Jean is captain!
30 May 2006
Jean de Villiers is Jake White’s shock choice to captain the Springbok XV against the World XV on Saturday.
Announcing the team in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, White surprised the gathered media by naming the talented inside centre to lead the team for the festival match.
De Villiers has 20 Test caps (and 11 tries) to his name and is considered by many to be one of the most naturally gifted players in the country. He has obviously, at 25-years-old, got a long career ahead of him.
This elevation could be the beginning of his apprenticeship to eventually taking over from Smit full-time in the next few years.
De Villiers was not considered by any for the position in speculations in the past week. After it was vacated by the injured John Smit, AJ Venter, Wikus van Heerden and Victor Matfield were expected to carry the torch.
Both Venter and Van Heerden are included in the squad and were considered the only candidates in the race, after Victor Matfield dropped out because of injury last week.
The squad of 23 includes three players who have not previously played for the Boks – lock Johann Muller, scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar and centre Wynand Olivier – all on the bench.
Wayne Julies will travel with the squad to Johannesburg as cover, while the rest of White’s charges will remain in Bloemfontein to continue preparing for the first Test against Scotland in Durban on June 10.
After white toyed with the idea of fielding a young and inexperienced line-up, he has actually chosen a team full of experience for a match that will help map the way forward in an extremely congested international season.
Certain combinations will be tested against a World XV that arrived on Tuesday morning vowing not to just make up the numbers.
The match 22 is extremely experienced with a combined 400 Test caps behind them, while the starting XV has 345 caps, broken down to 150 among the forwards and 195 in the backline.
Springbok XV versus the World XV:
1. Deon Carstens
2. Hanyani Shimange
3. Eddie Andrews
4. Danie Rossouw
5. Albert van den Berg
6. Wikus van Heerden
7. AJ Venter
8. Joe van Niekerk
9. Ricky Januarie
10. Jaco van der Westhuyzen
11. Gaffie du Toit
12. Jean de Villiers (captain)
13. Jaque Fourie
14. Andre Snyman
15. Percy Montgomery
Replacements:
16. Gary Botha
17. Lawrence Sephaka
18. Johann Muller
19. Pedrie Wannenburg
20. Ruan Pienaar
21. Wynand Olivier
22. Brent Russell
23. Wayne Julies
By Andrew Hollely
319 Comments
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30 May 2006, 15:03 pm
World XV 52, SA Muppits 30. We will be outsmarted and outplayed.
30 May 2006, 15:04 pm
keg, reckon JW sees Wickus and Joe as fetchers with cross-defense, the ball carriers are AJ, Smith, Rossouw, Cronje, and supposedly Wannenberg.
30 May 2006, 15:05 pm
Any takers
30 May 2006, 15:07 pm
thats the spirit boylouw.
30 May 2006, 15:07 pm
Cab, Big joke is no fetcher, when last did you see him steal a ball? Rossouw is one dimensional and maybe good currie cup players.
30 May 2006, 15:08 pm
cab
hope your right. just hope not the same is going to happen to boks that happened to bulls – no fetcher = mccaw 5+ turnovers
30 May 2006, 15:10 pm
fetchers in s14:
stormers – luke, burger
sharks – botes,brits
bulls – dlulane
cats – baywatch
cheetahs, floors, vdMerwe
30 May 2006, 15:10 pm
Sorry, my eeeenglisshhh is not soo good! Hopefully this ausie backline running line coach brings some dimension into the bok backline and we dont score all our tries through interceptions.
30 May 2006, 15:10 pm
motox
Bulls the best team in S.A and the sooner ppl get used to it the better for all. Yes we didnt make a final and neither did australia …. but with a one dimensional game plan thats leagues ahead of any other south african team the bulls did make the semi-final.
Its poor mentality that we have to think a semi-final good enough but yeah …you only as good as u practice and well we practice year after year against the other provinces and they useless. Its about time the other provinces step up. Why you think ppl hate the bulls? cos they keep winning and they the best.
30 May 2006, 15:13 pm
Anyone here that muppit man from Parliment on the news yesterday eve mocking Andre Snyman and Jake White?
30 May 2006, 15:13 pm
boylouw
it was os snyman!
30 May 2006, 15:14 pm
Drunkmonkey, you are as dumb as your blue bull players.
30 May 2006, 15:14 pm
drunkmonkey, like they practised in the cc final?
30 May 2006, 15:16 pm
die koppie gaan wp toe!
weer Pretoria!
30 May 2006, 15:16 pm
Keg
Scary thing is: JW selected only 1
30 May 2006, 15:17 pm
The parliment ****** was going on about how the Ndungani twins should be in the squad and how JW got AS out of retirement and he is over the hill….etc I thing AS is going to kick ***!
30 May 2006, 15:18 pm
brickwall
JW believes that barry is a 4th looseforward – maybe he is the fetcher when he plays.
