty decent for the Bulls.
In Spies we have a non-player while at 7,8 & 9 we have 3 players who are in the top 20 in Superrugby for missed tackles. And then we have Steyn at 10. TBF, Steyn has made a little progress in defense. Alberts has played well for the Springboks but that was last year and off the bench. His form this year so far doesn't inspire confidence. Hougaard is a good defender in general, I think, possibly the reason he is so high up is because he has to cover for both Spies and Steyn in defense. So, Englnad will know exactly where to run at us.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Looks like the majority of you guys are happy with the SA team. I fear that it may not be the same case for us and the England team...

Yeah I like our 22. Some real grafters in the starting line up to soften the Poms and then some great runners on the bench to rub salt in the wound the last 20 odd minutes.

Whoever the Poms pick at 11, 14 and 15, be prepared to get bombed! A LOT!!

 

[SomeOke]

Kirchner ahead of Lambie? Why?

also de Villiers as captain is a bad call, it should have been somebody who is more of a certain starter like Bismarck, or Burger when fit

I can see de Villiers coming under much pressure for his place within the next year, and you never want a player in the team as captain who is arguably not worth a place in the team, like the cases of Borthwick and Smit, it just causes problems and hurts the team in the end

shame Jaque Fourie isn't playing international anymore, he certainly looked better than JdV

I'm not so sure he's gonna have any trouble with defending his spot...
No-one really knocking on the door that hard. He's better than JDJ, Wynand and JJ at least for the next year, and I doubt he'll play for more than a year or two.

 

[Nicolaas]

Kirchner ahead of Lambie? Why?

also de Villiers as captain is a bad call, it should have been somebody who is more of a certain starter like Bismarck, or Burger when fit

I can see de Villiers coming under much pressure for his place within the next year, and you never want a player in the team as captain who is arguably not worth a place in the team, like the cases of Borthwick and Smit, it just causes problems and hurts the team in the end

shame Jaque Fourie isn't playing international anymore, he certainly looked better than JdV

Bismarck is the best in the world in his position, but he needs to sort out his temper before he can become captain me thinks.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Kirchner ahead of Lambie? Why?

also de Villiers as captain is a bad call, it should have been somebody who is more of a certain starter like Bismarck, or Burger when fit

I can see de Villiers coming under much pressure for his place within the next year, and you never want a player in the team as captain who is arguably not worth a place in the team, like the cases of Borthwick and Smit, it just causes problems and hurts the team in the end

shame Jaque Fourie isn't playing international anymore, he certainly looked better than JdV

As it has been stated numerous times before on this forum, the Captain for the England test is a short-term thing as Heyneke Meyer will slowly start with blooding new players and see who could lead the boks in the future...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Kirchner ahead of Lambie? Why?

also de Villiers as captain is a bad call, it should have been somebody who is more of a certain starter like Bismarck, or Burger when fit

I can see de Villiers coming under much pressure for his place within the next year, and you never want a player in the team as captain who is arguably not worth a place in the team, like the cases of Borthwick and Smit, it just causes problems and hurts the team in the end

shame Jaque Fourie isn't playing international anymore, he certainly looked better than JdV

Meyer made it very clear that De Villiers is captain on a short term basis. How far that stretches beyond the series against England is up for debate. I guess it depends on th injury to Burger and also how well some of the younger guys come along. I'd be surprised if JdV was touring as captain on the end of year tours. If Burger was fit and when he is fit he will probably be captain but again, that's probably not looking towards 2015.

 

[cyclone101]

Agreed, you need a cool tempered captain and an experienced one. I think JdV would be a good cap, he is good and experienced. I think this is a good solid team considering. I just hope they found some adhesion as a team in the short preparation time.

I think that in the short time they have this might be the best team and up for the task, it would not be wise to push youngsters too quickly esp. if you only have a few weeks to train.

 

[psychic duck]

Agreed, you need a cool tempered captain.

 

[big ginger 8]

Hahaha Kirchner...

