Belligerent bolter will lend Boks bite
19 Apr 2011
JON CARDINELLI expects Duane Vermeulen to be named in the World Cup planning group on Wednesday and believes it could be a telling selection in a World Cup year.
The official World Cup group of 50 will only be named in June, but don’t expect it to differ from the ‘planning squad’ named this Wednesday. Coach Peter de Villiers has made it clear that he wants to get the right group of players together as early as possible, and has even scheduled meetings and planning camps for the select few while Super Rugby is still on the go.
This Wednesday’s announcement is thus significant. We already know of 23 players who have made the cut, as De Villiers announced his contracted group of Springboks in late March.
Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Victor Matfield, JP Pietersen, John Smit, Juan Smith and Pierre Spies were in the original group, while Andries Bekker, Heinrich Brüssow, Bismarck du Plessis, Adrian Jacobs, Tendai Mtawarira, Wynand Olivier, Danie Rossouw, Morné Steyn, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Jannie du Plessis, CJ van der Linde and Gurthrö Steenkamp were only recently handed one-year contracts.
The Bok coach will name between 45 and 50 players on Wednesday, and what this means is that as many as 27 places are up for grabs. De Villiers will make a statement with the players he includes, but he will also make a statement with the players he leaves out.
The contracted group itself deserves closer scrutiny. One can only believe that De Villiers made a promise to Adi Jacobs when they were at the Valke all those years ago, because his apparent guaranteed selection has very little to do with recent rugby exploits. At least Wynand Olivier has played for the Boks in the last year, but his performances have been so poor, you would have expected him to drop out of the World Cup reckoning. Unbelievably, he’s been awarded a Bok contract in a defining year. Go figure.
De Villiers is likely to call on many players that have been in the Bok mix over the past three years. Locks like Alistair Hargreaves and Flip van der Merwe will make the cut, and loose forwards like Ryan Kankowski, Willem Alberts and Keegan Daniel surely deserve to be part of the larger squad. What’s less clear is whether the Bulls’ loosies deserve spots ahead of their Stormers counterparts.
It’s not a provincial argument but a national one. Dewald Potgieter and Deon Stegmann featured for the Boks in 2010 without making any great impact. Francois Louw was a key figure in the Boks’ Tests against Wales, Italy and France, and then was unceremoniously dumped after one sub-standard showing in the Tri-Nations. Louw has shown good form in the 2011 Super Rugby competition, and is certainly among the elite players in the country.
One man has been among the elite for the past three seasons, although the absence of a national call-up would suggest otherwise. Picking Duane Vermeulen for the World Cup planning group is a no-brainer, and he could play a big role at the World Cup. He provides the abrasive alternative to Spies the Boks have been searching for, that is a No 8 that drives opposition players back on defence and makes good ground with ball in hand. If the Boks include men like Vermeulen and Alberts in their final World Cup squad, they will improve their chances of winning the tournament.
Some will suggest that Ashley Johnson deserves a place, but this season has shown him to be a liability. He contributes with some powerful runs and gets through a lot of work, but his high error rate has cost the Cheetahs matches. There is no reason why he should be included ahead of the Bulls’ loose forwards, let alone the form men at the Sharks and Stormers.
I fear that politicians will demand that Ricky Januarie get a look-in, even though he’s unlikely to travel to New Zealand in September. The overweight scrumhalf hasn’t been contracted to the Boks, a sure sign he is not in the World Cup plans. He’s not the first-choice No 9 at the Stormers, and to pick him for the Boks would smack of window dressing.
Sarel Pretorius is a player who’s impressed in a struggling Cheetahs side, and Charl McLeod was a late call-up for the Springboks’ 2010 end-of-year tour. If it’s a toss up between the two, De Villiers needs to show some consistency in picking the latter, who has to date enjoyed a solid Super Rugby competition.
McLeod’s halfback partner Pat Lambie will also make the squad, but there is another player who comes into the flyhalf equation. Butch James has confirmed his move back to South Africa in May, a fact that confirms he is in the World Cup mix. James is the Boks’ best bet at flyhalf, as he not only has the experience but the ability to switch between a conservative and attacking game plan.
