Kirchner gets Bok call-up
1 Oct 2011
Bulls fullback Zane Kirchner will replace injured Frans Steyn at the World Cup.
Steyn was officially ruled out with a shoulder injury and Kirchner was drafted in as fullback cover. It is unlikely he will feature in the match 22 for Sunday’s quarter-final against one of Australia or Ireland in Wellington.
Pat Lambie is expected to play at fullback with Morne Steyn the preferred flyhalf ahead of Butch James. Gio Aplon, who has started at fullback for the Boks in the last two seasons, is another possibility for the match 22.
The Boks stayed in Auckland for the weekend and attended Saturday’s England win against Scotland at Eden Park. The squad travels to Wellington on Monday.
The match 22 for the quarter-final will be named on Thursday.
34 Comments
2 Oct 2011, 00:04 am
the bad news just keeps rolling in
2 Oct 2011, 00:12 am
Nothing against Zane, he plays with plenty of heart, but I sure hope he remains safely on the bench for the duration of this campaign.
2 Oct 2011, 00:16 am
@Yetirat(Yetirat)-2:
Yetirat agree.
Why not Conrad Jantjies or Riaan Viljoen? Viljoen also has a massive boot, is quick and safe. Zanem sorry boet but I hope you are safety kept holding the tackle bags.
2 Oct 2011, 00:20 am
The loss of Carter should square things up. Navigate Australia (we have to be aggressive a la the Bok / AB’s last game) and the the AB’s are definitely beatable next up especially with the accruacy of Morne’s boot. Price on Australia or South Africa winning the RWC have narrowed on NZ.
Carter, tough luck mate. Hope you get better soon and grace the world stage with those sublime skills of yours.
2 Oct 2011, 00:39 am
The only positive to take out of this terrible situation is that the Bulls’ chances of winning the CC have improved 10 fold.
2 Oct 2011, 00:40 am
Could be worse. Could have been Wynand Olivier.
2 Oct 2011, 00:40 am
Oh jeeez, talk about replacing the BMW with an old Ford
FFS!!
2 Oct 2011, 00:43 am
X factor players lost so far
J.Smith
F.Steyn
D.C
Pending
R. McCaw (*one bad ruck away from aggravating his foot)
Quade Cooper (one good tackle or badly executed tackle away from ending his RWC his tackle technique is awful)
2 Oct 2011, 00:54 am
We will miss Steyn, not just for his kicking but also for his play at inside centre. He has that x factor which jdv doesn’t possess. However it may just be coincidence but jacque fiurie has gone very quite since jdv’s injury, could it be that he is the one making him look good?
2 Oct 2011, 01:20 am
A stupid decision ?? WTF
There was Taute and Viljoen geez much better than Zane
2 Oct 2011, 01:36 am
They were never going to pick a player who hasn’t been part of the Bok set up. Familiarity with systems and structures as every game from here in is against top sides in increasing pressure situations. Lambie and Gio ahead of Zane in thepecking order anyway.
2 Oct 2011, 01:40 am
enjoy the flight. get your hair done. toodles. WTF.
2 Oct 2011, 01:42 am
@Train(Train)-9:
These are the foibles of chemistry. Great point. Fourie is Waiting for Guildford!
2 Oct 2011, 03:05 am
What a waste of a plane ticket. The sad thing is Kirchner could get a world cup winners medal without (hopefully) even playing a game. Piss off Kirchner, you are the Januarie of fullback.
What is this rubbish I’m hearing about Hougaard being injured?
2 Oct 2011, 03:22 am
@Jibber-Jabber(Jibber-Jabber)-3: Kirchner can play fullback and center. That is why.
2 Oct 2011, 03:28 am
Francois Steyn hardly looked like he did much damage, torn ligaments at most – arm in a sling for a week and hey presto, surely he should have been kept for semi and final if Boks get that far.
Kirchner is a dumb decision. Riaan Viljoen is on fire in the Currie Cup and he also has a massive boot just like Francois Steyn.
Frustrating stuff, can’t wait for the WC to be over and a proper coach and the best players being chosen.
Hougaard at most got concussed as well, it would be a shocker if he went home.
2 Oct 2011, 03:35 am
Kirchner like all the quota players hardly ever gets injured, unless a Simon Shaw makes a point to maim him’
So he is always available
2 Oct 2011, 05:35 am
Carter is a bigger loss to NZ than frans is for the Boks but if you factor in their replacements, well then Boks are the real losers.
2 Oct 2011, 05:39 am
We need a second rower much more than a second rate tutti frutti.
2 Oct 2011, 06:38 am
Friggin Niknaks! I hope he enjoys the paycheck and getting splinters on his arse!
2 Oct 2011, 06:59 am
F uk another useless schmuck being called up by the fat boys … fat boys enjoy your last week as Boks, you deserve an early flight home.
To Taute and Goosen, it’s best not to be exposed to Divvy, the clowns and the fat boys, your turn will come when the corrupt house is cleaned out.
2 Oct 2011, 07:37 am
although he would not be my choice… he didn’t pick himself… so good luck to him…
taute or viljoen can feel aggrieved though…
thing is though that morne may not be quite as prodigious as fransie but he CAN put them over from half-way… as he did against the Lions when he came on and took that kick from over halfway if i recall correctly…
so JdJ… but most probably JdV will have to step in and play outta their skins…
2 Oct 2011, 07:43 am
Should have been Taute.
2 Oct 2011, 07:58 am
So this is confirming Steyn is on his way home or is he staying with the squad?
2 Oct 2011, 08:43 am
We are thin on 12, not fullback. Nothing against Zane, but this is a knee-jerk replacement as opposed to a well thought out one.
2 Oct 2011, 08:54 am
@Derrida(Derrida)-25:
JdV, JdJ and Butch all cover 12. As stormer in a teacup pointed out, they’d never bring in someone outside the original squad at this point of the tournament.
Kirchner is solid without being spectacular and is familiar with the other back three options.
2 Oct 2011, 08:57 am
I don’t think Steyn is such a big loss. His kicking is his greatest asset and when it comes to kicking distances he his unrivaled, but I haven’t seen enough consistency in his general play to rate him as anything more than a prospect.
2 Oct 2011, 09:05 am
@Pencil(Pencil)-27:
Exactly why you’re not making the calls. Stupidest thing I’ve heard all day.
2 Oct 2011, 09:09 am
I’m not going to hold it against Kirchner. Good on him. Who wouldn’t want to go to a World Cup for his country.
But he probably isn’t good enough to be there. If Sadie or Taute had been capped, I’d have preferred either of them.
2 Oct 2011, 09:39 am
Sideshow bob offers nothing, they should have waited with calling in replacements as we have enough cover at fullback (that way Frans could have played in the final). also I would have preferred calling in Andries Strauss
2 Oct 2011, 10:12 am
Billions of blue blistering barnacles, that buffon’s as dull as dishwater!
2 Oct 2011, 10:24 am
Taute, Viljoen….Sheesh guys – serious – you would risk a new cap in the RWC….Are you thinking or just spitting bile cos you hate PDV?
Jean straight swap for Frans minus the 60 meter boot
2 Oct 2011, 15:16 pm
Have to agree with most of the comments, strange replacement and don’t see when he would ever play as I’d rather play Lambie and then Pienaar as FB … We are light in the centre area and there I would rather have chosen Viljoen as a utility back, or Sadie as a centre
2 Oct 2011, 15:18 pm
Wow, probably the most sense I’ve ever heard from PDivvy in a long time, well said dude:
http://www.sportlive.co.za/rugby/boks/2011/10/02/springboks-say-they-re-over-samoa-s-dirty-tactics
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