Frans favoured for Hamilton finale
9 Sep 2009
Frans Steyn replaces Ruan Pienaar at fullback in the only change to the Springbok side for Saturday’s showdown with the All Blacks.
Pienaar hasn’t been exposed at No 15 in the last two Tests, but he hasn’t exactly made a telling contribution. Peter de Villiers should have stuck with Steyn for the entire Tri-Nations campaign. This would’ve seen a player with a significant kicking game and sound positional sense patrolling the back.
‘It’s a case of horses-for-courses,’ the Bok coach said. ‘With Dan Carter at flyhalf for the All Blacks we are expecting them to kick quite a bit and Frans will be able to play a key role with his big boot.’
Steyn will join Bryan Habana and Odwa Ndungane at the back. Habana is nursing a hamstring injury, but, like No 8 Pierre Spies (groin), is expected to recover fully before Saturday.
De Villiers got it wrong when he dropped Steyn in the first instance. The Boks had beaten the Australasians soundly in South Africa, and Steyn was an integral part of their winning strategy.
The Bok coach can count himself lucky that this All Blacks side isn’t good enough to score eight tries in two Tests. There are other reasons why South Africa underperformed in Perth and Brisbane, but they certainly missed Steyn at the back.
De Villiers cites Carter’s selection as influential to his own decision to drop Pienaar. Suddenly the Boks are not concerned about the future, and suddenly they’re worrying about winning the trophy.
It was a sure sign of shortsightedness when Pienaar was picked for the Perth fixture. Because of Saru’s foreign-player policy, Steyn has jeopardised his World Cup spot by signing a three-year deal with French club Racing Metro. The Bok management, in all their wisdom, took this into consideration when selecting the starting side for Perth. Steyn was dropped and Pienaar, a player who is unlikely to play fullback in future but can play there if needed, was ushered in.
It was an arrogant move. Of course the Boks will rightly blame their lack of forward intensity in Brisbane, but the selection of Steyn at this late date is an admittance to something else that’s been lacking in the two Australia away fixtures.
Steyn should have started until the title was secured. If the Boks had beaten the Wallabies in Brisbane, then De Villiers could have talked about making changes with the future in mind.
That Pienaar is a sound fullback option is debatable, and that he should be an option at all is a hot topic. Zane Kirchner is available for the European tour and Conrad Jantjes will be back from a long-term injury in 2010.
The Bok management claim Pienaar needs the game time, but with those other fullbacks available in 2010, it seems Pienaar is the emergency alternative not the starting alternative. He’s being groomed as a super sub who can cover 9 to 15.
Springboks – 15 Frans Steyn, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Schalk Burger, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Adi Jacobs, 22 Ruan Pienaar.
By Jon Cardinelli
156 Comments
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9 Sep 2009, 10:04 am
#46 Izo:
Is GG Gary Gold?
Great post anyway.
9 Sep 2009, 10:06 am
#46 Izo:
amen……maybe the naysayers will pipe down now…..
9 Sep 2009, 10:06 am
For the record I hope the Boks win the 3N but if you let the AB’s get the bonus point victory this weekend then you dont deserve it
9 Sep 2009, 10:12 am
Th#48 Ruggaluvva: the Namibian, Sharks, Southern Kings & Wallaby supporter: Of course the scrum is an issue and the Aussies have it over the Boks in that dpt at the moment, no doubt. However games often turn on the smallest things. Aus are a side for the future and deserved there victory on Saturday, but it’s just one victory – don’t read too much into it yet!
9 Sep 2009, 10:20 am
Ruan is the most overated rugby player in the current squad. if her were black all you bloggers would have dissed him constantly.
I agree that #9 is his best position – but remember that he couldn’t make the Sharks starting 15 @ #9 because Kockott was better than him…
It is pathetic how many chances this guy has been given, I like him but I think it’s time to say enough is enough and move on..
9 Sep 2009, 10:20 am
#50 gunther: the naysayers have never been concerned with the substance, it’s about the image, doesnt look good getting popped and pushed backwards in the scrums, lol
9 Sep 2009, 10:26 am
#34 Ezee-23:
IMO… Frans is one of the most gifted rugby players to come along in a long time… in the world, let alone South Africa…
The problem is, his skills and ability have been largely negated by the poor management of his career by coaches at national and provincial level… Had he been playing for Aus he would already be rated as one of the greats… South Africa just doesn’t know how to handle genius…
Frans reminds me of Michael Du Plessis without the no-nonsense aggression of Michael… both players didn’t know what they were going to do next because they react instinctively… Michael was just fortunate he had Danie Craven overseeing his career and Craven had no problem in letting genius ‘be’… Our current coached seem unsure of it at best… threatened by it at worst…
Steyn should have been left at flyhalf where he prefers to play and he would’ve won us far more games than he would’ve lost us… Thing is that now he’s been shunted so much from pillar to post he’s not sure what the hell he’s supposed to be doing. Maybe going to France will be the best thing for him if they just give him one position (hopefully 10) and tell him to get on with it… Then we may get to see how good he really is…
Still wish Province had bought him… trade him for De Waal, Human, and a host of others…
9 Sep 2009, 10:31 am
#52 Grant in NZ:
No doubt Grant but is Smit going to get any shorter in the near future? Just like the Boks dominate the lineout we should take saturdays victory and build on it, gone are the days when the Walla scrum was the butt of many jokes
9 Sep 2009, 10:33 am
#46. Izo
Great post and while I did not get to see the game on Sat, it seems as if our srum ain’t as band as it looks.
