It can be accepted as fact: The run-on XV selected in the 1st test are/were considered by AC & new-Kie as THE team to restore the pride in the jersey.
It is also realistic to think this team would've been somewhat different if there weren't injuries to key personnel leading up to the test season. Duane Vermeulen, Handre Pollard, Pat Lambie, Damian de Allende, Rohan Janse van Rensburg - could all so easily have been selected as starters, the last name probably 1st on the team sheet. Even the likes of Jaco Kriel, Ruan Combrink & Lionel Mapoe were all a whisker away from selection i'm sure.
But then again- I recalled a column I read on SuperSport.com, written by Brendan Venter himself, during the time when he was assisting at the Sharks with their SuperRugby campaign, where he basically laid out a template on selecting a national team. Identifying key positions in the hooker, locks, eighthman, half-back pairing & fullback (in what he refers to as the spine of a rugby team - being the medical doctor that he is) which he suggested being selected from the same franchise. It is therefore no coincidence that the current team is representative of this.
The dynamics in this layout is genius in that it points to the function of how each of these positions/players have a fundamental role when it comes to set-pieces and general play of possession (kick-offs/restarts, scrums, line-outs, mauls, exits, counter-attacks); the idea behind it being that the players chosen in these positions will be familiar with each others' calls and plays etc. and thus just making the transition from a provincial setup to national level that much easier so that the rest of the guys can also gel quicker as well.
There were still no guarantees that this would've worked as it still required that buy in from all the players in understanding their roles in the squad, which brings you to the situation where a player like PSdT, last year's SA POTY, will be used from the bench (largely due to his utility skills of course), or even relegates a player like Combrink to our reserve squad, in spite of his better natural qualities in comparison (injury, which set back his form).
Lastly, but most importantly, these players should, at least, have been among the top performers in the country for their respective positions. Elton Jantjies was arguably the best 10 domestically for the last 3-4 seasons and it would've been a controversial selection had a fit enough Pollard been selected ahead of him. There is no doubt in the abilities of dowwe Duane, but currently Whiteley is ahead of him in terms of gameplay and I find it almost blasphemous when I read how some discredit Warren's selection on the basis of his captaincy and leadership skills. But there will always be naysayers, so I digress.
The injury sustained by Tebogo Mohoje was unfortunate and the JL du Preez crowd (myself incl.) were thoroughly authenticated when the bulky youngster pulled of an adrenaline-intensed performance thereafter, twice in a row. But I have said before, the management of him is vital - I would resume to rather start with Kriel and reserve the kid's impact for later.
It needs to be noted that the utilization of your match day 23 can mean the difference between winning and losing. The story of last year felt by all the losing sides were always that they were in the game for a significant period of the game, until it all went wrong. The All Blacks have become masters of this and it's no coincidence that it seemed like they grew extra limbs in that final quarter and blow teams away. So being able to call on a player, who could so easily have been a starter, in the latter stages of a match could be that ace in the hole.
From the Boks perspective, the marked improvement in performance levels (compared to last year) is an indication of this team being on the right path. Last week's performance itself was thee best by any Bok team in years (2014 victory vs All Blacks).
