Malherbe flies to Boks’ aid
11 Sep 2012
Frans Malherbe will join the Springboks in New Zealand as tighthead prop cover ahead of Saturday’s Test.
Jannie du Plessis and Pat Cilliers both sustained injuries in last Saturday’s match against Australia, and are doubtful for this week’s clash against New Zealand. The Boks currently have no other specialist tighthead props in their touring squad, which has forced coach Heyneke Meyer to call up the Stormers and Western Province No 3.
‘Frans’ call-up is purely precautionary as our two tighthead props on tour are struggling with injuries,’ said Meyer. ‘Neither Jannie nor Pat trained with us on Tuesday, but we’ve decided to give them as much time as needed to regain their fitness.’
The 21-year-old Malherbe was part of the national squad during the England series but wasn’t considered for selection.
‘Frans has been with us before and he knows our calls and moves. He’s still young and has a bright future ahead of him.’
Malherbe is due to arrive in Auckland on Wednesday evening.
237 Comments
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11 Sep 2012, 16:26 pm
@nama1-200: Well, I’m only debating with “someone from Keo” – so let’s call it a draw
Honestly, believe whatever you like. Enjoy that chip on your shoulder 
Fact is, Mujati’s allegation was dismissed by the club that employs him.
11 Sep 2012, 16:30 pm
@nama1-200: there’s no evidence by Leinster that it was a scrum call that i saw…anyone with an official press release saying it was a scrum call can post it.
11 Sep 2012, 16:33 pm
@kaksioek-195:
“word is that the scrum call excuse is a legit one. It comes from the Natal sharks.”
Can any Shark player (ex or current) confirm that they use the word “bobbejaan” as a scrum call?
11 Sep 2012, 16:34 pm
what’s worse, quoting someone from Keo forum, or quoting KEO himslef!?…hehehe, none!
11 Sep 2012, 16:35 pm
@nama1-203:
But did you see what the call meant (if it existed). It was for the lock to moer the prop. Maybe that’s why Mujati was so aggrieved.
11 Sep 2012, 16:37 pm
@Rossco-197: BJ Botha…
11 Sep 2012, 16:38 pm
am i the only seeing this guy’s crotch on the right-hand side of the scree, wearing the ‘bear’ underwear. the tag keeps flashing ‘JP Pietersen wears bear!’…..but the guy is not JP Pietersen!…….I’m certain it’s not JP coz his crotch is too big!
11 Sep 2012, 16:39 pm
@TooMuchRugby-205: This is also why Leinster won’t go into the details – it is a call for the loosehead prop to make space for the lock behind him to punch the opposing tighthead in the face. Racist!
11 Sep 2012, 16:42 pm
@TooMuchRugby-205: trumped up…
11 Sep 2012, 16:42 pm
@kaksioek-208: Mmm, are you sure it’s not a Bulls call, especially for Bakkies.
11 Sep 2012, 16:42 pm
@kaksioek-201:
There we go with the “chip on the shoulder” kak.
Chip on shoulder my arse. Stop looking at the world with a white is always right attitude. Admit that you have no evidence that “bobbejaan” was ever a scrum call at Leinster and that the two South Africans indeed called Mujati a bobbejaan.
…and no, this debate is not a draw…you lose…. with distinction.
@Transformation-202:
There ain’t any Transie. That’s why Kaksioek now sommer quote a random blogger on the Leinster fan site as prove that it was a scrum call.
11 Sep 2012, 16:45 pm
@nama1-211: You’re hilarious
hilariously sad. I guess Mujati’s own team also has it in for him. Ag shame. Everyone wants to get the black man. He just can’t win.
11 Sep 2012, 16:47 pm
@kaksioek-208: How do you know this for a fact?
11 Sep 2012, 16:48 pm
@nama1-200: Ja, we have our meddling sports minister to thank for it.
