Let’s just hope we see Louw at 8 and not Kwagga who is not an 8’s backside
Let’s just hope we see Louw at 8 and not Kwagga who is not an 8’s backside
Yes that would be good if Elrigh starts at 8….Although Kwagga,s stats was not to bad against Ireland, he is better playing at 6….Elrigh will make his impact and is a strong Ball carrier.
This is Rassie protecting Wiese's position until he comes back from his ban...kak styl...he's not once picked Roos in a settled proper Bok team...always a rag tag BS team and then discards him if he doesn't walk on water...I like Rassie, but his selection policy wrt Roos...and some others (Esterhuizen...cough...cough..) is obvious deliberate horse sh!+...Roos has been the obvious best 8 playing in South Africa for the past 3 seasons...he should have had 30 caps atleast by now.
Elrich
t is not an 8...nonsense starting him now...Roos should have been our premier 8 for since Thor retired...only other player coming close is Hanekom...love Rassie, but he falls in the same trap as his predecessors...there's no place at this level for protecting your favorites...
Roos lifted his leg and missed the lamppost. He joins the Deysel twins in never, never land. So far a bit of a hype job.
Nonsense...he's never been played in a proper Bok side...always these experimental never hopers...set up to "fail" every time...he's better than Kwagga, Louw, Wiese and the brain dead van Staden...ESKOM my big fat beer-gut-arse...Roos and and Hanekom should be the only 2 names for the 8 spot hence forth...the rest of the pretenders can fight for a chance to replace PSDT or Kolisi from the bench...no clear successors for our flankers yet...
You are spot on Draad and Moz is speaking utter horseshit as usual
As I predicted good old Moz has a target on Roos’s back now - pathetic really
We are going to hear the anti Roos for the next decade
Roos is a generational talent just like Moodie and Sacha are
Has never had a fair crack in tests, never consecutive selections, never an investment unlike Wiese who is half the talent Roos is
Some valid points Draad….Rassie wants all the players, but to actually somehow give them all the proper game time seems to fall flat…then after that, they join the never never land team…Anycase I do feel Elrigh can play 8, but played 7 most of the time for the bulls …Andre Esterhuisen also never gets a fair chance and somehow doomed to hover on the outside, close to the inside….he is doing a great injustice to some of the players that is not his ultimate favourites.
Oh I don’t think we will be hearing about Roos that long….stripped by the tiny Portuguese wing. Running down a dead end that led to Arendse being carded. Did he do anything, I mean one single thing in that match that looked Bok level.
I’m happy to be persuaded and once or twice I thought I was. But this match was discouraging. As for the BS that he hasn’t performed because he was in a pick up team…how come Dixon looked good. Hell how come Sasha lit the place up the moment he stepped on the park.
Performance not hype and perhaps Eluckmiss will take him seriously, which he clearly doesn’t,
His "under performance" was still better than the contenders...I like Kwagga, but he should never start ahead of Roos...test rugby is tough. For some it takes a while to adapt to the pace. Just because he didn't shine, doesn't mean he was rubbish. He's a physical player with more ball sense than most backs...probably has too much flair for Rassie's liking...he needs an extended run as starting Bok 8...will probably get it vs NZ an Argentina.
BTW...I can't believe Rassie sees Wiese as the long term replacement for a smart skillful player like Thor...we need more than blunt
brawn in the 8 jersey.
BTW everyone wasn't convinced about Willemse from day one...it took him years to become the preferred starter
..
Wiese was also shit when he started as was Kwagga and BJ Dixon has been good but no better than Roos has at test level
Moz stop fucking lying about Roos being stripped by the Portuguese wing stick to the facts and reality if you want to pathetically target Roos
As for Roos this is what Rassie has said on him:
Rassie Erasmus says that while Evan Roos isn’t out of his plans, the Springboks want to give Elrigh Louw a crack at No 8 in the Rugby Championship.
