PdV sticks with Smitty
6 Oct 2011
John Smit has been reinstated as the starting hooker and captain for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against the Wallabies.
De Villiers started Bismarck du Plessis in the last pool match against Samoa, and it was rumoured that he would continue to play a bigger role in the knockout matches. But with Thursday’s team announcement, De Villiers stuck to the original script, favouring the man he made a promise to in 2008. Smit will start ahead of Du Plessis because De Villiers believes that the former is an indispensable leader.
Du Plessis has been named on the bench, but the Boks could certainly use his particular skill set in a game of this nature. More mobile and aggressive than Smit, he also possesses a strong breakdown game and is known to make the odd steal off the deck. Against the Wallabies, you’d want players of this ilk on the park from minute one.
It is also false to claim that the Boks don’t have the leadership outside of Smit to see them through a knockout match. Victor Matfield has captained the Bulls to three Super Rugby titles over the last four years, and has led the Boks admirably when Smit has been unavailable.
Matfield will play alongside Danie Rossouw in this match, as regular second row partner Bakkies Botha is unlikely to recover from injury. Beast Mtawarira is left out of the match 22, with Gurthro Steenkamp starting at loosehead prop. Other changes to the side that fronted Samoa see Jean de Villiers replacing the injured Frans Steyn at inside centre.
The Bok coach has also reverted to a traditional four-three split on the bench. There is still no sign of Johann Muller, and Willem Alberts will cover lock once again.
Francois Hougaard will cover several backline positions, and Butch James will give the team an alternative flyhalf option if Morne Steyn and the Boks’ one dimensional game plan doesn’t come off. Like the benching of Du Plessis, it’s a selection the coach will soon regret, as James’s skills are tailor made for this type of opposition.
The Boks have spoken about playing a forward-oriented game, but someone like Gio Aplon will lend them attacking impetus in the final quarter. Aplon has been used sparingly in this tournament, but will provide the Boks’ with a lively running option against what should be a tiring Aussie defence.
Again, the team may have been better served if Aplon was selected to start rather than ride the bench. Like Du Plessis and James, he has the ability to influence the outcome of a match and ideally these sort of players should be playing a greater role rather than a bit part in a do-or-die fixture.
Springboks – 15. Pat Lambie, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Jean de Villiers, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Fourie du Preez, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Schalk Burger, 6. Heinrich Brüssow, 5. Victor Matfield, 4. Danie Rossouw, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. John Smit (c), 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Subs: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. CJ van der Linde, 18. Willem Alberts, 19. Francois Louw, 20. Francois Hougaard, 21. Butch James, 22. Gio Aplon.
486 Comments
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5 Oct 2011, 20:07 pm
plod dragon
5 Oct 2011, 20:07 pm
BallsnRibs on the bench…!!!
5 Oct 2011, 20:09 pm
Bakkies is the henry honiball of the 2011 rugby wc
5 Oct 2011, 20:09 pm
Solid team… serious bench. Up to the boys to put it together…
5 Oct 2011, 20:10 pm
No Bakkies, fair enough – no Beast, this is a good call, he is not nearly as good as Guthro, I called for his axing weeks as he is the inferior loosehead in the team.
The bench looks better with the 4/3 split.
5 Oct 2011, 20:10 pm
Bakkies is the henry honiball of the 2011 wc
5 Oct 2011, 20:11 pm
Each time I read the team sheet it sinks in a little further how faaking old these blokes really are………….eish no new exciting blood. Last game on Sun methinks…….unfortunately!
5 Oct 2011, 20:14 pm
@whatever(whatever)-7:
Old? who is old? Only Plod, Matfield and Danie are 30+
JdV abd CJ are about 30, the rest of the team between 20 and 29.
5 Oct 2011, 20:14 pm
Once Bakkies wasn’t fit, this is the best 22. The bench isn’t just about impact, it also needs to take injuries into account, which is why Butch is there,
5 Oct 2011, 20:14 pm
Sadly I think we are going down on Sunday. Aussies better prepared than us, will have a few tricks up their sleeve. Will relentlessly target fdp
5 Oct 2011, 20:14 pm
Solid team and bench.
Good luck boks.
5 Oct 2011, 20:15 pm
@whatever(whatever)-7:
Guthro also 30 – the All Blacks have an older team btw
5 Oct 2011, 20:16 pm
@Train(Train)-10:
I think you think wrong.
5 Oct 2011, 20:17 pm
@RL(RL)-12:
True.
All blacks have an older squad, yet they are favorites to win the tournie.
Some things don’t make sense to me.
5 Oct 2011, 20:18 pm
@Train(Train)-10: You underestimate Piet Snor… he has plenty of options with that 22… not 1 F’kin passenger.
