Springboks rwc 2011

[Seaton]

Thats the guy from just jinger right?

Mate I have no clue what/who you're talking about.

I assume you're refering to a red head?

 

[Nicolaas]

Mate I have no clue what/who you're talking about.

I assume you're refering to a red head?

bahaha no man im refering to that band "just jinger".

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'm pretty happy with the squad to be honest. Not necessarily who I would have liked to see there from a 'could have been' perspective but a pretty good selection for our currently reality if my statement makes any sense? To try and clarify; sure, I would have loved to have Riaan Viljoen at 15 but not now as he didn't get the opportunity to play there for the Bokke for an extended amount of time.

Not too bothered with Ndungane's selection. His solid enough and has the workrate any SA wing needs; we know they get limit opportunities with the way we are playing so need to be super ITO workrate. I'd have been more concerned with Ashley johson making the cut ahead of Louw as Johnson is a liability on defense (even if he weren't a loose forward) and Louw can stand in and play a game or two for 1 of our key men in Brussow.

Congratulations and best of luck guys!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Forwards:

Willem Alberts
Bakkies Botha - needs to stop his penalty crap on the field.
Heinrich Brussouw
Schalk Burger
Bismarck du Plessis
Jannie du Plessis - we dont have the best tightheads
Francios Louw - i really really wanted to see deysel though
Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira
Johann Muller - seriously? wheres flip?
Chiliboy Ralepelle - nevermind liebenberg, strauss, fourie, brits.........
Danie Russouw
Pierre Spies - unfortunate for johnson
Guthro Steenkamp
CJ van de Linde - scrummaging not up to scratch though
Victor Matfield - need him in the line outs
John Smit (c) - Lord give me strenght.....

Backs:

Gio Aplon
Juan de Jongh - just needs to stop stepping in all the time and remember that there are wings as well!
Jean de Villiers - just needs to tackle lower like juan de jongh
Fourie du Preez - hope it was just rust last saturday
Jacque Fourie
Bryan Habana - he just does not deserve his place!
Francios Hougaard
Butch James - now we have a fly half that cant tackle and one that tackles high everytime, great...
Patrick Lambie
Odwa Ndungane - where the hell did lwazi mvovo and bjorn basson go?!?!?
Ruan Pienaar - wtf? could have chosen sarel pretorius instead, we have enough utility backs
JP Pietersen - only wing i would have actually chosen
Frans Steyn - just needs to cut his hair
Morne Steyn - yea i suppose his kicking is important

Overall not too happy with the squad but is more or less what i expected so whatever...

Bakkies and James seem to have been better WRT their discipline. Maybe thats just me being naively optimistic though I hope not.

Smit and Ralepelle ahead of Strauss and Brits is a shocker to be true but has always (during PdV's reign) been on the cards. I still feel we should have dropped Smit as a Bok and captain when we still had the chance.

Spies and Habana are two I've been raving about for years but I do feel both have shown an upward curve over the last few games. Possibly just my enthusiasm again. I do feel though that i'd prefer Habana in a tight match still ahead of both Basson and Mvovo (not Hougaard mind..).

I havn't seen enough from Muller to be able to comment. Hopefully Bakkies and Matfield can go the distance. I'm concerned about Rossouw's form of late but hopefully he'll only be considered as back-up to lock.

Pienaar's game I have to agree with as well. He's looked cumbersome and disinterested in the bok jersey for quite some time before the tour to Australasia this 3N. He looks like he has had too much weed IMO. I'd like to through Frans Steyn in there as well though. Exactly the same half-arsed attitude. Lambie our best bet at 15 for now IMO; Steyn is too 1 dimensional and slow; 12 his only position IMO, Aplon is a wing and isn't anything other than a last-bet utility back though I do have a lot of respect for the 'old' man.

Any chance you could downsize your sig and maybe have the two next to each other instead of below?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

EDIT;

That 2nd last sentence should have read; Aplon is a wing and Ndungane isn't anything other than...
Aplon should be seriously considered ahead of either Petersen or habana on the win as well to give a bit more penetration/counter options

My prefered matchday 22;

1 Guthro Steenkamp
2 Bismarck du Plessis
3 Jannie du Plessis
4 Bakkies Botha
5 Victor Matfield
6 Heinrich Brussow
7 Schalk Burger
8 Pierre Spies
9 Fourie du Preez
10 Morne Steyn (with FdP to recapture his playmaking role; like those quick long skip passes)
11 Francois Hougaard
12 Juan de Jongh
13 Jaque Fourie
14 Gio Aplon
15 Pat Lambie

16 Tendai Mtawarira
17 Chiliboy Ralepelle
18 Johan Muller
19 Willem Alberts
20 Ruan Pienaar
21 Butch James
22 Frans Steyn

Yeah, we have gone waayyyyyy overboard with utility backs; Pienaar, Steyn, Ndugane, Lambie, Hougaard and Aplon all can cover multiple positions. Would have been better off to cut the off form ones and have taken 2 or 3 specialists who are actually playing well. I'd have cut the first 3 and gone with Pretorius, Viljoen and Ebersohn but I get where it's coming from.