Roos, who started in the Test against Portugal, was left out of the 33-player squad that will depart for Australia on Wednesday for two Tests against the Wallabies to open the tournament.
With Jasper Wiese still suspended, Louw is the frontrunner to take over the duties at the back of the scrum.
The 24-year-old earned his fourth cap off the bench in Bloemfontein, but could make his first Test start in the Brisbane opener.
Another option to complete the back row is Kwagga Smith – used primarily as an impact player, he started in both July Tests against Ireland.
“We’ve got two full loose trios,” Erasmus explained. “We’ve got Marco [van Staden] and Siya [Kolisi] who can play six, Pieter-Steph [du Toit] and Ben-Jason [Dixon] who can play seven, and Kwagga and Elrigh who can play at eight. Elrigh can also play at seven. Pieter-Steph won’t be used at eight.
“Evan definitely isn’t out of the mix. Before the Portugal Test, we told the guys that they are getting a chance and to go express themselves, put up your hand and show us that there are a few new dogs in the neighbourhood, lift your leg and make a mark.
“A few guys certainly did that. We also want to give Elrigh experience against the big nations. He was always part of our plans. His form took a dip, he will admit that himself.
“We know what Evan can do. Evan hasn’t been thrown away. We still have nine Test matches this year. It’s about building squad depth. Evan certainly didn’t have bad games. He is comfortable in this setup.
“Now we can see, if Elrigh gets his chance, what he can do.”
Jasper Wiese is definitely not only dumb muscle and does provide the necessary grunt, defence, strong ball carrier and link to the Backline Players. He is 28 already and will still be ok for the next WC, but not a further Future solution. One thing is for certain, someone will fall off the Bus when it comes to the 8 man position and I am willing to bet that it won’t be Cameron Hanekom. Good thing for Roos is that he can play 6 as well and Louw 7 and Hanekom at 8… that’s a combo that we will see sooner than later. Flexibility is the answer for a loose forward, especially with Tassels as the Coach.
Bullshit does Wiese provide a link to the backline I don’t think I have ever seen him pass
He is pure dumb muscle - effective dumb muscle but that’s all he is
Players like Roos, Hanekom and Emmanuel Tsituka are all better athletes and far more skilful - they are true linking 8’s
Are the Tsituka brothers SA citizens already? What baffle’s me is that Rassie will show interest in Orie or Pepsi, not that Pepsi is bad, but those brothers are tough and skilled. I wonder if Rassie even knows who they are? Must be the Citizen thing…Is Madosh Tambwe a Citizen already?
Apparently the Tsituka brothers and Tambwe do not have SA citizenships and given Tambwe is in France he will probably not bother
Dud Roos is toast. If he couldn’t impose himself against the Geese…he is no physical phenom. Stripped by a tiny goose wing.
A nice player with not enough horsepower to be a factor against the top 5 teams.
When someone as rugby ignorant as Moffie dumps all over a player like this it's like a validation. I expect Evan Roos will be winning a World Player of the Year award or a Player of the RWC quite soon!
LMAO!
Of course you do because you are a groupie who wants to be popular. But then again,
you thought the same thing about Luke Watson.
Really? I said Luke Watson could become World Rugby Player of the Year?
Can you provide the quote, liar?
While you're searching, you might want to edit your own prediction that Meyer Bosman would become the next Springbok flyhalf legend.
LMAO!
Moz do you Rate Kollisi to be more physical than Roos? In my opinion if Kollisi can make it at this level, so can Roos. Same counts for Eskom van Staden and Kwagga.
Van Staden is good, but he's lucky to be there...we've got better.
Roos not physical enough bwaaahaaaaa
Let me guess old powder puff Mostert is more physical than Roos
I see the childish anti Roos is in full swing
Just a pity you have to resort to lying to make your weak points
Draad agreed I don’t get why v Staaden gets selected - he is strong for his size, but offers nothing in general play. Good over the ball when he actually ever does try effect a turnover. He is not athletic and has a limited skill set
I don’t get his selection. It does not help I guess that we have very few good specialist opensides in SA. Our two best are in their 30’s
The one good prospect we had in Dylan Richardson was stupid enough to get capped by Scotland
So you heard it here first (sic) is up in arms because he only said Watson was better than Schalk…,and he never called him a potential World Player of the year.