This could be very interesting…
5 Oct 2011, 20:18 pm
Well I can do without Brainfart Bakkies. Oom Danie playing really well at lock. Beast – I prefer Guthro, and CJ packs both sides if needed.
4:3 bench is good for a team like Australia who will stretch us wide and tire us out all day long. Good bench, would have started Alberts, but I like Flo instead of Malteaser Muller. Alberts, Schalk & Flo can pack at lock – and I really like having relative pace to burn with these guys.
Smit vs Biz. Biz would have had the Aussies on the back foot from the whistle. I think that’s important.
5 Oct 2011, 20:19 pm
@David(David)-9: I like Butch there too. Especially if Jean lasts 12 minutes per usual.
5 Oct 2011, 20:20 pm
Come on Boks.
5 Oct 2011, 20:21 pm
Is Bakkies still lame or did he just not get selected?
5 Oct 2011, 20:21 pm
The right calls have been made – coaches and team must live by their choices but they are sound choices.
Bakkies, you legend, time to go home.
With Frans out Morne’s kicking accuracy is key and he must start.
Bok two best defensive wingers and most experienced flyers should always start if fit enough.
Bok most experienced centre combo.
Francois Louw on the bench to counter the bam-bam dynamism of Pocock.
Bismark and Hougaard to come on and blitz the Wobblies in the final stretch.
Butch to come on and knock them back off their tired legs.
Beast has been strangely subdued throughout entire tournament.
Gurthro being picked makes sense.
Four-three split the right way to go for Wobblies.
Go Boks!
5 Oct 2011, 20:21 pm
I like the 4/3 split on the bench. Great that Aplon is there.
Could it be that the Boks are planning to swing it down the line come Sunday?
Well I farken never!!!
5 Oct 2011, 20:21 pm
Awesome players -all of them. In most positions I believe we have better players, but let’s be honest who do think is shrewder Bok or Aussie braintrust?
5 Oct 2011, 20:22 pm
Awesome players -all of them. In most positions I believe we have better players, but let’s be honest who do we think is shrewder Bok or Aussie braintrust?
5 Oct 2011, 20:22 pm
Bakkies a huge blow. It may be time to cut our losses and fly Flip in.
5 Oct 2011, 20:24 pm
You mean mostert
5 Oct 2011, 20:25 pm
You mean mostert.
5 Oct 2011, 20:25 pm
Mostert. Has a brain.
5 Oct 2011, 20:25 pm
The pitch will be a major factor… watch for scrums collapsing, frustrations boiling over & plenty penalties…
5 Oct 2011, 20:25 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-24:
FLIP!!!!!!
please no……….
5 Oct 2011, 20:25 pm
This is PDivvy’s A team. Even if Bakkies ever recovers and in the unlikely event of the Boks beating Australia, he’ll be hopelessly undercooked in terms of match-fitness to come back into a semi or a final ahead of Danie Butterfingers.
5 Oct 2011, 20:25 pm
@Train(Train)-25: Mostert is injured so he means Flip.
5 Oct 2011, 20:26 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-24: no flip…gerhard mostert! ja
5 Oct 2011, 20:26 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-24: Why? Danie is playing really well. No weakness there at all. And he won’t get carded at least once a game by being super-dof.
5 Oct 2011, 20:26 pm
Hopefully Helium’s spoken insistance on the kick and chase game plan is disengenous and the boks will unleash some bold and deadly new plays.
5 Oct 2011, 20:27 pm
Pleased to see Guthro, good call. Plod needs to **** off, however. Bismark and Brussow complement each other at the breakdown whilst being a very intimidating duo around the park, and against a savvy Oz side dominating the physical exchanges is beyond vital. Even disregarding that Plod has never been half the player Bissie is, and the whole captaincy angle is rubbish when you have the most successful captain at provincial level at lock. One who actually plays for his province.
5 Oct 2011, 20:28 pm
@julz(julz)-34:
This is the test of Rassie’s influence.
5 Oct 2011, 20:28 pm
Thank goodness Butch is on the bench should “Two step” De Villiers not decide to tackle or pass the ball. Butch can play 12, would have preferred JdJ as backup but that would mean either Aplon or Hougie not there. So its as good as it gets.
No Beast and 4/3 split implies that the Boks dont think too much of the Aussie scrum despite all the noises to the contrary in interviews.
Flo on the bench indicates that Rassie, the real brains trust, reckons this game will be won and lost in the ground war with Pocock.
Interesting times.
