No Du Preez, Brussow for Boks
3 Jun 2012
Fourie du Preez and Heinrich Brussow were the big omissions from the 32-man Springbok squad to face England in the June Test series.
It was believed that Japan-based scrumhalf Du Preez was informally offered the team captaincy last week from head coach Heyneke Meyer. However, it seems as if the player has made himself unavailable for selection as he’s been left out of the squad. Eighthman Pierre Spies and centre Jean de Villiers should be front-runners for the captaincy.
Cheetahs openside flank Brussow is also a major omission from Meyer’s first official Test squad. His high penalty count this year is a probable reason for his exclusion. Stormers duo Juan de Jongh and Gio Aplon can count themselves unlucky as they were overlooked.
Stormers flank Siya Kolisi was not picked. However, he and six other young players – flank Arno Botha (Bulls), prop Frans Malherbe (Stormers), flank CJ Stander (Bulls), centre Francois Venter (Bulls) and scrumhalf Piet van Zyl (Cheetahs) – will train with the Boks during the series. This will allow these players to gain experience in the Test set-up, but they won’t be eligible for selection.
There are nine uncapped players in the squad – flank Marcell Coetzee, wing JJ Engelbrecht, lock Eben Etzebeth, flyhalf Elton Jantjies, lock Juandré Kruger, prop Coenie Oosthuizen, flank Jacques Potgieter, lock Franco van der Merwe and scrumhalf Jano Vermaak.
There are 15 survivours from of the 2011 Bok World Cup squad. Wing Bryan Hanbana is the most experienced player with 74 Test caps.
‘We were always looking to start the season with an experienced squad to face England, but injuries to certain players and the non-availability of others have made it difficult,’ said Meyer.
‘What we’ve lost in experience, we’ve made up in passion and desire to play for the Springboks. We have put together a squad with a nice balance between a number of veterans and players with less experience as we start to build for the rest of the season.
‘Working with these players during our four planning camps this season has been great and really made a very difficult selection process a bit easier. There were a few unlucky players that didn’t make it and they will get opportunities in future as long as they keep on knocking on the door.
‘The nine uncapped players have all put up their hands during Super Rugby this year and we know they have what it takes to succeed at the highest level,’ he continued. ‘We realise that it is impossible to please everyone when it comes to selecting squads like these, but we would really like to see the entire country stand behind us as we take on England.’
Springbok 32-man squad for June Test series:
Backs – Bjorn Basson, Jean de Villiers, JJ Engelbrecht, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Elton Jantjies, Zane Kirchner, Patrick Lambie, Lwazi Mvovo, Wynand Olivier, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Frans Steyn, Morne Steyn, Jano Vermaak.
Forwards – Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Ryan Kankowski, Juandre Kruger, Werner Kruger, Beast Mtawarira, Coenie Oosthuizen, Jacques Potgieter, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Pierre Spies, Adriaan Strauss, Flip van der Merwe, Franco van der Merwe.
1,463 Comments
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3 Jun 2012, 15:23 pm
Why does no one want to talk about Keohane here on Keo?
3 Jun 2012, 15:24 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-946:
Lets stick with the Stormers win over the Bulls.
I prefer that one.
3 Jun 2012, 15:24 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-950:
Exactly! Howzit SL! The biggest roar at Loftus was when the final whistle blew at Ellis Park… The Bulls supporters were relieved mate believe you me…You guys were worrying them…
3 Jun 2012, 15:24 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-943:
Yip.
3 Jun 2012, 15:24 pm
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-941:
That starting side posted by Tac in 917 was a decent team apart from a couple of love child picks at 8 and 10. But the bench will be couloured pink with averageness, and that is the real shame.
I mean ffs, 41% of that Bulls team in the squad. Lol, that’s funny
3 Jun 2012, 15:25 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-944:
I don’t know how you expect me to respond to that?
Coaches trust their gut and their systems. They live by their decisions which will be judged on his results.
It has been well over a decade since the Boks won over 70% of their games over an extended period.
THAT is the promise Meyer made to the public – winning is everything, not some bullshite RWC 4-year plan. Personally, I will judge him on that. (Probably because I am sick of this bloody RWC fascination).
3 Jun 2012, 15:25 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-758:
Ag siestog.
Marcell Coetzee is just plain better than Siya Kolisi.