Nah happy to see Etzebeth and Coetzee getting the starts they deserve.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Yeah, Juandre was always going to be a sure bet with Bekker injured (has also been in better form than Bekker this year) and with Meyer's choices in some positions looking very conservative I would have expected to see Flippie at 4 (more experience and has an existing partnership with Juandre).

Think it's the right call to include Etzebeth and Coetzee though; you need some of that fearlessness and hunger that I'm sure these two are going to bring to bear on the unsuspecting Pommies. I just feel Coetzee need to tackle a fraction lower when coming in from the side. Other than that he brings a remarkable workrate and bruising ball carrying to the table.

Haha, if there's one thing we're not, it's unsuspecting.

Out of interest, how do people expect that front row to perform? Good set-piece?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Haha, if there's one thing we're not, it's unsuspecting.

Out of interest, how do people expect that front row to perform? Good set-piece?

I have no idea what to expect in the scrums LOL. Wouldn't be too surprised if either side got the goods (though I'd expect England to have a slight edge but we'd probably do well enough to make it a non-issue- at least I hope) over the other because I have no idea what to expect from England in the scrums and while our frontrow have been together for a while it would be the first time they are playing with our new rookie locks. I expect our line-out to be very good with Kruger there to take charge; it is the one set-piece where the Bulls absolutely dominated the Stormers over the weekend and indeed most other teams. In all 3 backrowers there are added line-out options (the one area where Spies isn't a luggage bag) so will be interesting.

 

[fred.arnold]

Lol!! I knew that would get your attention!!

I'm just kidding about Kirchner... I'd like to see Lambie there of course. Kirchner should be at his flat in Pretoria.

By the way, that pic is way too old to be funny anymore, The Stormers still only have a Vodacom cup in their trophy cabinet for the last how many years??

I think Spies and Habana should join him there and make way for Josh Stauss and Mvovo

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Mvovo is in the squad, so send Bananas home and replace him with Ludik or Aplon

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

I have no idea what to expect in the scrums LOL. Wouldn't be too surprised if either side got the goods (though I'd expect England to have a slight edge but we'd probably do well enough to make it a non-issue- at least I hope) over the other because I have no idea what to expect from England in the scrums and while our frontrow have been together for a while it would be the first time they are playing with our new rookie locks. I expect our line-out to be very good with Kruger there to take charge; it is the one set-piece where the Bulls absolutely dominated the Stormers over the weekend and indeed most other teams. In all 3 backrowers there are added line-out options (the one area where Spies isn't a luggage bag) so will be interesting.

That's good to know. For England, Cole is a pretty strong scrummager who has pretty much given all-comers a hard time this last year. Beast may have a hard time of it. Hartley versus Bismarck du Plessis is a fight waiting to happen which I fully expect Bismarck to win - with interest! In the scrum, though, Hartley is a real boost to the props he plays with. England will need to be v careful with the lineout and I suspect Parling will need to take charge of that, without Croft as an extra jumper.

 

[Darwin]

Interesting South African team. Plenty of experience in the backline, but undoubtedly lacking a bit of flair - a pretty good backline for a 'kick-chase' gameplan though....
Even as a neutral I'm disappointed to see Kirchner picked at fullback (can think of 3-4 South African fullbacks I personally would have preferred....). Good to see F Steyn back - anyone know what sort of condition he is in? Last time he came back to South African he looked like a prop

Not surprised to see no genuine openside (as there really wasn't any in the squad), but am happy to see Coetzee starting, as he has really impressed me.... not so convinced about Alberts or Spies though (I wish Vermuleon would stop getting himself injured!). Great to see Etzebeth starting - can't wait till the Rugby Championship to see him battle with NZ's young locking star Retallick! Looks like Oosthuizen will be covering both sides of the scrum off the bench - I haven't watched the Cheetahs a huge amount this season - has he had much time on the tighthead side for them (I know he has a season of Currie Cup in the 3 position...)?