9 Sep 2009, 10:37 am
#55 ufo:
I wanted him at 10 too, the problem is that you Bok fans are too fickle. You lot already have preconceived notions on a player before the fact and then after he plays you relish tearing him to bits. Steyn should have played at 10 and have been left there even if he tuned blunders three games straight because there would have been no turning back after he came right
9 Sep 2009, 10:38 am
#50 gunther: I doubt it.
9 Sep 2009, 10:41 am
#39 kiwirugbyfan:
You should have seen him destroy Western Province in the rain a few years ago… He was brilliant…
Sure everyone will say it was only one game… it was only the Currie Cup… but the fact is… instead of building the 19-year-old’s confidence and enhancing his skill… he was dropped for the very next game by **** Muir and has hardly ever played more than two games in a row in one position since then… At least PdV was prepared to give him the No 15 jersey… but by then Frans’ frustrations had seen him sign up with the frogs…
ask Murray Mexted about him… he had Steyn at his academy before he hit the big time… he rated him extremely highly
9 Sep 2009, 10:42 am
#54 spykerbaard:
That I agree with, think the psychological implications are massive
9 Sep 2009, 10:42 am
#58 Ruggaluvva: the Namibian, Sharks, Southern Kings & Wallaby supporter:
what can I say… when you’re right, you’re right…!
9 Sep 2009, 10:46 am
#55 ufo:
I disagree, regarding the comparison with Michael. Michael had a far more instinctive rugby brain than Frans. Compared to him, Frans is far to cumbersome, where Michael was mercurial. Even so, although he was a revelation at 10, he found his best position at 12, more through luck than judgement. At the time, WP were in dire need of a consistent goalkicker so Michael was moved to 12.
9 Sep 2009, 11:03 am
#63 David: David you are so correct. In my view Michael was way ahead of his time and read the game a few seconds quicker than anyone else. He is also the greatest distributor we have had. FS has a booming boot beyond compare and is a big physical specimen yet stats will reveal that he slips more tackles than most, lacks the decision making and distribution skills. The comparison is just so out of place.
As for Saturday playing him is the right choice though. Half the battle will be won if we turn JR and SS by probing for the corners.
9 Sep 2009, 11:06 am
Oh how I hate this **** reporting. Get a life Jon, keep to the facts, nobody wants to hear your thoughts or theories.
9 Sep 2009, 11:10 am
I’m out of here, these articles suck.
9 Sep 2009, 11:10 am
#30 rex: Rex alot of what you say is true and worry me too. However it should start with EOYT. I really hope that PDV has the balls to make the necessary calls. We don’t want to inherit the AB tag of peaking between world cups.
We hear about the senior player lobby all the time and after this 3N it is time to break down that barrier once and for all. Too many players in comfort zones is a major recipe for disaster i.r.o. long term planning.
9 Sep 2009, 11:13 am
Glad to see Steyn back , he deserves his spot and should never have been dropped – seems a case of sour grapes that has backfired
9 Sep 2009, 11:25 am
Boks are gonna lose on Saturday…
9 Sep 2009, 11:29 am
The Boks look far more formidable with Steyn at the back. He is not going to set the World alight as an attacking force, tho neither did Pienaar, but he is a brute in the tackle, kicks like a mule and catches anything in the air. This gives the whole team confidence and allows them to concentrate on their own jobs. Furthermore, with his strong defensive game this will help put a large dent in the attempt of the ABs to get across the line should they be focussed on the 4-try BP.
Good to see Habana back too, we always want to see the best players turn up.
9 Sep 2009, 11:31 am
Chilli-splinters… Vet-gat… Jacobs… QUOTA’s!
9 Sep 2009, 11:33 am
#71 money_man: Olivier and Muller the biggest quotas we had or do you prefer CDIs.
9 Sep 2009, 11:34 am
#70 BlackPanther:
And he is ‘feared’ for his ‘youthful-exuberance’…
#71 money_man:
Add the lesser of the two average Ndungane quota’s…
Only in Afrique!
9 Sep 2009, 11:39 am
As long as he remembers to chase up some of his long kicks. He’s prone to ball watching when he put those boomers upfield and tends to put his teammates offside sometimes. Otherwise he’s the right man for the job.
9 Sep 2009, 11:43 am
#73 money_man:
So which “non quota” winger would you choose?
9 Sep 2009, 11:47 am
I would rather have Guthro on the bench than Chilli. It gives you more options with the front row i.e should either John or the Beast struggle. In addition why not have Wynand there as RP covers scrummie as well, whereas Wynand could come on if BH’s hamstring plays up.