5 Oct 2011, 20:30 pm
Fourie is going to have the worst game if his life ( hope I’m wrong) but mark my words that it what is going to happen. Each time he gets the ball out of a ruck or a mall 2 Aussies are going to target him and limit his options
5 Oct 2011, 20:30 pm
A great side, well done to PDivvy for not making any silly changes. I think Aus will be very concerned to read this teamsheet. I like having a strong bench that lifts the intensity of the game in the last 20 minutes. If you think we are having problems with lack of faith in our coach try reading some of the Aussie blogs, they think Dingo is a NZ plant to help the AB’s win the WC.
SA more settled, more focussed and with a bunch of these guys playing their last ever tournament in a Bok jersey they will give it their all. Boks to win a tight, tough battle by physically smothering the Wobblies and defending like madmen.
5 Oct 2011, 20:31 pm
Everybody close your eyes please whilst we give thanks for Rassie…
For what we are about to deliver, may we be truly thankful & ever mindful of those who are less able than ourselves.
Hallelujah!! YES… there is a god.
5 Oct 2011, 20:32 pm
Mistake not having Beast on the bench. Feel for him. CJ probably has to be but I really don’t rate him much at all.
Injuries might be a problem. Cause read today that Brussow, Habs and Hougaard were still with the rehab Boks. So they have covered themselves with Aplon and Hougie on the bench also with Flo if Brussow has a problem. Butch to cover fh and centre.
Not sure WHAT Bakkies is doing there still? When will he play? If we go out on Sunday he has actually done not much this tourney. Also why the heck bring in Zane???? He is not there either.
Think if we start to fall behind we must bring in Alberts and Bissie pronto. Not wait 55min. Rather bring them in after the break or just before even. If we ahead then straight after the break or around 45min.
Just have to stay positive and hope we can. Without Frans not so sure. See JdV is at 12 like we all thought.
Cooper speaking and could not even think of a player that had flair in our team? Then quickly mentioned Lambie and Hougaards name with Habs. They sure as heck pleased that there is no more Frans Steyn.
Good luck to our Boks. Just have to stay positive and hope we can. Just too many injuries right now to our top players.
5 Oct 2011, 20:33 pm
@mako(mako)-39: I wouldnt be surprised if Dippy is a NZ plant too… Lots of NZ support from greater Cape Town and the West Cape… Dippy in his youth might very well have been a Caped Crusader.
5 Oct 2011, 20:34 pm
@jocuba(jocuba)-40:
5 Oct 2011, 20:36 pm
We also have a damn kiwi ref. Really don’t like that at all. Should never have been. I hope he dislikes Oz more than us….LOL.
5 Oct 2011, 20:36 pm
Very good team except for the 3 that are being masked by the other 12 and covered profusely off the bench
EVERY single one of these selections is spot on including the omission of Bakkies and by going 4/3 split to give better mobility and running options when we might very well need them in 2nd half.. The BIG pity is Beast is sacrificed for Smit at Loose head.. and that is a fuckup of NOTE….
Aplon, Butch, Louw ALL very good and inspired selections..
The ONLY flaws are the 3 that have been glaring flaws all along.. Namely Smit, Spies and FdP starting .. but then those are the 3 fflaws and weaknesses we would have to be covering for ANYWAY as we always have HAD to nevertheless..
5 Oct 2011, 20:37 pm
Everyone a big fan of rassie but if we reflect, he has never won anything as coach/manager other than a couple of currie cups with FS
5 Oct 2011, 20:37 pm
@42.Heavens Game:
Hmmm, you never know… I am impressed though so far. Old Snor has managed to make some pretty good calls this WC. Thank heavens he brought in Rassie and Nienaber. Hopefully they can keep the team moving forward while Dickie and GG stand around the pub….
5 Oct 2011, 20:39 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-37: I think Beast would have been on the bench. He had to take the fall cause of the injured players playing. Habs, JPP and Brussow are carrying some injuries. Well think Brussow is as he was with the rehab Boks today. So they had to cover the bench with two wings. Which tells me JPP and Habs will come off at some stage. Also probably Brussow as Flo is there to cover for him. So Beast had to take the fall for the team. Don’t rate CJ but he covers both sides. So suppose he has to be there. But would have prefered to have Beast. Then if Jannie got injured we sure would be in trouble. So one of the front row had to drop out.
5 Oct 2011, 20:39 pm
@Train(Train)-46: Shows how farken kakpoor Dippy has been, with probably the worst win/loss ratio of any Bok coach since readmittance. I reckon even Naka Drotske would have done better.
Rassie and Nienaber have made a positive impact, thats for sure.
5 Oct 2011, 20:41 pm
Bryce Lawrence hammered the Aussies in the Ireland game. He particularly penalised their scrum heavily, so they are very bleak to have him reffing this game. The bokke have been studying the refs and hopefully will play to Bryce’s way of blowing. If he penalises the Wobblies that is 3 points each time, thanks to Morne’.
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