11 Sep 2012, 16:51 pm
@Skeppie-213: I don’t. Only Sykes and Beast know whether they used this call at the Sharks. And I’m guessing that Leinster wouldn’t like to reveal that their players have a planned move that involves punching the opposing prop in the face.
11 Sep 2012, 16:54 pm
@TooMuchRugby-205:
No man.
In his original tweet Mujati said that he was very disappointed in especially Heinki for calling him bobbejaan since they were team mates at the Lions. He refused to shake Heinki’s hand after the match because of it.
The scrum call excuse only emerge way later and it was the two culprits who mentioned it if I remember correctly probably after some help from the PR arm at the club. Nowhere did the club ever said that it was a scrum call.
11 Sep 2012, 17:00 pm
@nama1-216: Ja, why didn’t Sykes and van der Merwe mention it in Mujati’s original tweet? They must be lying!
11 Sep 2012, 17:01 pm
@kaksioek-217: Oh, that’s right: they don’t have any control over what Mujati tweets! But Mujati does, and he deleted said tweet
11 Sep 2012, 17:03 pm
Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – Would you prefer the bad news or, er, the bad news?
It is an unusual though inescapable truth that the Springboks look alarmingly unsettled in just about every position right now.
I would venture that, of the starting line-up which squandered a promising lead to lose to similarly wonky Australia in Perth last Saturday, only one department – wing – offered real cause for on-day contentedness.
Both the resurgent, full-blooded Bryan Habana and Francois Hougaard (the latter, significantly, having his most compelling 80-minute outing of the season since shifting from scrumhalf, by my book) looked hungry and sharp – though ironically theirs are postings all too often marked by isolation in a game plan which is well less than partial to front-foot opportunity for them.
But where else on the park can you say with complete confidence that South Africa are soundly, stably staffed – or seeing the fruits of sprightly combinations – midway through the maiden Castle Rugby Championship?
Running through the remaining positions seems to provide confirmation of this grim scenario, a situation obviously not helped at all – and here coach Heyneke Meyer deserves a significant degree of sympathy – by the demoralising absence of several players who were expected to form the new “experienced core” of the team following the various 2011 retirements.
Schalk Burger, Juan Smith, JP Pietersen and Bismarck du Plessis are some who spring to mind, with Meyer’s cause also hardly helped by the “unavailability” at present of other world-class competitors like Fourie du Preez (say what you like, the 30-year-old little maestro could still offer a lot of strategic nous and direction) and Jaque Fourie.
Here is a summary of the volatility, by position, and with wing the only exclusion:
Fullback (incumbent Zane Kirchner)
Sadly Kirchner, now reasonably experienced, has seldom, if ever, produced a truly “wow” game for the Boks. What you see is what you get: effectiveness at fielding high balls and either returning them or finding touch competently. But you don’t see him snaking his way thrillingly — Dagg- or Beale-like — through defences. The Gysie Pienaars and Andre Jouberts of yesteryear must look on perturbed. Can the Boks continue to more or less stagnate in this position?
Centre (incumbents Frans Steyn and Jean de Villiers)
Instead of growing as a combo, we seem to instead be seeing only mounting evidence that both men are really better suited to the inside channel. Will something eventually give? The versatile Steyn could certainly be freshly considered for No 15, especially if his post-France conditioning continues to show improvement, which would allow De Villiers, as captain, to get rather closer to the pack (and also, just as usefully sometimes, the referee). But then you are looking anew for an outside centre. Another look at Juan de Jongh’s X-factor, maybe? At least he has a much-needed swerve …
Flyhalf (incumbent Morné Steyn)
As with the dependable but formulaic Kirchner at fullback, the Boks simply tread water with Steyn in this critical slot. Yes, we know he kicks key goals and that sometimes they’re decisive in Test matches. Sometimes! But it’s also painfully apparent that his reluctance to run “onto” the ball instead of simply receive it in the pocket, will continue to stymie any genuine momentum by the outside backs. It seems only a matter of time, unless Steyn dramatically alters his mindset, for a Johan Goosen or Pat Lambie (or, again, how about Frans Steyn’s adaptable credentials?) to assume the cares of No 10.