Siya defends well, gets MoM against a static Bulls attack and now he’s a Springbok.
Marcell shouldve gotten MoM against the Stormers when the Sharks beat em, he was lastnight again prominent and fighting hard against the Lions.
See what you said about Stegmann.
Yeah, he lead many of those stats, and the season before, and guess what? his hard work freed up his teammates to win games, and the Bulls’ 2010 season was the most convincing Super Rugby cup a team has ever won, win Deon Stegmann dominating the breakdown and his tireless tackling count and 95%+ efficiency, don’t blow that off and now you claim “self-serving” and I see some mention is made of white supremacy..
get this straight, it’s not you vs me, us vs them.
YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM.
Marcell has been working like a trojan, and the stats happen to reflect that, as I said weeks ago. Marcell is the best available young looseforward with the most experience now, and he deserves to be there, and he is not even sure of a place in the team yet.
So relax.
3 Jun 2012, 15:25 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-951:
Non-event, people with agendas trying to take a guy out with his own agendas.
3 Jun 2012, 15:26 pm
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-952:
Why would we change the subject. Two from two.
Remember Tacs Ifs and Buts theory. Can someone post that again for us.
It would be comical reading I say… entertaining too…
3 Jun 2012, 15:26 pm
In SA you can survive a drugs and prostitutes scandal no problem, but drop a careless racial insult in a private conversation, and your career is over.
Twilight zone stuff.
3 Jun 2012, 15:26 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-947:
Kockott had a hair trigger temper. He got pinged often. Still remember the snotklap on some Aussie lock a few years back. I wonder if I can find it on YouTube.
He had good explosive pace but was inclined to be selfish and wanted all the glory so he stuffed up many try scoring opportunities.
3 Jun 2012, 15:26 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-948:
Nah, we’re all schit and over rated. Just ask the ‘honest’ rugby fans on these pages
3 Jun 2012, 15:27 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-956:
You don’t have to answer it mate. It was tongue in cheek. I’m saying even the Bulls team should beat the Pommies so not much of a worry…
3 Jun 2012, 15:28 pm
Just watched the Bulls v Stormers match this morning to relive the amazing game…it was no doubt one of the best in terms or defence and intensity.
As many of the comments on here have already been published I would also like to express my deep dissapointment at the Bok squad, yes I am one of the angry fans but its not because there are only 3 Stormers in the team its because the wrong players have been picked and the way they have been picked has really been a let down.
This is not to say that I am unhappy with some of those inculded and I also believe that taking Kolisi, Malherbe, Van Zyl etc.. in to train and get used to the set up is really good on Heyneke Meyer’s part.
However as I realise that many Bulls players were going to be picked for the obvious reasons that the majority of the coaching staff are former Bulls coaches so they will know the players and understand the way they work; Warren Gatland used this when he first coached Wales back in the 2008 Six Nations when he picked 17 Ospreys in his first 22 man squad for the opening game against England. This gave him better preparation as the players knew eachother and they could use the Ospreys calls. This bok squad is similar to that because the Bulls will dominate the whole team and the other players will be experienced enough to deal with the changes e.g. Bryan Habana, Jean De Villiers, Bismark Du Plessis & Frans Steyn are the Stephen Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Mark Jones & Alix Popham of the Wales squad in 2008.
Heyneke Meyer also benefits from having his first choice front row (Tendai Mtawarira, Bismark Du Plessis & Jannie Du Plessis) coming from the same franchise and used to scrumming together. Pierre Spies is a likely captain for this team due to his leadership with the Bulls and his involvement between forwards and backs at no.8.
In this respect the Bok coach has chose wisely although the boks do miss some quality players in Bekker, Vermeulen, Burger & Fourie Du Preez. Heyneke should try hard to bring Fourie Du Preez back because he still has many years left in him and Ruan Pienaar is playing overseas (imo the Stormers should really look at bringing him in to their camp instead of Duvenhage, this would also give Pienaar a better chance of regularly making the bok team).
The main issue that many of the fans have (not only Stormers ones) is the amount of Bulls players who have been picked that aern’t even 2nd or 3rd best in their position in the country or those who have been injured all season.
