Boost for Baby Boks
23 Jun 2006
South Africa’s chances of defending their U21 World Championship title improved substantially after three key players were passed fit for the final.
The Baby Boks play hosts France in the decider on Sunday, the team they beat 14-10 in their final group match. Chiliboy Ralepelle’s side then smashed the Kiwis 40-23 in the semi-finals, while France beat Australia.
South Africa have lost just one U21 match in the last three years, and their chances of protecting that record were improved when three key players, who left the field injured against New Zealand, were passed fit for the final.
Ralepelle, centre Brad Barritt and flyhalf Isma-eel Dollie will all play against France. It was Dollie who sparked the Baby Boks’ two tries midway through the second half of the semi-final, when he put Keegan Daniel and then Wilhelm Steenkamp away for five-pointers.
The only injury concern to the Baby Boks is flanker Hilton Lobberts, who took a couple big knocks against the Kiwis. Expect him to play a role off the bench on Sunday.
Possible Baby Boks side:
15 Marius Delport, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Bradley Barritt, 11 Cedric Mkhize, 10 Isma-eel Dollie, 9 Warren Malgas, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Pierre Spies, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Nikolai Blignaut, 3 Sangoni Mxoli, 2 Chiliboy Ralapelle (c), 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Subs: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Scott Spedding, 22 Frank Wagenstroom.
124 Comments
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23 Jun 2006, 12:16 pm
Lobberts is not a bad player when he is fit….dont get me wrong! Obviously he also cover another criteria…which is awesome…means you dont need a mal geese at no 9!
Just as you saying you cant leave out a fit Lobberts…how can you leave out a fit Louw..his pedigree says it all!
23 Jun 2006, 12:16 pm
Swys DuBruin does most of the coaching and Balie was helping but I think he is working more with the Sharks these days
23 Jun 2006, 12:21 pm
Cherrie – your ‘other criteria’ is rediculous. Half the bloody team fits that bill. Lobberts was a star of the u/19 win last year, and together with Raphelle – was called into the u/21 team that won the tournament last year.
This guy’s colour has ****-all to do with how a bloody great player he is.
23 Jun 2006, 12:25 pm
Gecko…chill your beans mate! I never said the only reason he is in is his colour….what I am saying is that it is a bonus….you have to realize that the more players of colour there is…the happier the big boys at Sarfu are….at the end of the day that is all PdV is concerned about!
23 Jun 2006, 12:28 pm
You can’t his pedigree either. Lobberts nor De Villiers. Both have proven track records at age group rugby.
Seems SARFU is not the only one looking through coloured glasses.
23 Jun 2006, 12:37 pm
St.Petersburgbok
Again ur facts are skewed, Read again bru i didnt say that its ralepeles first year i said last year was his first year at the bulls since leaving school btw if u havent read my post on a previous thread were u argued that strauss should have started because he was the hooker in the u21 wc winning side last year get ur facts straight man chilliboy was the starting hooker in the side last year too.
Also u cant use age to determine who is more physically developed Burger aged 19 playing for the sau21 side was clearly stronger than any of his older counterparts.
23 Jun 2006, 12:38 pm
Redox is correct. Strauss started last year tournament, but Chilli took over, started in all the major games.
23 Jun 2006, 12:43 pm
Dollie should not be rushed into senior rugby. He is still a boy. Don’t get me wrong, he is an exciting prospect but he needs to mature. By that i don not suggest that he needs to grow 6 ft tall and way 110kg. Guys like Russel, Gitau etc. is small but they are hardend proffesionals. Imagine if Dollie must defend against the likes of AJ or Bakkies!
23 Jun 2006, 12:46 pm
Cherriebomb
Louw is so brilliant wp would prefer to play Adri Badenhorst
I really dont rate the oke.
23 Jun 2006, 14:11 pm
Pieter Louw is future captain of WP/Stormers. The guy is awesome. For those people that follow Schools rugby him and Leon Karemaker have played together for Paarl Gym and WP Craven Week for a long time and have been tipped as stars of the future since the age of 16!
Karemaker was Craven Week player of the year a few years ago and has been in brilliant form for WP U-20′s and Vodacom Cup side, yet he doesn’t get a look in.
I think Keegan Daniel, Hilton Lobberts and Pierre Spies are good loose-forwards, but Ashley Johnson is kak. Louw should be starting and Karemaker should at least be there. He plays a different game to that of Lobberts but he is definitely just as good if not better. Lobberts is still an exciting talent though! Wouldn’t be surprised if he plays for the Boks in the next few years.
Dollie is useless as well. He did well to redeem himself by putting 2 players away for tries, but the way he organises his backline was shameful. I know school flyhalves who could have done a better job in general play. He put in some shocking kicks that didn’t put any pressure on the defense at all and the thing that really made me laugh at his selection was when he ran blind with the ball, saw 3 defenders waiting for him and then threw a hospital pass to Barritt on the other side of the ruck 20m’s away.
He was very lucky it was a decent pass as Barritt was able to move while receiving the ball because if it had been any lower Barritt would have been decked. He has a lot of flair I’ll admit that, but his general play is shocking.