But he is predicting Dud Roos will be a World Player of the year. Personally I think he is better than Watson, but more like Luke Watson than a World Player.
And just in case he decides to hide his prediction, here it is for posterity:When someone as rugby ignorant as Moffie dumps all over a player like this it's like a validation. I expect Evan Roos will be winning a World Player of the Year award or a Player of the RWC quite soon!
LMAO
M I don’t think Kolisi is physical …more of an open field runner. Useless on the deck. Most international number 8s would eat Roos for breakfast….Doris, Savea, Aldritt would chew him up. Men against a boy.
Roos will be another PSDT he will be world renowned but Moz will keep telling us how useless he is
It will be interesting to see which player embarrasses Moz more by the end of their careers -PSDT or Roos
Let the contest begin
My call is that Roos will embarrass him more
Sure like Luke Watson, Lambie, Meisiekind, the Duds and the Deysel twins embarrassed me….hahaha. Stripped by a little Portuguese wing.
Stop lying it’s does not raise your credibility stakes
I don’t think we will have to wait for long….I think Roos will get his chance again perhaps vs the AB ( I do think Jasper who is back from his Ban will play) but it might be against the Pumas or possibly on the EOYT.
Then there is also the return of Cameron from injury that will definitely get his chances to.
Rassie might be saying that Roos is not forgotten and that he fits the Bok System well, but choosing Elrigh for the stiffer competition that OZ brings and excluding Roos completely is not such a positive sign for Roos.
In my opinion he should have picked Roos in the Squad to. Start Elrigh in one Test and Roos in the other one. Any case we will have to wait and see, but it will be suspenseful.
DDassie said that come the ABs experimentation time will be verby .......................
.
I never lie…..Rooos was tackled and stumbled forward. The ball then popped out to his left….at right angles to his run and in the direction the tiny wee Goose was leaning. No way a dropped ball goes in that direction. All the evidence, including the hand action of the Goose, pointed to a strip,
Why would he not try to strip the ball given Dud Rooos was falling. What else could he usefully have done.
Stripped by a tiny Goose is the most logical conclusion. Stop trying to pretend this was anything but an embarrassment. If he was impressive Eluckmiss would have put him in the squad. Case closed.
So you're saying that Roos is a doos for
You are lying there is a huge difference between having a player actually rip the ball from you in a one on one upright confrontation
That never happened - Roos got through the first defender who got enough on him to cause him to fall forward (balance gone as he was no longer upright on his feet). On his way down he fends off the wing with his left arm and in the process losses possession of the ball in his right arm. The ball bounces onto the wings stomach, it pops up and the wing flicks it to a support player
That is not having the ball ripped off him by a small wing - you are lying and that’s a fact. All in some pathetic attempt to discredit Roos
The same boring bullshit we are forever now going to hear about Roos. It really is pathetic but we’ll continue to laugh at your expense
Blob can you or someone put the video on here of the moment Roos gets stripped of the ball… I looked at the game again but did not clearly see this happen….I do see something similar to what Dave is describing, but not clear enough….I stand by saying that if the above mentioned players can make it, so can Roos.
..
..
..
Mpower...............
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+rugby+gurubookmarkable.
Stripped my arse - it’s a complete lie
Roos is going down, he is twisting, fending and in the process losses possession
He is fucking hardly out muscled in a one on one upright position where a defender rips the ball out of the grasp of a player
The lengths Moz goes to to bullshit his way to a point is nothing short of childish
Had that wing fronted up to him one on one with both players on their feet and had ripped the ball off him then point taken although to be fair we often see backs target the ball and not the player with much success. James Lowe is a master at it
But this Roos incident was nothing like that
Thanks Blob the picture quality on this video, is good and clear.