What the picking of Jaques Potgieter says to the really on form players in his position, Derrick Minnie, Heinrich Brussouw, Joshua Strauss etc.. is that they can play as good as they can all season but Heyneke Meyer will still pick a flank who has never played test rugby, has played 7 or 8 weeks of super rugby and been injured all season ahead of them just because he is a Bulls player and because Heyneke rates him. There is no doubting the impact that players like Minnie, Brussouw and even Francois Louw can do in the fetecher position (anyone who wants to know watch Louw’s performance for Baabaa’s v Wales) his own decision on Brussouw has left me quite shocked that even when Vermeulen, Burger & Juan Smith are all injured, Brussouw still cannot make the bok squad never mind the starting team.
The inclusion of Eben Eztebeth, Marcell Coetzee, Coenie Oosthuzyen & Elton Jantjes are really good for the development of South African rugby and I rate everyone of these players very highly.
My problem is the decision to include this group of players:
Wynand Olivier
Bjorn Basson
Zane Kirchner
JJ Engelbrecht
Ryan Kankowski
Jaques Potgieter
Flip Van Der Merwe
These players should have been included:
Juan De Jongh
Gio Aplon
Joe Pietersen
Joshua Strauss
Heinrich Brussouw
Peter Grant
This would have been a well balanced and fairer squad in terms of form and quality.
For those who claim that the Bulls are a great attacking side through kicking they should look at yesterdays game and they will realise that the Stormers were much better on attack than them and that the Bulls offer nothing in attack.
Olivier was appalling and JJ Engelbrecht could be great but his defence is wack.. let me ask you a question… If JJ Engelbrecht was at any other franchise would his name have been read out yesterday? No.
I had no problem with a Bulls dominated squad for the England series but I didn’t think it would be to the extent to players such as Gio Aplon & Juan De Jongh being left out for players such as JJ Engelbrecht, Wynand Olivier etc.. This has caused such uproar because it is definatly wrong.
In this instance, Heyneke Meyer you have really let the nation down and showed to many of the great players from other franchises that they have a lesser chance of making the Bok team.
What if Peter De Villiers had been in charge? Without Victor Matfield, John Smit & Jaque Fourie there I would say that he would have gone with a better squad than Heyneke Meyer. Take the stupid quotes from press conferences away and which one would people rather… The Bulls lover Heyneke Meyer or the Peter De Villiers who would now not be told who to pick from Smit and Matfield? Its a tough one.
Lets not forget that Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Burger, Jaco Taute, Andries Bekker are injured but then who would make way for them in Heynekes preferred squad? I doubt anyone.
Basically even the most avid Bulls supporter can say that there are about 6 players who are really lucky to be there and 6 players who should be v. pi ssed off this morning. Juan De Jongh, Heinrich Brussouw, Juan De Jongh, Peter Grant, Joshua Strauss, Joe Pietersen you should know that the majority of South Africa thinks you should be there and hopefully in the futue you will.
All I can say is that I hope this team gets picked for the tests v England and that in the future the BEST bok squad is picked not just the coaches favourites.
15 Patrick Lambie
14 Lwazi Mvovo
13 Jean De Villiers
12 Francois Steyn
11 Bryan Habana
10 Morne Steyn (P Grant should be there)
9 Francois Hougaard
8 Pierre Spies (For lack of better options)
7 Willem Alberts
6 Marcell Coetzee
5 Juandre Kruger
4 Franco Van Der Merwe
3 Jannie du Plessis
2 Bismark Du Plessis
1 Tendai Mtawarira
Just think Ben Foden, Chris Ashton and Manu Tuilagi collecting Morne Steyn’s kicks and counter attacking.. could be lethal.
I hope the Rugby Championships squad is a better one and I hope England show Meyer that his style of rugby will not work in the test arena.
3 Jun 2012, 15:29 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-958:
3 Jun 2012, 15:29 pm
@cane(cane)-929:
It’s a very ordinary conservative selection, without one single creative or game breaking attacking player, other than Daniels, in either the backs or forwards.
Alberts is a game breaker as an impact player and young Coetzee is all action. Frans Steyn might add some edge to the backs, although I doubt his conditioning for the first couple of tests. Hougaard certainly isn’t a playmaker at 9 and would be far better employed further from the scrum where his opportunism would be better utilised.