De Villiers has a fourth flyhalf option in Ruan Pienaar, who excelled at No 10 for the Boks in late 2008 and in the 2009 British & Irish Lions series. Pienaar has been alternating between 9 and 10 at Irish club Ulster, and has to date produced some match-winning performances with the boot.
Frans Steyn is the other overseas-based player guaranteed of selection, and his return could solve the Boks’ problems at fullback. Zane Kirchner will be picked for the planning group, but doesn’t deserve to go to the World Cup.
As South Africa’s best attacking player, Gio Aplon should travel to New Zealand. If Aplon pays more attention to his kicking game, he can provide a good alternative to Steyn. He has a big boot and it’s a shame that the development of this area of his game has been neglected in the last few seasons.
It’s great to see JP Pietersen finding some form, and right now he’d be my favourite to start at No 14 for the Boks. Bjorn Basson is prime candidate to replace Bryan Habana, although it is a foregone conclusion that the veteran will be taken to the World Cup.
631 Comments
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19 Apr 2011, 10:16 am
duane the lion of cape town!!
19 Apr 2011, 10:22 am
kanko and daniel are way overrated and should not be selected for the world cup.alberts is an enigma and the only reason i would take him along would be as an impact sub where,admittedly,the oke is quite dangerous from five meteres out.
19 Apr 2011, 10:25 am
How about Warren Whiteley?
Whitely
Brussouw
Alberts
Burger
Vermeulen
Daniels
and an extreme case: Jarrod Saffy
19 Apr 2011, 10:25 am
Well I think we can all agree that Pdivvie needs to look at form this season to pick his squad. Class and experience is well and all, but those qualities cannot produce good performance alone.
Loosies that wouldn’t let the Boks down:
Brussow
Smith (if fit)
Vermeulen
Alberts
Burger
Locks:
Botha
Russouw (can cover flank)
Bekker
Matfield?
Flip van Der Merwe?
Proppies:
Guthro
Beast
Jannie duP
??
Hookers:
Bismark
Smit? (wouldn’t pick him)
Scrummies:
Sarel Pretorius
FdP
Flyhalfs (tricky one)
James
Lambie
Grant?
Steyn?
Centers:
JdV
Fourie
de Jongh
Doppies
Wings (also tricky!):
Odwa?
JP?
Mapoe?
Habana?
Fullback:
Aplon
Steyn
there’s my two cents..
19 Apr 2011, 10:26 am
With 49 places, many will make the cut. Only 30 will travel to NZ, so really there are only 8 or 9 places available outside of the contracted boks.
I hope Duanne makes it, he’s the perfect touring no 8. Solid, physical andcan also play 7, and fact many recon that’s his better position. Like Alberts,
19 Apr 2011, 10:26 am
Will be interesting to see who makes this planning group. Would like to see some youngsters also make this group.
19 Apr 2011, 10:32 am
Tecumseh – Alberts has to be an automatic shue-in for the RWC also Danie Roussouw is another massive impact player that has got to go!
19 Apr 2011, 10:34 am
wpjoulekkading – I think you have just listed SAs top players, oh dear. That is probably it for the Boks this year there is no one outside maybe Basson for wing!
19 Apr 2011, 10:36 am
wpjoulekkading – Well your missing 17 more players. Also CJ V D Linde is a contracted Bok and you missed our best player J Smith (if he recovers in time)
19 Apr 2011, 10:37 am
Sarel might also be a bolter in the World Cup squad.
19 Apr 2011, 10:37 am
1.J. du Plessis
2.B. du Plessis
3.Beast
4.Matfield
5.Bekker
6.Brussouw
7.Whitely
8.Vermuelen
9.FdP
10.Steyn
11.Pietersen
12.JdV
13.Fourie
14.Aplon
15.Lambie
19 Apr 2011, 10:39 am
So is it set that all contracted Boks will go to the World Cup?
19 Apr 2011, 10:41 am
@CSI:Rugby(CSI:Rugby)-11: I think your number 1 and 3 must be switched around. Your 4 and 5 as well.
19 Apr 2011, 10:48 am
This will be the boks RWC 2011 squad.
Its not all who I would choose but pretty close.