The incident happens at Minute 9:41…Roos picks up the ball at a ruck and has to deal immediately with a Loose forward and successfully bumps him off, but as he is on his way the loose forward that he just Bumped off, manages to grab his ankles while he is on the ground.
That is where the smaller guy, which is also run over by Roos, tries to rip the ball before they go to ground….he does not manage that , but when he goes to ground with Roos on top of him, the ball hits his legs and comes loose….that is when the other Porra guys gets the Ball and run and score the try.
Roos does well to deal with 2 guys, the bigger Loose forward and the smaller guy… If it wasn’t for the big guy on the ground grabbing the ankle’s of Roos, the ball would not have been lost.
Not a fair call Moz and if you watch further on in the game, Roos plays well and always makes ground going forward, defends well and strong in all facets off play!
Roos was Very unlucky not to score a try, while dealing yet again with more than one player. Ben J Dixon was good, but his try was a easy pick up and stretch over the line. Besides that one thing I did notice is that Roos and Dixon plays well together as they do at the Stormers.
So bring on Aldritt, Doris, Papillon and Savea, Roos and Dixon will deal with these guys any day of the week!
Well this is my opinion and I Agree with Draad and Dave on this one…Roos will make it : )
As the fellow in Blob’s second video, 4 posts above says….’he sometimes makes mistakes, he gets isolated’….as I noted.
And he says the Portuguese try came from a mistake ‘the ball got ripped’. ….as I noted.
I looked at the incident several times, because the player’s back was turned it’s hard to see exactly how the goose dislodged the ball…..but it didn’t just pop out of Rooos’ hands.
Looked at again….go frame by frame. Ball is in Roooos’ right hand…..the goose is focused on the ball…..as Roos goes down the ball is still in his right hand….next frame, still going down but the ball is going left, they are both looking left!. The Goose’s arm flies up.
It was a strip as he was falling. Every bit of body language from the Goose says strip…..the direction of the ball says strip.. ..Rooos’ head turn says strip….his right hand devoid of ball says strip…. the blogger says strip.
Case closed.
Firstly that was not a clear Rip of the Ball, like we have seen Faf or Lowe of Ireland do.
That ball makes contact with smaller guys legs or Body, comes loose, and then the smaller guy gets hands on the ball and it goes to the other Porra guys.
Besides that, yes Roos has made mistakes and can tend to Run away from Back up and he did loose possession of the ball that resulted in a try. But I have seen many other players do that to.
Let’s take Faf for example in the second test against Ireland. Five metres from Ireland goal line, attacking position and then comes that stuff up of a grubber.
We loose possession , Five points and the game! Same thing but he is not called a Dud?? Let’s stay fair here.
If we take Jasper for example he has made very stupid errors especially with his discipline….even our Great Thor has done real dumb things on the field, but not so bad that they should have been written of completely …same with Roos.
I am watching the game again and will still give my opinion on Louw,s performance. I am a Fan of Elrigh to, but Jake mostly played him at 7 where he excelled for the Bulls.
Note that the Guy ( Keeps on calling Elrigh Albert) also said that Elrigh took a dip in form and that is when he started playing at number 8 for the Bulls when Cameron got injured. He is better at 7 in my opinion, but not better than Dixon at 7.
So there is a real conundrum here with these great loosies and it will come down to the players doing consistently good, when they get there chance.
Cameron Hanekom spells danger for Elrigh and Roos. But Roos has performed well at 6 for the stormers …Hanekom is a beast at 8 but has also performed well at 6… but all 4, Dixon, Roos, Hanekom and Louw can and should be accommodated in the Bok squad.
M take another look frame by frame…it’s easy given Blob posted the match. The ball is out long before Roos hits the deck. I’m not saying it’s a monster rip….but I do believe in the process of trying to fend the Goose, Roos was vulnerable to having it dislodged…and the Goose dislodged it.