3 Jun 2012, 15:30 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-953:
Bill and them also losing kept the door open for the Sharks, because our 4 points are still to come for the Bye, and then we play them in Durban 
3 Jun 2012, 15:30 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-917:
So WHERE do
Olivier, Kirchner, Engelbrecht, Mvovo, Basson, Jantjies, Vermaak, Kankowski, Potgieter, W. Kruger WARRANT selection on MERIT above either of
Aplon, De Jongh, Van Zyl, Brussow, Kolisi, Malherbe, Nel
and I would venture to suggest that De Jongh, Aplon, would have been better bets at 12 and 15 than either of Steyn and Kirchner or Lambie, or at least on bench than Olivier and Lambie or Kirchner, and perhaps even Kolisi at 6 ahead of Coetsee but at least a very good bench option in the match day 22.
No real sweat off my brow.. like I said Meyer has done Stormers one huge favor leaving our players alone.. pity he’s taken JdV, Habana and Etsebeth with him.. I’m sure he could have found some other BB juniors to fill their shoes quite adequately for lowly England instead.
Let him make Spies captain and play enter at center and play both Vd Merwe’s in his starting 22.. that will suit me just fine.. he don’t need any players south of the Orange river.. he got enough right up his powder blue sleeve.
3 Jun 2012, 15:30 pm
#919 Cane this rivalry between the bulls and the stormers goes back a long way they love slagging us we love slagging them especially if our respective teams win that is part of rugby in SA,and i like is it is healthy it would be boring if everybody agreed with each other The simple fact is the bulls have won 3 super rugby titles two of them back to back and the muppets have not won ANY super rugby titles and it really pisses them off and they are the most biased set of fans along with the cape press in all of SA and i say that without any fear of contradiction,as i used to live there so i know what i am writing about.I hope that explains things a little better for you.
3 Jun 2012, 15:30 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-962:
Useless, tired, broken bodies who peaked at the wrong time…
It is all downhill from here…
3 Jun 2012, 15:31 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-963:
Aaahhh ok – got you – just had to be safe with all the emo folk out there at the moment!
3 Jun 2012, 15:31 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-957:
luv the way you worm Stegmann into the Kolisi Coetzee debate/
3 Jun 2012, 15:33 pm
@Rhys7(Rhys7)-964:
Responding to your second last sentence, Ben Foden, Chris Ashton or Tuilagi collecting Morne Steyn’s kicks will be infinitely better for the Boks than those same players collecting Peter Grant’s kicks, because Steyn’s tactical kicking is infintely more accurate than Grant’s.
Whoever plays at flyhalf, Meyer would have employed a game built around tactical kicking. So better to have someone who puts those tactical kicks where intended, than someone with a pop gun boot.
3 Jun 2012, 15:33 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-951:
What’s there to say? Except that keo has had his last lap dance from Nikita.
3 Jun 2012, 15:33 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-970:
We’ve got a nice rest coming up actually. Maybe HM is taking a backhander from the Cape?????
3 Jun 2012, 15:35 pm
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-968:
Because Meyer wants big backline players.
Pietersen, De Villiers, Frans Steyn, Olivier, JJ Engelbrecht all beefy fellows.
Just accept that this is his gameplan. He will pick big guys instead of small ones.
3 Jun 2012, 15:35 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-967:
…and I will be cheering on the Sharks… They are a better team in my opinion… They the only SA team to beat the Stormers so deserve to be up there…
3 Jun 2012, 15:36 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-973:
If Meyer wants to play a complete kicking game which didn’t work yesterday then his man is Morne Steyn, what I’m saying is the best all round fly half that should be there is P Grant
3 Jun 2012, 15:37 pm
@blueboy(blueboy)-969:
You also should point out to Cane that WP/Stormers occupy your head space up in Pretoria, and the chip on your shoulder is hooped with blue and white stripes.
The inferiority complex is just sooooo funny.
3 Jun 2012, 15:37 pm
@Rhys7(Rhys7)-978:
Again I have to point out that people measure Morne’s kicking contribution from his points tally from goal kicks.
That is maybe 10% of a kicking flyhalf’s role. The TACTICAL kicking out of hand is by far the most important role, and in that area Grant doesn’t measure up.
3 Jun 2012, 15:40 pm
@RL(RL)-972:
HE did not ME, if you read his post,
and thats the point, a player doesnt have to take the match by the scruff of the neck and be invincible, he has to be a specialist in his position especially the openside.