Not all contracted boks will go JC.
15. Francois Steyn / Gio Aplon.
14. J.P. Pietersen / Francois Hougaard.
13. Jacques Fourie / Wynand Olivier.
12. Jean De Villiers / Patrick Lambie.
11. Bryan Habana / Lwazi Mvovo or Bjorn Basson.
10. Butch James / Morne Steyn / Peter Grant.
9. Fourie Du Preez / Ruan Pienaar.
8. Pierre Spies / Ryan Kankowski.
7. Juan Smith / Willem Alberts or Jean Deysel.
6. Schalk Burger / Jean Deysel or Heinrich Brussow.
5. Victor Matfield (vc) / Andries Bekker.
4. Bakkies Botha / Danie Rossouw.
3. Jannie Du Plessis / B.J. Botha.
2. John Smit (c) / Bismark Du Plessis.
1. C.J. Van Der Linde / Beast Mtawarira.
John Smit will go but its a toss up between Adi and Wynand. although i would leave both and use JDeJongh as 12/13 and butch 10/12.
I would also include Peter Grant ahead of Morne Steyn, but the reality is that they wont pull a “Francois Louw” on him as there are too many Bulls in the squad.
Similar rift between Corne Kriges 2003 stormers vs Joost Van Der Westuizens Bulls.
Just my thoughts Im not the coach, but it would be similar
19 Apr 2011, 10:51 am
2nd XV
1.CJ
2.Ryno
3.Steenkamp
4.Hargreaves
5.Botha
6.Burger
7.Strauss
8.Alberts
9.Sarel
10.James
11.Habana
12.Ebersohn
13.Jacobs
14.Basson
15.Ludik
19 Apr 2011, 10:51 am
Duanne Vermuelen is a 7. That is it. Take him only as 3rd choice backup incase Juan Smith and Alberts get injured.
He is too slow and doesnt posess the skill set to link successfully with his backs. One of the main reasons the stormers backs have been so ineffective this year is because his basic skill set is lacking.
Plod the second.
I honestly do not see what all the fuss is with this guy.
Against the Saders, Read is going to show him how a proper no. 8 should play. Watch how his lack of pace and skill get shown up properly.
19 Apr 2011, 10:59 am
My team for World Cup
1. Beast, Gurthro
2. Bismarck, Smit, Chiliboy
3. Jannie, CJ
4. Bakkies, Danie
5. Matfield, Bekker
6. Burger, Brussouw
7. Alberts
8. Vermeulen, Spies
9. Du Preez, Pienaar, Hougaard
10. M.Steyn, Grant, Lambie
12. JDV, JDJ
13. Fourie
11. Habana, Basson
14. JPP
15. F.Steyn, Aplon
19 Apr 2011, 11:00 am
I honestly do not see what all the fuss is with this guy. you are in the minority.
19 Apr 2011, 11:02 am
@race of tan(race of tan)-7: Roussouw has been highly impressive with the limited gametime hes had.. always gets over the advantage line.. a rarity in the Bulls these days it seems..
19 Apr 2011, 11:03 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-18: I agree with you. 90% of the fuss is coming from WP/Stormers supporters,
19 Apr 2011, 11:03 am
Just because I dont live under the mountain doesnt make me the minority pal.
19 Apr 2011, 11:04 am
This one is for Mshiniwami who was doubting wether Sarel Pretorius should be a Bok. He reckons he´s too raw.
These are his stats:
Position out of all Super Rugby teams is displayed first. (includes Oz and NZ)
Most Turnovers
1 Bismarck 30
17 Sarel 18 – shared by Charl McCleod
Best turnover stats of all SA scrumhalves
Most Missed Tackles
2 Sarel 26
14 Fourie dup 19
His worst statistic by far – and not far off is Fourie du Preez who is considered a must to go to the WC
Most penalties conceded
5 Charl MCCleod 10
Not a good statistic for one considered to be one of the better scrummies
Most Pilfers
3 Sarel 4
Most Offloads
3 Sarel 15
Massive statistic. He is releasing players through gaps more often than not. 3rd overall in the contest – SBW has 31 and is 1st. Next best is Luke Burgess with 17 and 3rd place is shared with Jacques Fourie.