LMAO
30 May 2006, 15:18 pm
Drunkmonkey, how can you compare the bulls to australian sides?
30 May 2006, 15:19 pm
what about solly?
30 May 2006, 15:19 pm
Boylouw
He better kick ***!
30 May 2006, 15:20 pm
Blue bull rugby can bully smaller unions in the CC, but as they showed last year, that type of rugby will not win trophies, Super 14 or CC or Vodacom Cup.
30 May 2006, 15:20 pm
Vundu – the average woman on this site has more intelligence in one synapse of her brain, than the average man has got crammed into his entire skull. More humour and rugby knowledge too.
I just baited a line with a giant shiny hook. I didn’t even bother with bait and GUESS who gulped it down. Mr Stoopid.
30 May 2006, 15:20 pm
30 May 2006, 15:20 pm
solly didn’t play much s14
30 May 2006, 15:21 pm
but he is still selected as fetcher. something he has done quite well for the sp’boks to date.
30 May 2006, 15:21 pm
Boylouw
I agree.
The plonkers up north don’t realise that a great pack can only win you games if they are completely in charge. The moment they are kept at bay, you will loose!!
30 May 2006, 15:21 pm
If Jaco is our fly=half for the WC we’ve already lost – he has so many fundamental flaws in that position where does one begin: he runs sideways and holds on too long; his punt kicking is suspect because it is so inconsistent and his hands are bad. In 23 test matches in that position he has not had one commanding performance – not one. It is a terrible move in the wrong direction.
John Cowper – Detroit
30 May 2006, 15:22 pm
When will the squad of 26 be announced??
30 May 2006, 15:22 pm
skim
He is talking about the fact that they did make a S14 final.
Basic
30 May 2006, 15:23 pm
‘If our tight 5 can get enough ball we should win it.
Not to sure why they make an oke who quite obviously can’t tackle or doesn’t want to pass the ball……the Captain.
Venter and Van Niekerk where both in decent form in the later stages of the S14….Wikus is pants, don’t know why he is there.
Make no mistake, the World 15 is a bloody strong side,they are well capable of winning this…….but we have been pretty good at Ellis these past couple seasons.
30 May 2006, 15:24 pm
oops I meant not make a final.
30 May 2006, 15:24 pm
Bulls bully smaller unions ??? OK just to remind some ******* here that the Bulls was the only south african team to reach the semi-final and they also beaten all there south african counter parts. They lost against the crusaders that was last years super14 champions and this years super14 champions.
Yes we all know why freestate won the curriecup!!
30 May 2006, 15:25 pm
John Cowper
But for all his faults, he is bloody quick, takes the ball flat, asks questions of the defence and passes either side.
It’s not as if we have too many options at flyhalf.
30 May 2006, 15:26 pm
Ah ek sien al die onosel ver regs verkrampte afrikaner bloubul ondersteuner se nie offisiele spreekspersoon jondood is hier.
30 May 2006, 15:26 pm
The Sharks would have done a much better job than the bulls.
30 May 2006, 15:27 pm
Skim
Who knows, they did not win the games that mattered.
30 May 2006, 15:28 pm
Lets just put the Super14 behind us. I hate thinking about unpleasant things.
30 May 2006, 15:29 pm
super 14 threads have been archived already…
30 May 2006, 15:29 pm
bliksem
Why dont you go get fucked?
Unlike you I get laid and dont have to post my sexual fantasies on this rugby website like yo do.
Never mind small man syndrome you simply are a little ****.
Anway bliksem why dont you go “geniet hom”
doos
30 May 2006, 15:29 pm
The Sharks may win more games on the road, but time after time they have shown that they choke on the “big occassion”……be it home or away.
30 May 2006, 15:30 pm
I’d love to stay and chat with you guys but Spongebob Squarepants is on……..
30 May 2006, 15:31 pm
hook,line and sinker.hold on jondood let me just strap into the fighting chair,there we go.you bulls supporters are as predictable as the bulls gameplan.how’s mud island treating you?you seem a bit edgy there.
30 May 2006, 15:31 pm
Shoe!!!!
30 May 2006, 15:33 pm
Bliksem
En nou loop hy so mooi soos n haai op n ou hout katrol!!
30 May 2006, 15:33 pm
Cowper is right.
Check Jaco’s 2 banana kicks in the semi-final.
What were those all about.
30 May 2006, 15:33 pm
does jake reserve the right to pull kobus visage into the side if our scrum kaks?
30 May 2006, 15:34 pm
bliksem
Mud Island is kak cause the weather is kak.
You dont question the fact that perhaps I was indulging you.
30 May 2006, 15:34 pm
i hope so pale_toe
30 May 2006, 15:34 pm
Dawn
You are to nice. Those were’nt banana kicks, it was plain slices!
30 May 2006, 15:35 pm
Does banana kicks fall in the same category as coconut tackles?
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