World XV not a Test
9 Mar 2006
The Springboks match against the World XV at Ellis Park on 3 June will not be an official Test match, Saru announced on Thursday.
Despite giving out caps for a ‘Test’ against Uruguay last year, Saru has decided not to award caps against a far stronger World XV line-up. However the SA XV players, most of whom will be the established Springboks, will still play in the official Springbok jersey.
The match will serve as a challenging warm-up against the best players in the world. Players like Rafial Ibanez, Carlos Spencer, Thomas Castaignede, Justin Marshall, Owen Finegan and Bruce Reihana will run out for the World XV and will be coached by well-known international coach Bob Dwyer.
The World XV players, as well as Dwyer, will conduct several training clinics for schools and coaches in the week leading up to the game.
Springbok coach Jake White and national captain John Smit said they welcomed the challenge of playing against a selection of the best players in the world on home soil.
“The Boks face a tough and demanding 2006 season and in the past warm up matches were played against Tier 2 countries like Uruguay and Samoa. This time I want to try out new combinations and blood new players against the world’s best,� says Springbok coach Jake White.
27 Comments
9 Mar 2006, 17:41 pm
When can we get tickets?
9 Mar 2006, 17:43 pm
i think giving this test status will be like giving test status to a baa baa’s match. baa ba teams are also stronger than uruguay, but they dont count as tests, or do they?
9 Mar 2006, 17:43 pm
Looks like a WorldXi of retired or has-beens,kinda like a barbarians team under a different name? Hope we beat them
9 Mar 2006, 17:46 pm
Should be entertaining stuff
9 Mar 2006, 17:57 pm
I would like to see a full strength Southern v Northern Hemisphere game. Suspect that the only SA players that would make the team would be Matfield and de Villiers, with Habana, du Randt, Burger and Tiaan Snyman also contenders. Yada yada. Blah blah.
9 Mar 2006, 17:59 pm
wud be intertesting, i only think they wud let matfield be in the team, but nobody else
9 Mar 2006, 18:05 pm
Man here we go, let the optomism begin lol
I supose the next thing you lot are going to say just like we have heard for the last two seasons, is how disasterous the Bok SEASON WILL BE,
lol
I recon we will step up this year above the previous two seasons, JW defo gets something out of the players and the continety is there for the third season in sucsession
9 Mar 2006, 18:15 pm
Here is my southern hemisphere, which I’m sure you’re all dying to see:
Some Argentine
Mealamu
Hayman
Matfield
Vickerman
McCaw
Smith
Waugh
9. ???
Carter
Habana
de Villiers
Nonu
Some kiwi
Latham
Loose forwards unbalanced, and have no 9.
9 Mar 2006, 18:24 pm
loose must have Jerry Jerry Jerry in for th eNZ okes to be happy
9 Mar 2006, 18:34 pm
Vanilla Ice, you mean. He’s just a thug – would have Juan Smith in before him. What about Smith, Smith, McCaw?
10 Mar 2006, 08:09 am
As Naas said last week, they musnt be called a world xv, as its NOT the world’s best xv players.
It is like a team of past international players past there best.
10 Mar 2006, 09:18 am
What have the boks done to warrant a game against a World XV?
10 Mar 2006, 09:54 am
world XV my ***.. its just a Baabaas game — played in SA.
10 Mar 2006, 10:21 am
Craig – should we remind Naas he got two caps vs a World XV in ’89 which was far from the world’s best and full of players at teh point of retirement?
10 Mar 2006, 11:01 am
Agree totally that it should not be awarded test status. Amuses me to hear the proposed XV’s players being referred to as “hasbeens”; this coming from people who in all liklihood dreamed of being good enough to lace up their togs.
10 Mar 2006, 11:48 am
Agree Geco, but he was just a player then. He got selected, he played.
Same as the players now, they get selected, they play.
Naas is just saying its NOT a world xv and we all agree,
I dont think they should play in Springbok jerseys at all, play in green and gold, with the SARUGBY emblem, but not the Springbok emblem.
10 Mar 2006, 11:54 am
Well, not the first time the Boks will play unofficial games. The internal tour of 1985 comes to mind, as does the Springboks (in offical jerseys et al) vs the Junior Springboks in 1991.
10 Mar 2006, 15:18 pm
wonder what new combinations jake white has in mind…
could be Habana into center or JdV/Monty into flyhalf, perhaps he’s alreading thinking of using Snyman in some sort of capacity or a reshuffled backrow.
10 Mar 2006, 17:28 pm
Will it really make a difference unless Jake uses the game to make a radical shift in style of play rather than just giving the established players some game time to get their confidence back …
11 Mar 2006, 02:29 am
Geko I concur let them play in full colours. Craig you are a mister no it all. lol
11 Mar 2006, 03:21 am
Brumbie stats please
11 Mar 2006, 08:37 am
pompies, you ****. the ABs are the only team you deserve a match against the World XV, the Boks away record is just as bad as ours.
11 Mar 2006, 15:52 pm
My Southern Hemisphere Team would be
1. Os
2. Mealamu
3. Hayman
4. Vickerman
5. Matfield
6. Schalk/Collins
7. McCaw
8. G Smith/J Smith
9. Januarie
10. Carter
11. Habana
12. JdV
13. Nonu
14. Gear
15. Rogers
16. Mendez
17. Some Argentine
18. Skeate
19. Collins
20. Weepu
21. McAlistair
22. Gerrard/Mitchel
11 Mar 2006, 17:07 pm
jean de villiers on reputation. Mark Gerrard carves up.
12 Mar 2006, 08:42 am
Bumby when last did dem all blacks win dat world cup 1987 me thinks. Grand slam twice boks thrice. Tell me more mate.
13 Mar 2006, 04:27 am
SH Team:
15.Rogers
14.Gear
13.Nonu
12.de Villiers
11.Habana
10.Carter
9.Weepu
8.G.Smith
7.McCaw
6.Burger
5.Matfield
4.Botha
3.Hayman
2.Mealamu
1.du Randt
16.Smit
17.Woodcock
18.Jack
19.Holah/Collins/J.Smith
20.Pienaar
21.Larkham
22.Latham
13 Mar 2006, 04:30 am
Coaches: Laurie Mains & Rod McQueen
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