Back where he belongs
15 May 2012
Frans Steyn will be given the opportunity to take ownership of the Springbok No 12 jersey upon his return to South Africa.
Steyn has only started in 30 of his 47 Tests. Neither of his previous Test coaches has been sure of his best position, as he’s featured at flyhalf, wing, in the centres and fullback. Neither Jake White nor Peter de Villiers started Steyn in one position for more than five consecutive games.
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The good news is that the wild ride is over. There will be no roller-coaster, no uncertainty in 2012. No longer will Steyn’s talent go unappreciated or mismanaged. On the contrary, new Bok coach Heyneke Meyer intends to milk it for all its worth.
‘I don’t want to mess him around by playing him in every position, I want him to settle in one position and build some confidence,’ says Meyer. ‘In a crisis he can play elsewhere, but I believe he can perform a leading role at No 12.’
Meyer goes on to explain exactly why Steyn is such an asset to the Boks, while former Bok fullback Percy Montgomery talks about how a player’s ability to kick the ball further than anybody in the game can ultimately fracture even the most well-organised defence.
Also in the new issue:
Coenie Oosthuizen (page 54)
– Coenie Oosthuizen is a non-conformist who wants to redefine the role of a prop
– Heyeneke Meyer tells SA Rugby magazine why he chose his Bok assistant coaches and what his expectations are of them, while Rassie Erasmus explains his new role as Saru’s high performance general manager
– England restored their pride during the Six Nations but will have to raise their game significantly to beat the Springboks in South Africa, writes Stuart Barnes
– England No 8 Ben Morgan has made the most of his opportunity to play Test rugby
– Owen Farrell‘s path to the top has enabled him to cope with upheaval and stay cool under pressure
– Brad Barritt has turned his attention to the Springboks after making an encouraging start start to his Test career in the Six Nations
Brad Barritt (page 72)
– Siya Kolisi could become an important player for the Boks but shouldn’t be rushed into the Test line-up before he’s absolutely ready
– Hurricanes flyhalf Beauden Barrett has made the step up to Super Rugby with consummate ease
– Brumbies openside flank Michael Hooper could become one of the greats of the game
– SA Rugby magazine reviews the top schoolboy Easter rugby festivals held in April
– Having broken their Varsity Cup duck, Tuks want to dominate the tournament for years to come
– The Baby Boks are in a strong position to win the Junior World Championship title on home soil in June
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325 Comments
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15 May 2012, 12:48 pm
@THE MAULER(THE MAULER)-144:
thats your sharkey bias talking. Jaque Potgieter has been in awesome form.
15 May 2012, 12:49 pm
If Boks start with Spies then we are in trouble, put anyone else in that position before spies.. I would still put Daniels in before Spies, sure Daniels is not a Test player but Spies is not even a Super league player.. he never hits the pack, he is scared to tackle.. he is all front and no desire..Daniels will run all day and tackle.. Spies should not even be a thought…
15 May 2012, 12:50 pm
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-131: Wake the hell up boet, Steyn is a class apart from every back we have in SA, he is a match winner.
15 May 2012, 12:50 pm
Actually it is your Bulls bias…
15 May 2012, 12:51 pm
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-142:
Thank you mate,clear and insightful analysis.His most impressive facet of play is his low to non existant error rate.It remarkable.#Siya Kolisi
15 May 2012, 12:51 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-134: reunion looks like a bunch of hobos sitting in a cornfield.
very 1980′s and all the Tony Jackass led false grinning and backslapping is nauseating.
useless show.
havent watched boots and all since the racist left, how i miss him.
15 May 2012, 12:52 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-151: Against the stormers he didn’t even feature in the least, tough teams are what fills our test calendar not pushover reds with a list of injuries.
15 May 2012, 12:55 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-146:
my only answer to that is kiwis work for cheep.
pieter devilliers coached the boks to a 3-0 over the kiwis in 2009. has that ever happened before? Does that make devilliers a genius?
the boks were the last side to beat the kiwis with devilliers at the helm as well.
there are no doubt some excellent nz coaches, my point is that there excellent sa ones as well. For the record I think hanson is shite and will be canned in 24 months.Gatland can’t buy a win over the boks even when we are playing shite.
best kiwi coach has been Ted who funnily enough, got slated by the british lions setup in 2001. go figure….
15 May 2012, 12:55 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-148:
Still play him at blindside…As for Abs prospects at no6 (Nz styles) have to wait and see come Championship.. Kaino left big hole.