Scrumhalf (incumbent Ruan Pienaar)
In the unlikely event that the Boks greatly downgrade their kicking-heavy game in the shortish term, maybe Hougaard will challenge once again at No 9. But good games at wing, a la Perth, will hardly help any quest! There isn’t wonderful depth here: Pienaar was respectable enough in Perth, especially in the dominant first half, but is yet to totally assure us he’s the long-term answer. Defence comes under critical scrutiny at times …
Loose forward (incumbents Marcell Coetzee, Willem Alberts, Duane Vermeulen)
Surprise … yes, there are even problems here, and this an area more often marked by modern Bok invincibility. Coetzee is perhaps being overplayed and it may explain, at least to a degree, why he appears to be fading rather than growing as a dedicated open-sider. Is it worth trying him at seven, or eight? Meanwhile the return to first-class activity of dedicated fetcher Heinrich Brüssow will continue to deeply interest many, many South Africans. At No 7, Alberts, for me, looks suspiciously best employed as a second-half impact factor, a role in which he first made his name. The human pile-driver’s work-rate over full games is nothing to write home about right now, is it? Meanwhile we are all desperate for a Bok No 8 to finally grab a game by the scruff of the neck. Perhaps a gradually rehabilitating Vermeulen will yet achieve this, though whether he’s quite ready to dominate Kieran Read … hmm. But then, who can or does?
Lock (incumbents Eben Etzebeth – though briefly suspended – and Juandré Kruger)
Oh, for the stability we had in the Matfield-Botha heyday. Still, a period of transition and some associated pain after the Blood Brothers was inevitable. Etzebeth will only get better and better next year at No 4, if properly managed. He must be close to exhaustion in his meteoric, maiden first-class season – maybe it explains his little brain (well, forehead) **** in Perth. The “looser” lock spot continues to serve up a quandary: is Andries Bekker ever going to be properly fit again? Does Kruger really have the requisite desire? Compilation of the new-look second-row dossier goes on, as it must.
Front row (incumbents Tendai Mtawarira, Adriaan Strauss, Jannie du Plessis)
His form is unusually innocuous at present, but there is little doubt in my own mind that Mtawarira will come right, as class acts do. A fit-again Coenie Oosthuizen will help push him soon, too. Strauss was busier in Perth than he was in Mendoza, which is a positive. Busier still in Dunedin would greatly help. At the same time, the mongrel of Battleship Bismarck is undoubtedly missed – not least because he was possibly also the closest thing to a pilferer in the Bok pack before his knee setback. Tighthead stocks are threadbare, giving his older brother a rather too comfy ride there. The rookie Frans Malherbe has been summoned as cover to New Zealand … and he can’t even be assured a WP starting berth at present ahead of Brok Harris, for goodness sake.
Meyer names Saturday’s team to face New Zealand in Dunedin on Wednesday (early hours, SA time).
Good luck, that man …
11 Sep 2012, 17:05 pm
@nama1-216: total naive question i know… have just never gotten it.. but what’s up with this word anyway?
People on here call each other sheep, pig, dog and all manner of names. I sometimes incidentally call anybody doing a stupid thing ‘n aap. is this really bad? serious.
11 Sep 2012, 17:07 pm
testing… gorilla …?
11 Sep 2012, 17:08 pm
fail… i mean guerilla …?
11 Sep 2012, 17:09 pm
i would be happy if someone call me that.
well. just the other day someone here called the team Meyer’s white rhinos.
11 Sep 2012, 17:10 pm
would black rhinos be racist?
11 Sep 2012, 17:12 pm
by the way, my unreal name is trevor noah
11 Sep 2012, 17:21 pm
Shooter you obviously didn’t get the memo: anything a white person says can be declared racist by any non-white person.
11 Sep 2012, 17:23 pm
Does anyone know what Lambie’s stats are over 40m \ 100m. Feedback is that he is very slow – is that true (which would be a shame as he would never be able to play 15 for the Boks if that is the case).