9 Sep 2009, 11:54 am
#76 bananaboy:
Yes, having Adi on the wing surprised me. I’d have thought they’d have moved either Jaques or Jean to the wing and put Adi at centre when Habs went off.
9 Sep 2009, 12:01 pm
#76 bananaboy: Agree.
If you have Jacobs and Pienaar, you have all 7 backline positions covered !! I would go for the 5-2 split on the bench and have Jannie, Schalk, Guthro, Danie, Bekker (when fit).
if SA had a proper tight head, i would have had him there
9 Sep 2009, 12:07 pm
#75 David:
Hi David… I would have shifted FRannie to wing last week (if the ‘coaching’ trust was to persist with RP @15)… another angle… another dimension… to no avail…
You want more permutations?
Many more…
9 Sep 2009, 12:14 pm
#76 bananaboy:
Definitely who needs Splinters3 on the bench if you could at least have an ‘avg’ scrummer but demon in the loose prop to complement JDP… and then drop Vet-gat and have even another loosie on to strengthen the Bok’s only ‘moer hulle’ in the tight game-plan…
Passengers!
9 Sep 2009, 12:21 pm
#80 money_man: perhaps you should sober up first before contributing on this blog.
9 Sep 2009, 12:24 pm
#77 David: i would have thought so too. but anyway no use in crying over spilt milk.
9 Sep 2009, 12:36 pm
#82 Martin:
I don’t think it would have made any difference to the result. The Wobblies were just too good, on the day.
9 Sep 2009, 12:39 pm
#83 David: yip, i knew it in the first 10 minutes. they came at us on all cylinders and the boks looked lethargic. it surprised me as i predicted a clean sweep this 3n. i expect a different attitude from the boks this sat and hopefully a win although my confidence has been knocked down a bit.
9 Sep 2009, 12:40 pm
#83 David: Totally.
9 Sep 2009, 12:41 pm
Easy to chirp afterwards. I think it was a clever move.
“Steyn was an intergral part of the Aus game in SA” whatever he had a shocker in that game and was solid against NZ and the Lions.
Its def a case of horses for courses and Frans suites the Kiwis while Pienaar suite the Aussies
9 Sep 2009, 12:43 pm
I wonder how it must feel to sleep your boep around in practice the whole week, then sing the anthem, sit on splinters for 80 min and week na week do the same again?
9 Sep 2009, 12:44 pm
#86 ya well – Woods suits the Aussies all right…..
9 Sep 2009, 12:45 pm
#81 Martin:
18 pts shorting the FTSE futures @ $50 a pt in 78mins … whilst teaching you tools the truth… who needs alcohol…
You cannot handle the truth…
9 Sep 2009, 12:45 pm
Just a question: If we score a single point we should be home free (given the points difference?) Similarly, even if we lose but score a bonus point for finishing within 7 (or stop a 4 try BP for them) we win it?
9 Sep 2009, 12:46 pm
#89 money_man: obviously you do!!! nuff said
9 Sep 2009, 12:47 pm
#84 Martin: 14men against 22 ‘surprised’ you… go figure!
9 Sep 2009, 12:48 pm
#91 Martin:
Yes clearly I do… it’ll be a quality South Aus Riesling on the weekend… none of that fake RSA shite!
9 Sep 2009, 13:02 pm
The Ozzies move their backline players around all the time:
Adam Ashley-Cooper – Wing, Center (inside and outside), Fulback
Giteau – Center, Flyhalf
Drew Mitchell – Fullback, wing
Quade Cooper – Center, Flyhalf
The fact that a talented player (Steyn, Pienaar) is not producing the goods may also be because he is out of form (**** in any position he plays) or just not as good as we thought.
9 Sep 2009, 13:13 pm
#93 money_man: Looks like you have enough shite in you already.
9 Sep 2009, 13:14 pm
we going nowhere fast by insisting M.Steyn is the answer to our FH capacity. RP should have been played out there and MS to 12 or 15 to cover place kicking etc. Has nobody noticed that all or most top rate int teams have a kicking or strategic placed 12 on the field, Barnes/Giteau, Carter/Donald, Wilkinson/Catt etc. SA insists on playing stereo typed non creative backs, MS, JdV, Fourie, not a one of them with any mode of instinctual creative read or flair, all dead end one way directional, singular dimensional bash it or kick it through robots, not a playmaker anywhere in sight, you reckon its going to work Saturday, OK give yourselves and PdV the benefit of the doubt till after the game, I say we get skinned through the mid field and round the park one more time… again.
9 Sep 2009, 13:18 pm
#94 Dumb Supporter: Interesting point.
Kiwis do the same
9 Sep 2009, 13:25 pm
#96 skopskiet: Disagree with you about JdV. He is an outstanding reader of the game. Our current game plan doesn’t utilise the 12 the same way the other teams do. The only negative about JdV is his lack of a kicking game.
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