And that is that.
Fact of the matter is the Bulls picked up momentum last year and missed out narrowly, the previous two seasons we ran all over our opposition, and Stegmann lead the workrate stats in all seasons. Just a nice little coincidence, but whatever.
3 Jun 2012, 15:41 pm
#979 jokebok for a scotsman you are easy to reel in.
3 Jun 2012, 15:41 pm
You have a point but with Frans Steyn, Hougaard and Lambie in the team then it could take pressure off the fly half and its not be saying Morne should not be in the squad its just that Peter Grant is never rewarded for his form simply because of popular belief he is not good enough and that he plays for a negative attacking side in the Stormers but he’s not been given the chances to prove himself and this year should have been it.
3 Jun 2012, 15:41 pm
@Rhys7(Rhys7)-964:
Can you please make your posts longer?
I love reading your posts on the loo….
3 Jun 2012, 15:42 pm
@blueboy(blueboy)-982:
Ja, keep telling yourself that. I’ll go and fetch more popcorn.
3 Jun 2012, 15:42 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-977: ty young man lol
3 Jun 2012, 15:44 pm
@Rhys7(Rhys7)-983:
While I agree with the sentiment, Grant shot himself in the foot two seasons in a row by chasing the Yen and missing out on the EOYTs because he wasn’t in the CC shop window.
3 Jun 2012, 15:45 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-981:
Hey Steggies! Hows the injury?
3 Jun 2012, 15:45 pm
@Rhys7(Rhys7)-983: Rhys on form however Lambie has been better then those mentioned at 10, only Goosen has eclipsed Lambie this season, and as i have it Lambie is the 2nd choice for HM as he covers 3 positions
3 Jun 2012, 15:48 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-955:
15 is a problem against England, Aplon would be a better bet than either of Kirchner or Lambie
I’m not so sold with Steyn at 12 either yet.. let him play one test before I get all hoopla about his messiah like status
and MS / Hougaard half back pair could do squat against Stormers how they gonna fare against England?
Spies at 8 is an old issue that isn’t going to get solved now.. and Kanko going to be on the bench
..
I think I see an England win staring Heyneke in the face.. he gonna go with that set of combinations.
3 Jun 2012, 15:48 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-984: I felt it was needed! haha
3 Jun 2012, 15:49 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-989:
Morne was not very good yesterday either…whether his out of hand or place kicking… Lots of hype around the bloke in pink I say… Lambie a much better allround option…
3 Jun 2012, 15:49 pm
@RL(RL)-778:
Not only that, Coetzee has a very wise and calm head on his shoulders.
He fought very bravely against the Lions lastnight when a few of his teammates couldnt be bothered.
I am always proud of the way Coetzee slams into tackle.
________________________________________________________
Coetzee has reached that place as a rugby player that we all strive for, that special old familiar new “groove”, when you absorb a lot of punishment and don’t get hurt, your brain kicks into gear 6 and you see the weakness in your opponents that much faster, when your body moulds to a ball carrier to bring him down brutally and efficiently and fearlessly.
That can be a rare thing, I’ve only experienced it a few times and it doesn’t last that long, because there are 100′s of things to throw it off, we need to see Coetzee in a Bok jersey so that his form and excitement is taken over to the test arena.
3 Jun 2012, 15:51 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-988:
haha jou antwoord is iewers hierbo, nie die eerste een om te vra nie ou maat
3 Jun 2012, 15:51 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-993:
That almost brought tears to my eyes…
3 Jun 2012, 15:51 pm
With all this drama around Bok selection and Keo’s shenanigans all is forgotten about the great win at Loftus last night.
This was a wounded Stormers team with most of its senior players on the injury list and yet managed to accomplish the impossible.
3 Jun 2012, 15:52 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-994:
We all only want you to recover to take back that no 6 jersey buddy! The only player who is not shy to tell us how good he is!
3 Jun 2012, 15:53 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-995:
Ok well then now for the punchline that will bring you to your knees:
Now imagine all that….and Steggies is even better than Coetzee…..
DUM DUM DUUUUMMMM
3 Jun 2012, 15:53 pm
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Mark-Keohane-in-cocaine-scandal-20120603
3 Jun 2012, 15:53 pm
yes
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