Strongest U-21 team:
1. Heinke van der Merwe
2. Chilliboy Ralapelle
3. Sangoni Mxoli
4. Nikolai Blignaut
5. Willie Steenkamp
6. Keegan Daniel
7. Hilton Lobberts
8. Pierre Spies
9. Jano Vermaak
10. Meyer Bosman
11. Marius Delport
12. Bradley Barritt
13. Waylon Murray
14. Cedric Mkhize
15. JP Pietersen
16. Adriaan Strauss
17. Werner Kruger
18. Alistair Hargreaves
19. Pieter Louw
20. Danie van der Merwe
21. Scott Spedding
22. Shandré Frolick
23 Jun 2006, 14:11 pm
Redox….thats exactly the point….If I was Louw I would pack my bags and make a move to the Sharks…would be a great move I reckon!
And come on….how Adri Badenhorst has managed to play for such a long time nobody will ever ever know!
23 Jun 2006, 14:16 pm
Hendrik – wise words my man! I agree with most of what you have said! Cedric has played with a strained hammie through the whole tournament…you can see he isnt the same player he was in S14…yet, nobody else there!
How Danie vd Merwe didnt make the squad is also a massive question to ask!
Hopefully we have a couple of locks coming through in the near future…these guys are good…Hargreaves needs a bit of meat….good potential though!
23 Jun 2006, 14:25 pm
I guess lock is a slight problem. Steenkamp and Blignaut are both fairly ordinary and Hargreaves is built like an extremely tall 10-year old.
Lock has always worried me though. Ross Skeate and Andries Bekker are the only locks in recent years that has moved up from SA U-21 to regular S14 game-time. Guys like Milton, Fondse and especially Gilfillan (who is the best lock in the Lions region) have not been given the oppurtunities to cement places in the starting team. With Milton and Fondse I can understand (Bulls have a lot of quality locks) but the way the Lions region has treated both Gordon Gilfillan and Roland Bernard is shameful.
I can’t believe that they wouldn’t recognise Roland Bernard’s quality. If I were him I’d have moved to another franchise a long long time ago.
23 Jun 2006, 14:26 pm
PS. I know Bernard is a flanker for anyone who thought they would be smart in pointing that out.
23 Jun 2006, 14:27 pm
I understood Gilfillan has had an injury problem, and have never really been 100% fit since 2002?
23 Jun 2006, 14:30 pm
…yet he still makes an odd appearence in the S14 team every few weeks and plays Vodacom Cup rugby the rest of the time?… I seriously doubt that Gecko. I remember him being out with injury for a long time but if he isn’t fit enough then he shouldn’t be playing at all.
23 Jun 2006, 14:31 pm
let me refrase – he has been playing with a niggle he can’t shake off
23 Jun 2006, 14:37 pm
I guess that is a possibility Gecko. I’m not a Lions supporter but I have to admit I am very happy to see Eloff in charge instead of Ludeke!
I just think that Ludeke didn’t see much in either Gilfillan or Bernard and never gave them the oppurtunities they should have had to stake a claim! It’s good to see Bernard is on the bench at least for the Lions this weekend.
23 Jun 2006, 14:38 pm
Hendrikp
LEON KARREMAKER FROM BELVILLE-PIETER LOUW FROM BOYS HIGH. THEY DID PLAY TOGETHER FOR WESTERN PROVINCE THOUGH. ONLY REASON PIETER LOUW IS NOT PLAYING IS BECAUSE HIS JUST BACK FROM INJURY. DIDN`T PLAY 1 GAME THIS YEAR.
KARREMAKER IN BAD FORM- VERY BAD UNFORTUNATELY AND I KNOW DANIE VAN DER MERWE IS INJURED. MEYER BOSMAN WAS WITHDRAW FROM SA U 21 TEAM BY JAKE, IAN MCINTOSCH AND PETER JOOSTE BECAUSE HE WAS PART OF JAKES PLANS. UNFORTUNATELY THE OPPORTUNITY WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM. YOU ARE UNDER 21 ONCE, BUT A SENIOR FOR MANY YEARS. AGAIN BAD MANAGEMENT OF PLAYERS
23 Jun 2006, 14:43 pm
Oh sorry realist. Thought I saw their names for Paarl Gym I feel like a fool now
Yep I definitely remember seeing them for WP at Craven Week though with Siegelaar playing at halfback. Was visiting back home and went to watch a few games. I might be wrong but I think Wagenstroom was playing on the wing as well.
23 Jun 2006, 21:48 pm
Hey, guys, what’s the take on Dollie? Is he class or merely pretty good? I’d do anything to find South Africa a class flyhalf. hahahah
24 Jun 2006, 04:22 am
I watched the France game, Dollie looks pretty good – makes his tackles took a nice gap late in the first half and offloaded to Barritt who should have been in for a try but he was impeded by a French player. A bit worried about this final, the boys must raise their game another notch from their previous encoutner with France, France could have won that game if their number 6 hadn’t dropped the ball with the line at his mercy. Keegan Daniel is a lively player, not the biggest guy on the park but man he has courage, doesn’t shirk the rough stuff!
24 Jun 2006, 04:28 am
hendrikp you use some strong words my boy! Didn’t think Dollie played that badly at all, average at worst but not shameful! I will look at the game again and keep an eye on him to see if I can see what you mean
24 Jun 2006, 09:25 am
Thanks, Stoffel.
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