15 May 2012, 12:58 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-156:
that tony johnson disgusts me, i could easily spit on him.
ja, i miss the racist too. he has the goods, hope they bringhim back in from the cold at some point once rehabilitated.
15 May 2012, 12:58 pm
Great can’t wait to see Fransie wearing the 12 jersey, should had it all along after 2007 world cup. He is with out a doubt our best inside centre. He was magnificent during the wc was probably our best player there. Once he got injured just knew our chances would drop.
Wish him all the best on his return home. Also hope he comes back to the Sharks.
15 May 2012, 12:59 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-156: Indeed. I always expect there to be some little sponsorship flash upfront that says this episode of Reunion was brought to you by Ned’s Panelbeaters or Butchery or Pest Control etc.
15 May 2012, 12:59 pm
@BreakdownBoy(goodstuff)-157:
wow, you pick out one game?
how did coetzee go against the stormers….I didn’t even see.
look, bottom line is that every couple season the sharks have a half decent loose forward who must be a bok because he is so much better than all your other loose forwards who are all shite. Think Jean Deysel,Kankowski, Warren Brosnihan,etc….
15 May 2012, 13:02 pm
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-159:
you can’t do that because we would be short of a lineout option with brussow and kolisi both at 5ft odd.We’d also lack serious weight at the scrum and physicality at the ruck and maul
15 May 2012, 13:03 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-163:
fck, even daniel got a bok start that way.
15 May 2012, 13:04 pm
It’s Frans hair that is such a worry to me!
What is he thinking?
15 May 2012, 13:05 pm
@mad eye(mad eye)-85:
First we talking about flanks not 8th man. Secondly how can you have Stander in there and not kollisi if you say Kollisi only played a handful of games ? Lekka one rule for the one player but different rule for another. Lastly overseas players dont really count now do they ? The comp they play is way below Super rugby standard , look how well Ricky Januarie is doing over there ! Having said that I will indulge with my feedback below.
Burger – Injured – Not available
Brussouw – I agree
Spies – 8th Man , heck and some even doubt that , not eligible
Alberts – 8th man , also out of form !
Vermullen – 8th Man – also injured so not avaialble
Stander – seriously ? he is not really a openside flank to start off and also played less than Kollisi , how come he gets to start ahead on the basis of having played
“only a handful of games” ?
Straus – ? Who ?
Daniel – 8th Man
Minnie – Bwaa haa haa haa
Potgieter – Just coming back from injury and has not played enough to prove he is in from.
Johnson – blows hot and cold and at best a bench player , also primary a 8th man anyways.
Kankowski – 8th man and injured anyways , not available
van Heerden – who wickus ?? really ? Too old to play flank for a Lions team , playing lock where he is better suited nowdays and in anyways injured
Only Then up and coming,Coetzee,Carr,Kollisi,Rhodes,
Why is Stander not part of this list ? Are you a Bulls supporter by any chance ?
Playing overseas,
Van Niekerk – primary a 8th man and showed the last time that UK form is far from SA form
Sowerby – Who ? Why not Francois Pienaar while you at it ?
Louw – Francois ? Maybe at best , but we don’t know what form he is in again
Rossouw – Danie ? No man we moved away from the slow guys , besides is he not older that Bakkies ?
Saracens captain for the life of me cannot remember his name,Straus, – I think you taking about Ernest Joubert who could not command a regular start at the Lions ! The same Lions that has been the poorest SA team in super rugby for the last few years now. Yup he is def Bok material.
So I ask once again , who is the 6 players that are better than Kollisi on current form ?
FYI – current form is simply where a player has played more than a handful of games this season , he played the majority of the games in his position.
15 May 2012, 13:06 pm
@Puma(Puma)-161:
Hi Puma….Let me dash you off a quick mail!!
I keep missing you on the blogs
15 May 2012, 13:07 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-151: jaque potgieter is dom soos ‘n klip…i watched him at the Kings for 2 years!!
he is very active but is a penalty magnet, loses the ball in contact – error rate, still too naive to be Test quality…will get there though.
15 May 2012, 13:07 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-164: Actually, Kolisi is 6ft2 and has been used as a line-out jumper before. Hell, even Brussow was used once on the weekend (and won his ball).
Not every single forward has to be 7ft tall.
15 May 2012, 13:11 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-167:
wait a minute, I’m a bull and I don’t have stander anywhere near a bok start. We haven’t even found his best position yet. Maybe he can become a great 6 which would be good because he has even more physicality to your normal 5ft groundhog but not yet.
that doesn’t mean i’d have kolisi near a bok start either and definately not coetzee or alberts.