Also, what is Frans Steyn’s best position. Should we \ could we \ must we consider him at 10? I believe he is best at 12 but needs a good distributing flyhalf.
11 Sep 2012, 17:55 pm
@nama1-216:
Amazing how a racist twat like you can keep going on and on about alledged racism by others. Hypocrisy is rife. Why don’t you rather complain about the racist SA constitution and maybe you will gain some credibility.
11 Sep 2012, 19:59 pm
He looks like Pine Pienaar, that’s why he was selected. Heyneke missing his blue bulls family.
11 Sep 2012, 20:26 pm
What a kuk thread full of racism and bollocks
11 Sep 2012, 20:59 pm
@nama1-200:
what exactly do you mean by evidence? a quote from an article which is itself a quote from a 2nd or 3rd hand souce or from what? dont be ridiculous, nama.
are you insinuating a cover up on the part of leinster rugby club of a racist incident and further more the acceptance and complicity by brian mujati and northhampton rugby club of such covering up of a racist incident?
i read this in the papers at the time and in the absence of a definitive statement by leinster, northhampton or the players involved, i can only accept the allegation being that it was a scrum call which had been used on numerous occasions before.
its larfable that you suggest mujati was cowered into a porch munkie type acceptance of the very racial discrimination experience he supposedly underwent.
good grief..?..
is this basically what you are saying?
not only was he subjected to racial discrimination but was further coerced (?) by his bosses into silence on the incident? why? how?
think about what you are saying here..?..
imagine the ramifications of such an act.
why the dropping of the charges?
why the deleting of the unfounded and baseless accusations on his twitter account?
if its true and he believes it why not persist?
its shameful that you would think this way but that just my feelings and opinion and i have no right to judge you, but i do think its sad.
the truth is this is precisely how mujati had approached the whole thing and when proved wrong did not even have the guts, honour or decency to do the right thing and make a statement on his twitter account vindicating the leinster players in the same easy manner with which he had accused them falsely.
11 Sep 2012, 21:23 pm
It seems to me that thees Nama fellow is a mightee beeg racist surpassed only by the size of mightee beeg racial chip on his shoulder. This forum in fun to read, I theenk I might just comment more.
12 Sep 2012, 03:48 am
The Springbok team that will face New Zealand in the fourth Test in The Castle Rugby Championship in Dunedin on Saturday shows two changes from the side that played Australia last weekend.
Both changes are in the forwards, where lock Flip van der Merwe replaces the suspended Eben Etzebeth while Francois Louw comes in for Marcell Coetzee at flank.
There are four more changes on the bench, where Coetzee joins Dean Greyling, Andries Bekker and Juan de Jongh amongst the replacements.
“The New Zealanders are good on the ground which is why we decided to go for a specialist openside flank in Francois,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“Marcell has been very good this season and has played a lot of rugby, but in this match we feel he will be more useful as an impact option.”
Jannie du Plessis has been named at tighthead prop despite struggling with a hamstring niggle. Meyer said the Springboks’ medical team is working very hard on the injured players and that Du Plessis will be given until Friday to fully shake off his injury, but if he fails to recover in time, Pat Cilliers will start in the No 3-shirt.
“We will not take any chances with injured players and we have time to get him and Pat (Cilliers) match ready,” said Meyer.
Greyling will be on the bench to provide prop cover, while Bekker takes over from Van der Merwe in the No 18 shirt. De Jongh comes in for Lwazi Mvovo on the bench.
The Springboks’ starting XV have a combined total of 482 Test caps – 136 in the forwards and 346 in the backline.