Most Linebreaks
1 Sarel 10
No1 in the entire super rugby setup. Thats saying something. Followed by Digby Ioane, Drew Mitchell and Sean Maitland.
Most Linebreak assists
4 Sarel 3 – shared with Fourie dup
Most try assists
1 Fourie dup 6
4 Sarel 3
Right up there with the best.
Most Kicks
13 Fourie dup 42
Sarel is not much of a kicker and doesnt feature here. But lets consider in the modern game how effective lal this kicking is. How many times were tries scored directly back off boxkicks from Du Preez? Is this a statistic you want to be good at?
Most Kick Metres
17 Fourie dup 1303
Again – Sarel doesnt feature but does that 1303 metres by fourie du Preez translate into the Bulls winning this year? Apparently not. I think we need to find a balance and the thing is if youre tactical kicks are not spot on then its best not to execute them at all.
Most runs
11 Sarel 66
Massive.
Most Tries
2 Sarel 6
Massive statistic again considering the Cheetahs are not winning games. Theyre struggling and he´s still scoring. He´s the difference between them being competitive this year.
Only Sean Maitland has more.
So he doesnt have much of a kicking game and he needs to work on defence. The rest speaks for itself.
19 Apr 2011, 11:07 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-22: take Pretorius at your peril… while his attack and sniping runs are excellent, he was caught out a few times on the blindside of the ruck against the Canes, and his decision making in the last five minutes cost the game.. he is IMO suspect on defence..
19 Apr 2011, 11:08 am
@John Galt(John Galt)-16:
Well Read did not do that last year when the stormers whipped the Crusaders 42-13 (think that was the score) ??
Think Duane was man of the match for that game !!!
Stormers scored plenty of tries in the S14 and CC last year with Duane there so your argument that his skill set is lacking and that he is to blame for the Stormers not scoring is flawed !!
19 Apr 2011, 11:09 am
And on current form I´d pick Danie Rossouw at 4 ahead of Bakkies etc. If Bakkies continues being a persona non grata and a possible yellow card I´d take Elstadt over him anyday. Danie scores from close quarters every time – he´s strong as an ox. Solid and versatile. Could use him and Elstadt on field at the same time.
19 Apr 2011, 11:11 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-23: Yep agreed – you can see that in the stats. But I think with some coaching those are defects that can be rectfied – and in a Bok setup he´s have players onfield directing him more as well. His attack is invaluable at this time considering the Boks attack is nowhere to be seen. If he is drilled on defence he is a strong contender. Ive also seen him make big tackles as well – so its not that he´s not commited.
19 Apr 2011, 11:11 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-22: some stats are misleading… the try ones for example..
while he has 6 tries, he scored 3 against the Canes, a team whose defence this year is as bad as the cheetahs…
19 Apr 2011, 11:13 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-23: Also thats the first time he cost someone the game – not really fair to judge him on one mistake. How many has Habana made in the past year that has literally cost the Boks matches? 10? 12? Who knows – he´s the biggest liability at present.
19 Apr 2011, 11:13 am
@Hop Hop Spinnekop(Hop Hop Spinnekop)-20: @John Galt(John Galt)-21: lol true but you have to admit Vermeulen is good….has been for the past 2 years. His defence is top notch and his ball carrying is amazing it always takes about 2-3 guys to bring him down. He needs to work on his linking i agree but this guy deserves a bok spot.
19 Apr 2011, 11:14 am
He’s very abrasive ill give him that but has been getting sucked into going over the top recently. Could become a penalty machine, yellow card already and probably deserved another against the Sharks.
He is exactly the same in skill, speed, physicality etc as Bismark.
Not a bad thing, except hes a number 8.
19 Apr 2011, 11:15 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-27: Same could be said of Maitlands stats in that case. He´s scored braces against poorer teams in the comp too.
19 Apr 2011, 11:16 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-23:
Pretorius missed the second most tackles in the competition to date (26)
19 Apr 2011, 11:16 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-25: Danie is very valuable to the Boks.
19 Apr 2011, 11:17 am
Maitland scored 4 against the Brumbies. Nuff said.