 

[Rugbybrain]

World Cup Sprinbok team

Forwards: Willem Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Heinrich Brüssow, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield, Tendai Mtawarira, Johann Muller, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Danie Rossouw, John Smit (captain), Pierre Spies, Gurthrö Steenkamp, CJ van der Linde.

Backs: Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Butch James, Pat Lambie, Odwa Ndungane, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Frans Steyn, Morné Steyn.

Good Surprise - Francois "Flo" Louw
WT.. Surprise - Odwa Ndungane

Bokke retaining 16 players from the 2007 Word Cup final winning team!

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

I count 18:

Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Victor Matfield, Johann Muller, Danie Rossouw, John Smit, Gürthro Steenkamp, CJ van der Linden, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Butch James, JP Pietersen, Ruan Pienaar, Francois Steyn.

 

[Darwin]

A few thoughts from a neutral perspective (well not really a neutral perspective, rather the perspective of someone who doesn't want the Boks to be too strong otherwise they will beat my team ):

Quite a strong looking squad, with not many surprises. Louw is the big inclusion in the forwards; I think he is a good choice - I was hoping they would pick Ashley Johnson (who is a far more limited player IMO). Surprised to see Olivier omitted (a good choice IMO), and Ndungane included (a poor choice IMO - I would have though Basson/Mvovo would be better options).

 

[kusta]

Personally I think Ndungane isn't such a problem to lose sleep over as he is aa solid player and good under the high ball(or maybe I'm biased since I'm a sharks supporter) bt I reckon he is good enough...Basson didn't do much to cement a place in the tri-nations and mvovo might have been a good option but Ndungane is good enough IMO

 

[Shaggy]

Forwards: Willem Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Heinrich Brüssow, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield, Tendai Mtawarira, Johann Muller, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Danie Rossouw, John Smit (captain), Pierre Spies, Gurthrö Steenkamp, CJ van der Linde.

Backs: Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Butch James, Pat Lambie, Odwa Ndungane, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Frans Steyn, Morné Steyn.

Good Surprise - Francois "Flo" Louw
WT.. Surprise - Odwa Ndungane

Bokke retaining 16 players from the 2007 Word Cup final winning team!

I thought they might have picked Basson, rather than Ndungane as he probably suits the kick and chase game better, and competes well in the air ... is Danie Rossouw being used as a lock?

 

[5cotty]

in the locks it looks like he has went for a balance. Matfield and Muller are line out kings. Botha and Rossouw are supreme in the loose. Good decision.

 

[Seaton]

I count 18:

Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Victor Matfield, Johann Muller, Danie Rossouw, John Smit, Gürthro Steenkamp, CJ van der Linden, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Butch James, JP Pietersen, Ruan Pienaar, Francois Steyn.

I think he was refering to the final itself

 

[Rugbybrain]

Gürthro Steenkamp and Jean de Villiers didn't play in the 2007 RWC final. I was just referring to the match 22 in the 2007 final.

 

[Bull]

Not too much to complain about from my side but I would not have picked Johann Muller or Ruan Pienaar.

 

[Rugbybrain]

Personally I was waiting for PdeV to spring a surprise on us with guys like, Elton Jantjies, Earl Rose..... so taking those guys in consideration Odwa Ndungane, Johann Muller or Ruan Pienaar aint that bad

(trying to see the positive side of things lol )

 

[Bull]

Found it strange that he plucked certain guys basically out of nowhere like Flouw and Ndungane. Not bad players at all but what about the guys that were part of the TN squad?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I think in Ndungane got the call over Basson and Mvovo more due to his workrate than anything else. Fair enough IMO. What i would have liked to see though was a specialist fullback; even though the guys currently as options are either unexperienced; Ludi, Taute, Viljoen or over it; Terblanche, Jantjes, I feel there is enough experience in the squad to warrant the inclusion of an unexperienced 15 with my preferences being the two Sharks guys in Viljoen and Ludik both who I am sure have the temperament. As it is Lambie is definately our best bet with the other option being a lazy and fat Frans Steyn and 2 wingers in Aplon and Ndungane.

I think Muller was a bit lucky, ja but injuries almost forced his selection if you look at the criteria the selectors used throughout the squad. Pienaar also lucky IMO; hasn't had a good game for an age and we don't need his versatility with other utility backs on form; Hougaard, Aplon, Lambie.

 

[Steveskiez7]

Odwa Ndungane from memory was in great form for the Sharks up until he got slammed by Rory Sidey. The selection is pretty surprising but I think he still has a lot to offer.

 

[LPsoldier ZA]

I'm very happy with the squad. Hope the boys make us proud!

 

[Jer1cho]

I am very VERY happy with the inclusion of Flo. He is a breakdown specialist and the best possible replacement we have should Brussouw get injured. This squad is definitely good enough to defend the ***le. It all depends on whether the old faithfuls have 3 or 4 big games left in their rusty bones.

On a side note, how was that plonker who screwed up the anthem??? That's not the best way to motivate our boys...