This is definitely a more progressive selection. A step in the right Direction of rebuilding a new Bok team.
This is definitely a more progressive selection. A step in the right Direction of rebuilding a new Bok team.
It’s a damn good team and I’d play Moodie at 13 off the bench and include the likes of Tambwe, Green, Jurenzo Julius, David Kriel, Masuku, Nohamba, Hendrikse, Wessels, Mchunu, Sadie , Grobelaar , Jenkins, Ruan Vermaak, Ludwig, Buthelezi, BJ Dixon, Ruan Venter, Vincent & Emmanuel Tsituka in the squad
Yep I like it.....not sure if Marx will be fit.
I'd start Kwagga off the bench.
There you go guys ...
From yesterday, wanting to moer each other..... to today, where you are mostly agreeing on the same side..... who woulda thunk it ... 
It's called commonsense.
I’m starting Kwagga at 6 as there is no obvious up and coming openside - I’d be tempted to play Hanekom at 6 which he has done for the Bulls
If I did that then I’d have BJ Dixon or Emmanuel Tsituka on the bench and ditch Kwagga as he is 30
Sounds good.
Good side.
My question marks.
Backline - Is Am the player he once was. Kriel has done very well
I still don't like two tiny wings. Arendse was very poor in the air. I was impressed by Edwil van der Merwe. Edwil is 90 kg and 5ft 11.
Arendse is 80kg and 5ft 9.5
Williams. Great pace but hardly ever makes a break. That feisty Lions scum half caught my eye. Hope Williams makes it as he could be the fastest scrummie in world rugby.
Sasha showed great potential and is worth a risk. Pollard on the bench
How strong is Wilco Louw. But fine lets test him against the best.
This is a better balanced loose trio. Question mark over starting Kwagga. To me he is an impact player or about to be dropped.
I would start Hanekom at 6 and Kwagga of the bench. It would be nice to have Duhan vd Merwe type wings, but I don’t think we have bigger stock?
Wilco is Moer strong…maybe get Uncle Mike with his connections, to send this list to Rassie for the RC….big Question mark over his selections for the RC!
Much better loosie combination…..you can’t start two newbies at halfback, made worse by having Papier and Libbok as your backups.
Bring in a Jaden Hendrikse on the Bench instead of Papier…..Jaden is not completely new as he has quite a couple of caps on his belt….Jurie Matthee a Stormers fly half is also very impressive. Then you also have a Kade Wolhuter , but he is quite injury prone….he is playing for the lions ATM.
No way in hell am I changing my bench
Andre Hugo Venter is a star in the making at hooker, Gerhard Steenkamp has already proved he belongs as a test player, Thomas du Toit is a beast and should have been in the squad ahead of Nyakane and Koch long ago. His form for Bath has had him smashing the Bok door down. Ruben v Heerden is by far our best young lock . As for Hanekom - no need to say anything
Papier has been by some distance the best 9 in the country this season but as per usual we get clowns on here voicing an opinion based on what they saw years ago. Anyone actually watching him play this season would have to admit he has been in exceptional form.
Libbok is a star and Moodie is a superstar in the making
Fuck me you have to be rugby ignorant to call that bench poor
Libbok is a star…hahaha….a falling star!
Yep a star - a shit hot rugby player
Best attacking 10 we have
That no look kick pass in the WC was something else
And his pathetic performance against Glasgow doesn't matter because one no look kick came off…. whereas we actually had an overlap and simply passing the ball was a much higher percentage play. No wonder you admire Jantjies.
And it was all going so well…. !
Moz you have acknowledged before that you admire his fluid running with ball in hand…. Besides this team is More the direction of selection we should be going….the option is always there to add some players or take away the under performing ones.
Mozart
We've seen this monotonous argument time after time so instead of knocking Dave's team why don't you simply just put up your better team?
For the RC? I’d play:
Willemse
Kolbe
Moodie
Esterhozen
Arendse
Pollard
Williams
Kolbe and Arendse are already incumbents. Willemse, Moodie and Williams have already had a taste of test rugby. I think they are our best bets along with Sacha. Pollard provides the glue and Esterhozen the creative element we have missed….there is no better offloader at 12 in world rugby.
Ox
Marx
Malherbe
Etzebeth
Snyman
Roos
Louw
Hanekom
We need a fetcher who can protect the ball across the park….Roos looks like the best bet and Hanekom is equally good at number 8.
As far as the tight five are concerned, they are the dominant unit in rugby and their replacements need a stint on the bench.
That’s enough change if we want any semblance of team continuity. There are 9 players who weren’t starters in the WC final. Injury has forced a few of those decisions. Make any more and you are in Destroyli territory.
Remember those days when Bok colors were given out by the dozens and we lost in the WC QF.
There isn't a great deal of difference between your team and Dave's, your pack is pretty much the same and it's likewise with the backline bar a few exceptions, I only differ on Pollard, perhaps off the bench but not in the starting lineup. Sacha can do what Pollard can do but Pollard can't do what Sacha can. Same with Grant Williams....he can do what Faf can do but Faf can't do what he does. As for AE....well I'm still out with the jury.
Mozart insists on dstroyng the S pringbok backlne by bringing in Esterhuizen in a team that Dave proposed cmprising of youber than 30 old players. Esterhuizenis already 30 years of age a year youger than his hated De Allende.-but t best a fringe playe killing backline operation He is 5 time worse than De Allende and 10 times wse than Wilemse.
In essense I think Erasmus and Browne will change the team combiation depending on who the opposition is. The younger players are likely to be brought into he squad in matchess against Argentina and anoher combination against Australia and the strongest potential team againt the AB's for the current year and then replace some of the older players next year followed by further changes in 2026.