19 Apr 2011, 11:18 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-32: yep thats in teh stats above.
19 Apr 2011, 11:18 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-28: now don’t try to pin down all of fatboy john smit’s and other hasbeens mistakes on habana.12 games!…what a freakin joke.
19 Apr 2011, 11:20 am
@wpjoulekkading(wpjoulekkading)-4: Where is Flow in the loosies my china?
19 Apr 2011, 11:20 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-32: 26! that would have cost more than one game !
19 Apr 2011, 11:20 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-25: Agree. Right now I would play Danie ahead of Bakkies.
Bakkies is also a marked man with the refs.
19 Apr 2011, 11:20 am
@John Galt(John Galt)-30: He has been giving away alot of penalties recently. I think he is on par with Alberts in terms of defence and ball carrying but Alberts just pips him with Skills.
19 Apr 2011, 11:20 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-31: I agree about Maitland, its the nature of the comp… different positions though, Sarel gets lot more opportunities to handle the ball..and that one decision, do you want it to be in a WC semi while down by two points or conversely leading by 2? has Sarel even played test rugby? honest question, dont know..
dont get me wrong, I like the player, just think he doesnt at this stage have a complete skill set for test matches, especially if he hasnt tasted test rugby…Alberts too I dont think has faced the ABs and to a lesser extent the Aussies? (ABs seem to be able to match the physicality better then the Aussies, thats how I based ny assumption).
19 Apr 2011, 11:22 am
Argentina could whip this Bok team.
19 Apr 2011, 11:22 am
It is an absolute necessity that Vermeulen be 8th man for the Boks! It would be an absolute travesty if 1. he is not picked and 2. Spies is starting 8th Man.
Although the Boks are no strangers to travesty in selection throughout the history of the team…
19 Apr 2011, 11:22 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-26: I agree with you. What the Boks need more than anything is a player who can make things happen on attack. He’s like Joost in this respect. With better players around him he will take it to the next level. There is no way he should be overlooked.
But this is the Springboks, with P Divvy in charge. So he probably will be overlooked, with the beyond useless Januarie preferred.
19 Apr 2011, 11:23 am
@BringItHomeBoks(bokfan1)-43: Alberts would be a far better choice.
19 Apr 2011, 11:23 am
@Tecumseh(Tecumseh)-38:
Ashley Johnson not far behind him, 25 missed
19 Apr 2011, 11:24 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-33: Agreed – he´s in my list if must have players for the WC. I´d say at present these are non negotiable:
1 Beast
1 Gurthro
2 Bismarck
3 Jannie (simpy cos the rest is piss poor)
4 Rossouw
5 Becker
6 Brussouw (when fit)
6 Probably Burger
7 Juan SMith if fit
7/8 Willem Alberts
9 Fourie du Preez (form is a worry though)
9 Sarel Pretorius
10 Patrick Lambie
10 toss up between Grant Steyn and Butch
11 ?? Basson if he sorts his defence out
12 Jean de Villiers
13 Jacques Fourie
13 Juan de Jongh
14 JP Pietersen if he continues showing form
14 Aplon
15 Frans Steyn
?? Francois Houghaard for versatility
leaves 8 spots but cant see them leaving behind CJ or BJ, Smit, Matfield, Bakkies, Spies, Habana, and possibly Kirchner which only leaves 1 spot open.
19 Apr 2011, 11:25 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-46: Yeah now that is really shocking for such a big guy. Apart from that and the knockons Johnson is quite decent. But those are mega problems.
19 Apr 2011, 11:26 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-22: I’d rather have a scrummie that can’t kick than play a kick and chase game.
19 Apr 2011, 11:30 am
@Tecumseh(Tecumseh)-36: At least bud – go look at lal the matches from last year and EOYT 2009 you´ll be surprised. Directly or indirectly Habanas indiscretions coming off the line and going for intercepts has puncished the Boks severely. I was amazed when looking back over tests last year. He is shocking. I dont care what his work rate is – he can singel handedly lose the World Cup for the Boks on current form (maybe its not even form – just stubborness to keep going for his pathetic intercepts) I repeat PATHETIC intercepts.
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