I have now watched a number of matches Roos has played. Some of them were impressive, but in tests and the bigger club games, less impressive. He has started 4 times and come off the bench 3 times…his first match starting at 8th man was 2 years ago.
The opportunities have been there and he doesn’t cash in for some reason. But the Portuguese thing was a big set back. This was weak opposition….a guy like Savea would have ripped them apart from the base. And that’s the kind of opposition he has to match if he wants to replace Vermeulen.
He’s athletic, looks the part, but there’s something
missing. Face it, this seeing what we have in Louw would never be happening if Eluckmiss believes Roos is the real deal.
Moz I cannot argue with Roos not taking his chances fully….and him losing possession vs Portugal, did definitely not help his mission.
That is why I said it’s not a good sign him being completely excluded from the Squad that has arrived in OZ.
I do believe he has the goods to make it, definitely…But when he gets another chance, he will have to make it stick!
Otherwise it will be tickets… especially with Louw that is already breathing down his neck and Hanekom potentially doing the same.
I have now watched Louw also play his stint in the Portugal game. He was not flashy, but he did all the basics for a Eighth Man, completely correct . Solid and that is why he is in OZ because he made less mistakes.
Hanekom impressed me most of the three…he still has to do it at test level, but impressed against some good teams. Nice civilized discussion M, despite my tongue in cheek stirring!
Yes Moz it’s nice : ) I have a feeling Hanekom will perform on test level…also very impressed with him.
There was no strip by the wing, Roos in falling and fending off the winger lost control of the ball. It was certainly not physically ripped from him and Mpower is correct Roos had a good game and its poor form by Rassie dropping him from the squad. Yes he wants to give Elrigh Louw a run and rightly so as he has been in good form but mostly at 7.
I’m guessing given he has PSDT at 7 with Ben Jason Dixon as back up it makes sense to play Louw at 8 well that’s presuming we will see him operate at 8 if at all against Oz.
For me without a doubt Roos is our best prospect at 8 - he has it all - great skill (Plum wants him at centre) and he has plenty of physicality. Has a good rugby brain as well. Hanekom has all of this but is less bulky. These two are the front runners and should be closely followed by Emmanuel Tsituka if Rassie and co ever wake up to making sure the Tsituka brothers citenzenships are sorted asap.
Emmanuel is a supreme athlete with no off switch, he just never stops
Wiese has his merits if it’s brawn alone you are after - he is a brick shithouse but offers nothing outside of physicality. He does not do it for me.
Have always been a fan of Dan du Preez at 8 and his brother at 7. It’s beyond me how these two have not each got 50 caps. Give me Dan over Wiese anyday
Gumede at the Bulls is another very impressive 8, he too has it all and I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets capped having been included in the alignment camps
Then we have Augustus at the Saints and the man who never found favour with Rassie in Dayamani - what a run he had at one point. Great athlete but it was his strength that surprised me. Another good 8 was Jaco Coetzee of WP now playing in England.
Given the list above poor Francke Horn of the Lions finds himself way down the pecking order when in fact he is a dam good 8
Another youngster to watch out for is Keke Morabe at WP - big strong unit wit pace and skill
Buthelezi often plays 8 but I don’t see him as an 8, he is a 6 in the Kolisi mould.
My order of 8’s:
Roos
Hanekom
Dan du Preez
Emmanuel Tsituka
Elrigh Louw
Wiese
Dayamani
Gumede
Jaco Coetzee
Augustus
Horn
Morabe
That’s one hell of a list of 8’s
Not one of whom is currently
in the league of Doris, Savea or Alldritt. Hell I’d even take Ben Earl before anybody on your list Dave.Vermeulen leaves a huge hole.
Nah Moz there is more than one player on that list that will keep up with " The Other Guys”
I commend you Dave for the Endless Database of Known and New SA players you post on Ruckers. Also your Team selections.