15 May 2012, 13:15 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-170:
is kolisi that tall?
he looks short on the field? Yes, I saw brussow take a ball the other night but that is only because johnson is to heavy to get off the ground.
in a test match, unless a player is completely unique,like brussow, I want them all very big especially in the forwards.
the bok lineout dominated for years because not only wasd matfield the master but everyone was 6ft+. skalk,jean smith,vic,bakkies,spies,dannie,etc..
15 May 2012, 13:17 pm
Sparticus shut up ****,we have put this to bed a long time ago.
Lets see if Kollisi is ready in 2weeks time against decent opposition.
He might be ,but I think not.
Marcel Coetzee,who I have watched since he was at primary school at Port Natal,is the most exciting and complete flank I have seen since Jan Ellis,google that name because I can almost guarentee you haven’t a clue who he was.
Now even with what I said above ,I would like to see Marcel play one more seson of super rugby,before he is thrown onto the Bok stage.
The provincialism in this country is so bitter that to suceed at National level takes a lot more than abilty.
Ask guys like John Smit and Gary Tech
15 May 2012, 13:17 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-158:
I doubt he is a genius, but he knows his rugby
The Boks’ 2009 success was cheifly enabled by the likes of Bryce Lawarence, Berdo, Allain Rolland and Nigel Ownen the referees, but then what goes around comes around.
15 May 2012, 13:18 pm
Fark just by looking at the pic of Frans I can see his over weight.
Hope his not into bunnychows, if he goes back to the Sharks.
15 May 2012, 13:22 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-172:
Numbers are faked on purpose
I have a 2008 game programme from Newland where Aplon was stated 1.69m and 70kg and I was not too sure about the 1.69
He now stands tall at 1.75m and 78kg
15 May 2012, 13:22 pm
I really think we could be in for a big wake up call. This English side are hungry and determined and are young.. Boks have a new manager and new players – and HM is looking in the caves to bring bakc Matfield from Hibernation…. Why not go the same way as the English and pick players in form, so what if they have little experience. He needs to give the youngsters a chance. I agree that he should have some old heads in there to balance it out, but everyone is injured… so go with your gut feeling… lancashire took that chance and look how well they have done…
15 May 2012, 13:24 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-171: I was talking to mad eye when he said there are at least 6 players ahead of kollisi in SA and named Stander as one of them , he reckons Kollisi only played a handful of good games which is not good enough , appareantly its good enough to rate Stander though.
PS – On a previous post you said you wont pick Joe Pietersen on the basis that he is not test match material , I agree 100% on that. Just like meisiekind he is a excellent super rugby player but not test match material.
15 May 2012, 13:24 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-176:
i think aplon wears high-heeled boots.
15 May 2012, 13:28 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-178:
I’d agree with that, pieterson shouldn’t even get a look in because there are better performing options in our superrugby.
olivier deserved a look in because he was the standout superrugby performing 12 for seasons. Personally, I think he got the shaft in the bok setup.Was selected to fail for a better choice of explanation…
15 May 2012, 13:29 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-172: 6 foot one and a half, if you want to be precise (which is the same height as CJ Stander).
15 May 2012, 13:29 pm
I think Apolon is proof that Wickus in district 9 definately shagged one of those prawns
15 May 2012, 13:30 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-179:
His survival is a miracle really, even with all the ducking and slipping he makes to avoid direct contacts, the mass ratio is imperative at rugby, so how come a 70kg waif survived a test match is beyond me
15 May 2012, 13:31 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-181:
i would never have guessed that, do these okes wear different padding or what? Stander looks way bigger than kolisi. I’m sticking with my high heeled boots explanation.
15 May 2012, 13:32 pm
@mad eye(mad eye)-182:
lol
15 May 2012, 13:34 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-183:
I think on defence he hides behind the ref only to ambush the opposing ball carrier from behind when he runs past.?
15 May 2012, 13:36 pm
@mad eye(mad eye)-173:
Okaaaay , so you cannot justify what you say and now resort to name calling and throwing your toys out of the cot. Nice. Jan Ellis way before my time , all I know is that he played flank if momeory serves me right and he was from TVL ?
Its useless comparing players of today to yesterdays players , different era , different ball game , todays players are much more athletic and will probably beat any team from the 70′s hands down. I know its a romantic veiw that the previous hero’s are gods answers to rugby but the truth is today’s players are simply better athletes and stronger. The game has changed way to much to compare.