.
Really good team Dave. I was expecting you to name the to 100. I agree that we simply don't have an opensider. But then we have other players that can poach the ball like Marx.
No room for PSDT?
Not even bench?
Denny the main difference is in the 9/10/12 axis. Dave believes Williams/Sacha/ Willemse are ready to start against the ABs. I rate all 3 players, but I don’t think they are ready. They may very well be our choice at WC27, but we don’t make it more likely by having them fail now….remember Gaffie du Toit?
And the bench hardly looks like the bomb squad!
Marx has a fractured tibia so he is not available for RC…so I see you still putting trust in Frans and not a Wilco who is matured into a absolutely destructive beast in the scrum? Even Jake your Favourite says out right he is the strongest TH in the world. Frans was pressed into a can by Andrew Porter first and second test . Grobblar at hooker? Come on Moz now is your time to shine and move away from a inheritance team….just saying : )
"Dave believes Williams/Sacha/ Willemse are ready to start against the ABs. I rate all 3 players, but I don’t think they are ready
The ABs very much in a rebuilding phase have started players with lesser talent and skills than those three. I'm convinced that right now those three are ready and would start in any of the top four international sides. Gaffie had a big boot and nothing else.
When would they be ready?
My only concern is that all three in Willemse, Williams and Sacha are that they are very instinctive players. They don't connect well with players around them. Fantastic individual skills and beat a lot of defenders, but the best players knows how to control the flow of play, where to run, how to hit the line.
I said it time and again, Willems always does his jump up, tries to step a player and then only passes when he is in trouble. He doesn't create a flow to the game. The best players like Joubert, Conrad Smit etc. They always play effortlessly. Connects well, in the right place and just knows how to move the game. Manie started to do that at the stormers and actually a really good general.
I think the 9 from the Lions has that. It allowed someone like Nohamba to play with flair and then you have a 9 that can control the game. I don't think any of those 3 possess the mental awareness that the need at this stage
They would be ready when they are ready mentally. Pollard was ready when he first stepped on the park in a green jersey. Gaffie, who was one of the fastest Boks and way more than just a boot, clearly wasn’t ready. Nor were Jantjies, Lambie, Willemse or Hougaard.
So after not changing the team for 7 years we now want to put 3 youngsters in all the key inside back positions? Of the three I’m most comfortable with Williams….he plays in a contained way and doesn’t over emphasize his running.
Willemse has just had a successful WC at 15, and we now retread him to inside center. I think he could play the position, but we know he can succeed at 15 in the most pressure filled games.
I hope Sacha is our WC 15 in 2027, I’m far more excited about him than I was about Willemse at 10, Jantjies or Libbok. He should have started against Portugal, but no need to rush him into starting a RC determining game against NZ. We haven’t seen enough yet, nor has he.
Sacha will play 10 I reckon
Willemse at 12 would revolutionise the way the position is currently played
Would it work, probably not but I’d love to see him try
Fassi at 15 for sure
I hear Andre Hugo Venter is keen to play openside when he returns to WP
Could be a good move - this lad is a real talent. It’s a pity Dylan Richardson of the Sharks decided to play for Scotland as he could have been a real option at openside
Willemse, Sacha, Williams, Moodie and Libbok have all had a taste of international level and all of them made the step up, Libbok's kicking and BMT might be questionable but fair is fair and I reserve judgement in the longer term. As for the others I hold no fear, they've all had experience at test level and fitted in seamlessly, they couldn't have had a better introduction. Another thing in their favour is that they'll be protected by a monster pack. The only thing that concerns me is that their individual instincts disconnect with the players around them as mentioned by 'Korn. I stand firm in that Sacha should start at flyhalf and for the benefit of doubt Pollard should start off the bench.
The problem is Rassie and his gameplan.......I don't believe he can handle the depth of talent at his disposal and my fear is that he'll stick with the same old same old dead in the water gameplan that won him the WC.
An oldie but a goodie for both coach and player...."You cannot teach an old dog new tricks"
Moz Id keep the bigger more physical player in Roos at 8 and move the quicker slightly leaner Hanekom to 6, where he has played a game or two for the Bulls
Our looseforward stocks are ridiculous when you think of Wiese, Roos, Elrigh Louw, Hanekom, Ben Jason Dixon, Ruan Venter, Buthelezi, Vincent Tsituka, Emmanuel Tsituka, Augustus, Jaco Coetzee, Liebenberg, Ackerman, Francke Horn, Gumede, Dayamani, Theinissen, JL du Preez, Dan du Preez, James Venter, Reinhardt Ludwig, Morabe, v Staaden, JC Pretorious
Venter had a great game against Portugal.
Sacha did miss a mick at goal. His tough finders were exceent and his set of of Mpimpi's was the play of the match.
The Lions scrummie did well and RG played 80 minutes and was man of tbe match.
There is a wealth of talent to bring through and our great coach will do the job. Those dopes who are out of their depth best quieten down and learn the game.
27,740 posts
Bold but moving forward
15. Fassi
14. Kolbe
13. Am
12. Willemse
11. Arendse
10. Sacha
9. Williams
1. Ox
2. Marx
3. Wilco Louw
4. Etzebeth (c)
5. RG
6. Kwagga
7. Elrigh Louw
8. Roos
16. AH Venter 17. Steenkamp 18. Thomas du Toit 19. Ruben v Heerden 20. Hanekom 21. Papier 22. Libbok 23. Moodie
Only 5 in the 23 are in their 30’s of which four are 30