The Springbok team to face New Zealand in Dunedin is (Test caps in brackets):
15 Zane Kirchner, Vodacom Blue Bulls (18)
12 Sep 2012, 03:51 am
The Springbok team to face New Zealand in Dunedin is (Test caps in brackets):
15 Zane Kirchner, Vodacom Blue Bulls (18)
14 Bryan Habana, DHL Western Province (80)
13 Jean de Villiers (captain), DHL Western Province (78)
12 Frans Steyn, The Sharks (52)
11 Francois Hougaard, Vodacom Blue Bulls (21)
10 Morné Steyn, Vodacom Blue Bulls (40)
9 Ruan Pienaar, Ulster, N-Ireland (57)
8 Duane Vermeulen, DHL Western Province (1)
7 Willem Alberts, The Sharks (14)
6 Francois Louw, Bath, England (11)
5 Juandré Kruger, Vodacom Blue Bulls (4)
4 Flip van der Merwe, Vodacom Blue Bulls (17)
3 Jannie du Plessis, The Sharks (36)
2 Adriaan Strauss (vice-captain), Toyota FS Cheetahs (15)
1 Tendai Mtawarira, The Sharks (38)
Replacements
16 Tiaan Liebenberg, DHL Western Province (2)
17 Dean Greyling, Vodacom Blue Bulls (2)
18 Andries Bekker, DHL Western Province (26)
19 Marcell Coetzee, The Sharks (6)
20 Johan Goosen, Toyota FS Cheetahs (1)
21 Juan de Jongh, DHL Western Province (10)
22 Pat Lambie, The Sharks (14)
Stats and facts:
• Saturday’s Test will be the 84th between South Africa and New Zealand.
• The Springboks and New Zealand last met in the 2011 Castle Tri-Nations in Port Elizabeth, which was won by South Africa 18-5.
• The Springboks have played eight Test matches against New Zealand in Dunedin, winning only once – at Carisbrook in 2008 (30-28). This will be the first Test for the Springboks at the newly-built Forsyth Barr Stadium.
• With 39 Tests, Morné Steyn is the most capped Springbok flyhalf. He also holds the record for the most career tries in Tests as a flyhalf (7 tries) and is the Springbok record holder for most career points in this tournament (229 points).
• Steyn’s 56 penalty goals are the most by a Springbok in this tournament and he shares the overall record for most career drop goals in the tournament with André Pretorius (4). He needs 17 points to reach 500 career Test points for the Springboks.
• Steyn has scored 109 Test points for the Springboks against New Zealand – the most by any South African. He also holds the record for the most career penalty goals by a Springbok against New Zealand – 28.
• Bryan Habana, who will play in his 30th Test in this competition, is the most-capped Springbok wing (79 Tests) and the South African record holder for the most Test tries, which he extended last weekend against Australia to 42. Bryan needs one try to become South Africa’s top try scorer in the tournament.
• The referee is George Clancy from Ireland, who has refereed in five Tests involving South Africa. The Springboks have won four of those Tests and lost one.
• Springbok Test match records in Dunedin against New Zealand:
o Most points: 12 by Percy Montgomery (3c, 2p) in 2005.
o Most tries: 1 by eight players on nine occasions. Ricky January scored a try on two occasions, his last in the 75th minute of the match in 2008 which enabled the Boks to win their first test in 87 years at Carisbrook.
o Most conversions: 3 by Percy Montgomery in 2005.
o Most penalty goals: 3 by each of André Joubert in 1994 and Percy Montgomery in 2008.
o Most drop goals: 1 by Butch James in 2008.
12 Sep 2012, 04:47 am
Crazy
BJ Botha???? – Most destructive right shoulder of any TH able play for Boks
WP Nel??
CJ as said by few here and I agree is..kak
absulotely useful scrummager
12 Sep 2012, 14:29 pm
Strange how people can accuse me of being the racist here just because I don’t believe the kak about BOBBEJAAN being the scrum call of a team in England yet they don’t see how they can be seen as racist themselves for their unconditional belief in Sykes and Heinki’s innocence in this case.
I guess it is a matter of WHITE IS RIGHT AND BLACK IS WHACK.
Sad if it was not so true.
12 Sep 2012, 16:49 pm
@shooter-220:
You can’t be serious!!!
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