Its not about throwing the player to the Lions so to say , its not about playing him too early. On current form who should play flank for the boks ? Who is fit and in form ? You cannot base your argument on what if’s. Use facts.
As for this sentence ? “The provincialism in this country is so bitter that to suceed at National level takes a lot more than abilty.Ask guys like John Smit and Gary Tech”
I dunno what you trying to say here , both the above players were stalwarts for the boks and Smit played his first Springbok game in 2000 at the age of 22.
15 May 2012, 13:39 pm
Coenie Oosthuizen and WP nel at 3 are far more effective then Jannie.
15 May 2012, 13:39 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-184: Stander isn’t tall at all, when compared with the likes of Spies, Alberts, Vermeulen etc. He and Kolisi are 1.88 and 1.87 respectively, which is only about an inch taller than Luke Watson, and just over 2 inches taller than Brussow.
15 May 2012, 13:41 pm
@greatest13gerber(greatest13gerber)-188: WP got owned against the Chiefs.
Brok Harris deserves a look in.
15 May 2012, 13:43 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-189:
you will never see a Bok side with two small flank forwards. Traditional we gone with big 7 or 8 – or both.
15 May 2012, 13:44 pm
In other news, I see Alistair Coetzee is moaning about not being able to field new recruits in the play-off stages The rule, which has been around for a few years, says players who weren’t part of the squad by 1 April can’t play in the knock-outs. Now Coetzee wants this changed for the Stormers to accommodate his latest spending spree. Boo-fcken-hoo. Not going to happen.
15 May 2012, 13:45 pm
@greatest13gerber(greatest13gerber)-191: Which is why my team (posted somewhere above) has Brussow, Alberts and Spies starting, and Kruger (4, 5, 7) and Kolisi (6, 7, 8) covering on the bench.
15 May 2012, 13:45 pm
@willievz(willievz)-190:
true. Brok Harris – No.
I wish Meyer bring back BJ Botha -
15 May 2012, 13:46 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-192:
He should have thought of that before he gave the nearly 2 meter tall loosie Grant Hatting to your team – apparently for next to nothing.
15 May 2012, 13:53 pm
187
To you could call Jan Ellis a flank,and you could call Elvis a singer,Ali a boxer and Tiger a golfer.But if thats all you could say about them,rather don’t say anything.
No he didn’t come from N.Tvl nice try though.
What I was saying about J.S and G.T.is that because of provincalism in this country,Gary had to captain the longest winning streak in test match history,and John had to win a World Cup outside of the country to be rated.
Why because they came from Natal.
Even though they achieved that there are many on this page that will now begin to tell you that they were overated
Coetzee also comes from Natal
15 May 2012, 13:57 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-103:
1. Mtwarira – 100% will be selected
2. Du Plessis
3. Kruger, W – He will be screwed against England frontrow.
4. Etsebeth
5. Bekker
6. Brussow – this is likely Meyer picks for start
7. Alberts- a fit Potgieter would be here. Grant Hattingth bolter????
8. Spies – Alberts deserves a start in his fav position.
9. Hougaard – nop standout backup. Am picking Du Preez as backup.
10. Steyn, M
11. Habana- could be shock non selection?? I said it first
12. Steyn, F
13. De Villiers (c) – My pick as well for Capt.
14. Petersen – Aplon here.
15. Aplon – Lambie will be selected.
16. Ralepele – Strauss has being form hooker. should be here.
17. Kitshoff – No Coenie???, offers more then Kitschoff
18. Kruger
19. Kolisi – yep. will be in mix. good impact
20. Pienaar – Has being tried and tested. Have du Preez here
21. Lambie
22. De Jongh
15 May 2012, 14:01 pm
If there is one loose forward that has been really underrated and not mentioned enough in my opinion is, Keagan Daniel, to be brutally honest, on current form, the best No. 8 in the SA conference. Many will disagree, but this is one guy, that has performed week in and week out even when his side was on the losing end.
Then there are the guys who believe he is to small to be a Bok No.8.
I would back Keagan to beat, step hand off Spies or any other No. 8 any day. One of SA’s quickest loosies and best defenders, rarely slipping tackles, to top it off he plays like a fetcher.
Maybe it is just me, but i rate this guy!!
15 May 2012, 14:02 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-192:
typical arrogant CT attitude. Rules are rules.
15 May 2012, 14:03 pm
What happened to Brok’s dumber twin Blaauw,
Remember a game last year where Blaauw passed a ball straight into Brok’s face.
Both looked like they went to special school.
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