It’s informative and satisfying to search new players and watch videos of how they play. Also the ones that we have forgotten… Good Job ! : )
Moz you are speaking crap as usual and nothing changes with you - it’s perpetual negativity about SA players
Roos, Hanekom and Emmanuel are easily as good as these players in fact once Roos gets an extended run and settles at test level he will be better than these guys given his skill set
Give Roos 5 consecutive tests and he will shine
He won’t get that from Eluckmiss….he is now in Deysel twin territory. The only guy who has the software is Hanekom. He sees the field. Kwagga will contribute more than the rest, even though physically he isn’t an 8th man. And Wiese is strong enough to perform the basics even if he adds nothing to creativity.
The rest are nice provincial players.
You heard it here first….stick with moz.
Bullshit Rassie is on record saying Roos is part of his plans
Roos is better than Hanekom and Kwagga is a shit 8
Moz if we stuck with you 80% of the current Bok side would not be playing including one of the worlds best in PSDT
Wrong …..the Duds wouldn’t be playing, Kolisi wouldn’t be playing and Marx would be the starting hooker. Dud Toit is a small lock who plays a rover role carved out for him…he can’t fetch, he can’t break tackles, he can’t make open field tackles except on sitting targets like Barrett in the WC final. Hopelessly overrated
As far as the newbies are concerned Libbok wouldn’t be playing, Rooos wouldn’t be playing based on Portugal alone. Currently he is more hype than substance.
Ah ok so let me get this straight - PSDT at 2m and 120kg is a small lock while old powder puff at 1.98m and 112kg is ok
But better still world player of the year and man of the match in a WC final PSDT is overrated and the utterly useless Mostert is a great player in your eyes?
That’s all I need to know Moz
All Dud
ever did was process tackling…in the final Barrett and Jordan gave him two sitting duck opportunities and he finally produced a few dominant tackles. More luck than skill. A blunt instrument only suited to a totally defensive game plan.
The test we lost against Ireland….7 runs for 10 metres no defenders beaten. Toothless. He only makes metres if he happens to get the ball in open space. He can’t beat a defender for love or money and he is our designated ball carrier.
And you think Kwagga had a bad game!P ToitFL | 0 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
K Smith | 0 | 6 | 10 | 53 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Is Mostert better than PSDT Moz??
More effective….a better lineout forward and a better reader of the game, which puts him in the right position more often. Witness the open side tackle against Ireland and then
sprinting to the blindside and making a try saving tackle. Dud never makes that read.Dud is the better runner, but still poor. Both of them should never be go to ball carriers.
So who should our ball carriers be? Kwagga runs well but lacks the brute strength to get thru….often gets taking back in his carries…Kolisi does sometimes produce a good carry, but mostly gets taken off earlier for Rassies reason.
Jasper can do that quite well and is effective in very little space….Cameron Hanekom and Elrigh has proven without a doubt in games playing for the Bulls, that they are up for the task. And so does Roos for the Stormers.
Mostert more effective bwaahaaaa
That’s not worth a response. Mostert is literally useless. A little guy with zero skill
Hanekom runs very good lines, which is why he is effective…Wiese has brute strength. We are missing a Vermeulen|
Alberts type.
Roos has far more potential than Vermeulen had at the same age - far far more skilful
I have asked this before and got no response. What does Dud Toit do that rises above the ordinary, other than making lots of tackles The floor is your’s Dave.
Roooos is in Deysel twin land.
