Saru: This is our strongest team
8 Jul 2011
Saru CEO Jurie Roux maintains that the Springboks’ lengthy injury list is genuine.
Coach Peter de Villiers announced on Wednesday that as many as 21 players would be unavailable for the away leg of the Tri-Nations due to injury. On Friday, De Villiers confirmed that Pierre Spies and Zane Kirchner would also not tour, taking the crocked count of top-flight players up to 23.
It appears highly convenient that this elite group of players would fall foul to injury at the exact time where a clever coach may be looking to rest them before the all-important World Cup. The Australian Rugby Union has already urged Sanzar to investigate the veracity of these injuries, and Sanzar CEO Greg Peters has declared himself satisfied.
Speaking to a media gathering in Cape Town, Roux said that the Boks are not trying to pull the wool over their opponents eyes, or renege on a Sanzar agreement that binds them to play their best available squad.
‘To me this is the strongest squad,’ he said. ‘This is the best fit, and uninjured, group that we have available.
‘[Australia] are within their rights to make a query. Sanzar have made an inquiry and we’ve given them our reply, and I know that they are happy with the result.
‘We have a binding agreement to take the best available squad to Australia, and we are staying true to our word.’
De Villiers said that he believes the team he’s selected for the tour can do well even though a number of experienced heads will be missing.
‘In an ideal world we wouldn’t have the Tri-Nations in a World Cup year, but it’s by chance that we are unable to take our experienced players on tour. There are 22 or 23 players injured, but nobody should assume that every player in that group is going to the World Cup. There are still eight or nine spots left to play for.
‘I see this tour as a great opportunity for some of the youngsters. It’s not a weak side and they will be carrying the flag for South Africa. They all have an opportunity, and they must use it.’
28 Comments
8 Jul 2011, 16:07 pm
The touring squad announced still has 427 caps between them.
A mixture of youth and experience.
8 Jul 2011, 16:07 pm
Ideally the Kiwis and (especially) the Aussies will continue to bleat and then get beaten. Then what will they say?
8 Jul 2011, 16:07 pm
Mponeng Dragons.
8 Jul 2011, 16:08 pm
dag nabbit
8 Jul 2011, 16:12 pm
“In an ideal world we wouldn’t have the Tri-Nations in a World Cup year, but it’s by chance that we are unable to take our experienced players on tour”
That is just so lame. About as believable as my hundreds of homework excuses at school.
8 Jul 2011, 16:19 pm
well, to all the doubters, there you have it.
8 Jul 2011, 16:20 pm
Wow. In hindsight, they should probably have rested only the key players.
Matfield, Spies, Brussouw, Du Preez, Morne Steyn, Jacque Fourie and have let the rest tour.
The current situation is really impossible to defend with a straight face. But then, O Neil kept a straight face when he claimed that the expanded S15 would benefit all the SANZAR partners.
8 Jul 2011, 16:24 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-7: As did Jaco v.d. W when he claimed it was a droppie.
8 Jul 2011, 16:25 pm
so Greg Peters is happy, hehehehe
8 Jul 2011, 16:26 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-7: did you see jurie roux laughing? this is our best available team
8 Jul 2011, 16:30 pm
okes lie with straight faces….
poker players of distinction.
8 Jul 2011, 16:39 pm
I hear all the stuff regarding resting players BUT Brussow should NOT be rested,he should be managed carefully over the next few games yes but he has played about 2 games in 10 months or so so he needs contact/gametime/rugby.Morne Steyn needs to play himself into some form,he doesmt take a lot of contact so really not affected from injury.
8 Jul 2011, 16:42 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-12: i think pdv is very much aware that heirich is vital and will manage him accordingly.
8 Jul 2011, 16:43 pm
@grant10(grant10)-11:
Yeah just like O’Neill and ARU a few years back….The infamous Ben Tune saga….Remember that?
8 Jul 2011, 16:57 pm
Ok, so maybe they are not all injured.
How do you prove that the team selected is NOT the first choice if all the “injured” players were indeed available?
8 Jul 2011, 17:05 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-14: yes….seems we learning from the best here…
8 Jul 2011, 17:12 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-12:
2 games in 10 months for Brussow?
More like 3 games in 15 months.
8 Jul 2011, 17:15 pm
The United Front
of BS
8 Jul 2011, 17:58 pm
Pierre Spies and Zane Kirchner are NOT top flighters.
8 Jul 2011, 18:14 pm
This is all just “re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic” anyway. SA were gonna come last in this years Tri-Nations no matter who was picked. They’re way behind Aus and NZ now. PdV thinks his only chance is to hold back the best players for the World Cup in the hope of catching NZ by surprise in the Semi. If the Boks get that far. They’ll most likely lose to Ireland in the quarter final anyway.
8 Jul 2011, 20:26 pm
@LastMinuteDropGoal(LastMinuteDropGoal)-20: well said… i agree
9 Jul 2011, 00:29 am
You know what? This young team could just be that. We could win the Tri-Nations. They are all quality. Not that test experienced. With that comes no fear. This is a good team and we may win away from home. Then what will PdV do? A huge headache that is for sure selecting the starting team for wc.
Go Bokke. Young team or experienced at test level us supporters have to get behind them.
9 Jul 2011, 00:51 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-18:
Tough sh it……… suck it up plonker!
9 Jul 2011, 06:02 am
ahhhh SA
are there any Honest people left????????
9 Jul 2011, 07:09 am
Come the Boks.
Kick their arses in the 3N and then go back a month later and do it again.
They not that special at all. Learn from the Cheetahs.
9 Jul 2011, 11:01 am
Everyone here goes on about how SA has huge talent depth. And yet when the 1st XV Pensioners aren’t playing you all start quivering in your shorts.
I expect every oke on the away tour to play like they expect to be in the RWC line up. Even Meisiekind.
9 Jul 2011, 11:18 am
SARU you are probably telling the truth in a weird way, grandfathers aren’t exactly the best players.
9 Jul 2011, 14:20 pm
Isn’t there a broadcasting deal about to be signed – this should knock a few million off that…and we should lose a few more players north as a result.
Well done SARU – some clever work there.
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