The squad you won’t see
23 Aug 2011
We’ve told you who is likely to make the Springboks World Cup squad, now keo.co.za’s writers pick their preferred 30 as well as their match 22 for the opener against Wales.
KEO’S WORLD CUP SQUAD - Keo believes his squad is so good it needs no elaboration. He picks Johann Sadie and Schalk Brits, while forgotten man Joe van Niekerk makes a shock return from Toulon. Bryan Habana makes his squad, but only as the world’s most decorated tackle bag holder.
Backs (14): Frans Steyn, Pat Lambie, Gio Aplon, Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen, Johann Sadie, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, Juan de Jongh, Butch James, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Francois Hougaard, Fourie du Preez.
Forwards: (16): Pierre Spies, Joe van Niekerk, Schalk Burger, Heinrich Brüssow, Willem Alberts, Danie Rossouw, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Johann Muller, Jannie du Plessis, Beast Mtawarira, Gürthro Steenkamp, CJ van der Linde, John Smit (c), Bismarck du Plessis, Schalk Brits.
Keo’s 22 to face Wales - 15 Frans Steyn, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Schalk Brits, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Pat Lambie.
JC’S WORLD CUP SQUAD JC cuts John Smit and picks Schalk Brits. Lwazi Mvovo gets handed a ticket to New Zealand and Bryan Habana has to watch from the stands.
Backs (14): Fourie du Preez, Ruan Pienaar, Butch James, Morne Steyn, Pat Lambie, Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Juan de Jongh, Francois Hougaard, JP Pietersen, Bryan Habana, Lwazi Mvovo, Frans Steyn, Gio Aplon.
Forwards (16): Beast Mtawarira, Gurthro Steenkamp, Jannie du Plessis, CJ van der Linde, Bismarck du Plessis, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Schalk Brits, Victor Matfield (c), Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Johann Muller, Heinrich Brussow, Willem Alberts, Schalk Burger, Pierre Spies, Francois Louw.
JC’s 22 to face Wales: 15 Frans Steyn, 15 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Pierre Spies, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Gio Aplon.
VREDE’S WORLD CUP SQUAD Simple for Vrede really, no place for Smit in the squad (Victor Matfield gets the captaincy) and Bryan Habana is relegated to the bench for the Test against Wales. Schalk Brits cracks the nod, as does Johann Sadie. Francois Louw is in as cover for Heinrich Brüssow.
Backs (14): Frans Steyn, Patrick Lambie, Gio Aplon, Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen, Johann Sadie, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, Juan de Jongh, Butch James, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Francois Hougaard, Fourie du Preez.
Forwards (16): Pierre Spies, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Heinrich Brüssow, Willem Alberts, Danie Rossouw, Victor Matfield (c), Bakkies Botha, Johann Muller, Jannie du Plessis, Beast Mtawarira, Gürthro Steenkamp, CJ van der Linde, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Bismarck du Plessis, Schalk Brits.
Vrede’s 22 to face Wales - 15 Frans Steyn, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jacque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Bryan Habana.
956 Comments
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23 Aug 2011, 22:59 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-941: you mean Pietersen and Habana will take care of business?
24 Aug 2011, 00:51 am
I like the backline of:
15 F.Steyn
14 Aplon
13 Fourie
12 de Villiers
11 Hougaard
10James
9 du Preez.
As for the forwards, Spies has got to go to the bench as a super-sub (Burger will be much more effective from 8th man than Spies has done in the last 3 years)and Smit while I don’t believe that he should be there, will be there, though he should also sit on the bench and act as squad captain, while Matfield captains on the field with FdP as vice-captain. My forwards would be:
8 Burger
7 Alberts
6 Brussouw
5 Matfield
4 Botha
3 J du Plessis
2 B du Plessis
1 Mtawariwa
Reserves:
16 Smit (only because he is guaranteed a place, otherwise he’d only be good for an amateur club 2nd team)
17 Steenkamp
18 BJ Botha
19 Rossouw (lock reserve)
20 Spies
21 Lambie
22 de Jongh
No place for hasbeen Habana or Cj vd Linde, who has been so bad since coming back from Ireland that even Western province no longer want him and he has moved to the Lions. I’d also have Sarel Pretorius instead of Pienaar as a backup scrumhalf. I’d have the Lions lock vd Merwe in place of Muller. Not sure about the shock decision to recall Louw at flank, he is decent, but makes a lot of silly mistakes at the rucks, rather have had Johnson in there, he has been brilliant this year.
Thank goodness Kirchner is not in the squad.
24 Aug 2011, 05:25 am
The Missing Links: Mostert (absurd omission since we are playing two Island Nations). Schalk Brits (the man who epitomizes “impact”). Coenie (The Terminator). However, I do see the logic of Ndugane. Safe, reliable defender, suits the PofKop game plan. No matter what: Go Bokke Go! Jou Lekka Ding!
24 Aug 2011, 06:58 am
Pienaar would never make my squad, the man is a merc and should never have worn the bok jersey! Would take McCloud, the man has passion, the most important characteristic in rugby, the rest will follow with good coaching.
24 Aug 2011, 07:52 am
@BreakdownBoy(goodstuff)-954:
I agree about Ruan, although I’m still trying to work out which position he is primarily covering. I assume it’s 9.
I don’t think the WC is the place to start coaching a scrum half.
29 Aug 2011, 06:27 am
Say what you like, but at this stage of the game, the best and most settled first XV combination the Boks can field looks something like this – I expect that this will be the team that fronts up RWC2011 crunch time and does the business for South Africa
15. Frans Steyn
14. JP Pietersen
13. Jacques Fourie
12. Jean de Villiers
11. Bryan Habana
10. Morne Steyn
9. Fourie du Preez (General)
8. Pierre Spies
7. Schalk Burger
6. Heinrich Brüssow
5. Victor Matfield (VC)
4. Bakkies Botha
3. Jannie du Plessis
2. Jon Smit (C)
1. Beast Mtawariwa
Bench will be fiddled with on a game-by-game basis, but if everyone is fit, this is the runout team for the crunch games IMO – rightly or wrongly.
Get behind them South Africa, I for one have a good feeling! BOKKE BO
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