PSDT is as good as Eben in operating in traffic, it’s his role to operate in traffic
You don’t seem to know the basics of the game and I mean that sincerely - you want your blindside to be operating in open play attacking space and beating defenders - but better still you keep banging on about PSDT not effecting turnovers - helloooooo which 2m tall player regularly effects turnovers
Everything PSDT does Mostert can’t do - he makes dominant tackles, he makes dominant clean outs and he breaches the advantage line with ball in hand. That’s everything you ask of a blindside - it’s why he is the best blindside in the game
You are lying that Roos is another Deysel - let’s put money on it - name your price
Vermeulen only made his test debut at 26, Roos was 3 years younger and far far too skilful not to be a Bok regular
Yes and I have answered that before….Ollivon is terrific on the deck…he is also a better ball carrier than Dud, Your blindside is a toothless runner who can’t do anything with the ball, because for some reason you have decided that’s all one can expect. Nonsense a great blindsider can fetch, can open field tackle, can offload and can break tackles. Dud Toit can do none of those things.
As for Rooos I’d expect a junior Bok 8 to do well against Portugal. Rooos had an embarrassing outing. That’s why he’s gone, not because Eluckmiss has to ‘look at’ Louw.
You are lying Olivion is not a regular turnover exponent and giving me one occasional effort by a blindside is a piss poor attempt at validation
2m tall players don’t effect turnovers and it’s not the role of a blindside - you will find that is the role of your shorter 6 and 8 and more so any shorter player in the side - fuck me Moz the basics of rugby
Your take on Roos against Portugal is just a childish predictable lie as Mpower correctly observed he had a good game
Which is why Eluckmiss is looking at Louw….it’s you that’s being childish Dave. He had a poor game, but given the opposition he had a shocker.
We’ll another factor that played a role is the big amount of expectation that was builded up around Roos.
Roos had a above average game against Portugal.
But the Lost of Possession and maybe isolating himself were he nearly scored that try, counted against him.
It’s unfair to say he had a shocker, because he wasn’t that bad. But then again he did not live up to the tremendous amount of hype that was builded up around him.
Like Dave said a person can really only say with 100% certainty, after he has started a certain amount of games for the Boks consecutively.
Lost possession for a direct opposition try….got isolated which caused Arendse to get carded trying to protect him… in 12 runs he managed to beat 1 tackle? And the opposition was a team ranked 15th in the world. I’d call that a shocker.
I just read this on Planet Rugby:
" More misery for Evan Roos after Rugby Championship snub -
Springboks number eight Evan Roos will not be in action again this season after he made the decision to have an operation on a troublesome shoulder injury
The 24-year-old was a surprise exclusion from Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus’ 33-man squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship campaign.
Jasper Wiese, who has been first choice, is sidelined for the Boks’ next two Tests after receiving a heavy suspension while on duty with Leicester Tigers in the Premiership, leaving Kwagga Smith to take the role against Ireland.
Elrigh Louw preferred at number eight
Earlier this week, Erasmus said he left Roos out of his squad for South Africa‘s two Tests against the Wallabies in Australia as he wants to see how Elrigh Louw fares in the international arena.
With Roos out of the picture, it looks like Louw and Rugby World Cup winner Smith will be involved in a direct duel to start at number eight in South Africa’s Rugby Championship opener with Australia in Brisbane on August 10.
The Stormers star started at the base of the scrum for the Springboks during their mid-year internationals against Wales and Portugal.
Erasmus’ comments on Roos gave an indication that the Stormers powerhouse might return to action later in the Rugby Championship, against New Zealand or Argentina.
However, that will not happen now after he confirmed that he opted to consult a specialist over a shoulder problem which has bothered him for close to a year.
Already a difficult operation’
“The specialist says if I don’t have surgery now, it’s only going to get worse,” Roos told Rapport. “It’s already a difficult operation with some of the cartilage in the shoulder gone.
“It’s sad, especially because there was maybe a chance to play for the Boks again. However, I can’t give them a 100 per cent with the injured shoulder.”
Roos is expected to be sidelined for the next four to six months which means he will miss the rest of the Springboks’ Rugby Championship Tests and their end-of-year tour to Europe, as well as the start of the Stormers’ United Rugby Championship campaign. //
So we won’t get that question answered very soon, after all.
Sorry to hear that…..perhaps that has affected his play in the last few months. Sounds like a rotator cuff issue….that’s a nasty recovery, several friends have had that procedure.
Yeah I feel for the guy…. That procedure and recovery sounds down right nasty…I think that would have definitely influenced his on field performance and caused a lot of pain…So next year our Roos discussions will continue:)
Yep it’s a shit injury I’ve had my son had it
Moz I reckon it was that tiny Portuguese wing ripping that ball off him that did his shoulder in :)
So Moz if you make a break and get isolated and turned over is that poor play by you?
When Roos lost possession plenty happened before the try was scored like the kick ahead so saying the try was a direct result of the loss of possession is bullshit
Roos had a good game against Portugal despite a crocked shoulder
I’d agree with you Dave, but apparently it happened months almost a year ago. See you can see he’s carrying the left shoulder low
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Roos will return, but for now Elrigh gets his chance to shine.
It’s time for Elrigh Louw to grab his chance for the Springboks and make his mark.
And no, Evan Roos has not been thrown away, and will be back in the national side before long.
That’s the message from coach Rassie Erasmus as he prepares to leave for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship along with the squad for their opening two games against Australia in Brisbane and Perth.
Erasmus said the team picked for Australia was with specific goals in mind and would be selected so that the Boks had the option of two strong loose trios for the two tests.
He also clarified that Louw was being given a chance to show his worth against a top nation.
“I think we have two full loose forward trios. Marco and Siya can play six, Pieter-Steph and Ben-Jason can play seven and Kwagga and Elrigh can play eight. Elrigh can also play seven. Certainly Evan is not out of the mix. Prior to the Portugal test match we told the guys - you get a chance here, go out and show your hand. “There were a few new dogs in the neighbourhood, start lifting your leg and make a mark there. Certainly a few guys did,” he explained.
“Elrigh - we certainly want to experience him against big nations because he was part of our plans always, but he certainly did take a dip in form, and he will admit it himself. We know what Evan can do, and Evan is not thrown away - we still have nine test matches away.
“So like we did against Argentina away last year, we picked a lot of guys and a different team. It is about building squad depth and we know what Evan can do. “He didn’t have bad games and we now can see he is comfortable in the Springbok setup, and we now can give Elrigh a chance to show what he can do.”
A CHANCE TO IMPRESS Erasmus also countered the narrative that Roos plays differently for the Stormers than for the Springboks and that is why he has apparently fallen out of favour.
The Boks have given Roos a chance against Wales and Portugal, with Kwagga Smith facing Ireland in two tests and Louw likely to start against Australia. With Jasper Wiese’s suspension ending ahead of the All Black tests, he is likely to resume his role at eight for those two tests and then the Boks will give others a chance against Argentina.
At least, that seems to be the recipe for now. “No I don’t think so, on defence it is pretty much the same as it is with the Stormers. Most of the South African teams have the same mindset and systems when it comes to defence.
There may be small tweaks here and there but we are pretty familiar to the way that the Stormers defend with Norman Laker there.
“On attack we have a different attack coach. If it was something like that when Felix (Jones) was the attack coach, it is certainly not something with Tony Brown. It is purely that he has six or seven caps now and Elrigh has a bit less and we are trying to get more caps across the squad. We know what he can do and we have no problem with what he did for us but it is time to give Elrigh also a chance against top tier nations and see what he can do. “Because the Bulls went the deepest in the URC competition and he was certainly one of the more physical players in that setup.
“There are no prescriptions - none more than what we would have for Elrigh, or Pieter Steph or anyone else. I wouldn’t say we are punching his play in, I would say we are more encouraging Evan to play the way he wants to play and he certainly did. He made a few errors like anyone else who hasn’t got 10 caps under their belt, he would make some errors.”
And with Cameron Hanekom almost recovered from his injury, he will also knock hard at the door for the Boks and could be in the camp sooner than later.
Either way, the shuffling of eights is less of a concern than a strategy to get the best out of the immense talent the Boks currently possess.