Meyer defiant on Morné
12 Sep 2012
Morne Steyn will start at flyhalf against the All Blacks in Dunedin.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has selected Steyn and made just two changes to the side beaten by Australia in Perth.
Francois Louw starts in the specialist openside role, with Marcell Coetzee among the substitutes.
‘The New Zealanders are good on the ground which is why we decided to go for a specialist openside flank in Francois,’ said 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.’
Meanwhile, Flip van der Merwe starts at lock, Andries Bekker is recalled to the match 22 and tighthead prop Jannie du Plessis has been declared fit. Toulon-based lock Bakkies Botha won’t be involved and the issue with Botha is believed to be medical insurance – a similar situation which hampered Fourie du Preez’s return to Test rugby this season.
Johan Goosen is again among the substitutes and there’s a match squad call-up for Juan de Jongh and Dean Greyling.
Steyn kicked all 18 points in the Boks’ 18-5 win against the All Blacks in Port Elizabeth a year ago and holds the record of most points against the All Blacks when he scored all 31 points in the Boks’ win in Bloemfontein in 2009.
However, the Boks, with Steyn at flyhalf, have not enjoyed the kind of success that warrants continued selection. Steyn has played flyhalf in the Boks’ last 30 Tests and have won just 16.
South Africa’s rivalry with New Zealand is considered the fiercest in the game, but the All Blacks have been dominant in the professional era. Pre-isolation the Boks held a 21-16 winning advantage, but since international readmission in 1992 the All Blacks have won 30 and the Boks just 13. One Test has been drawn, 18-18 in Auckland in 1994.
Springboks – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Dean Greyling, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Johan Goosen, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Pat Lambie.
784 Comments
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12 Sep 2012, 05:06 am
“Willing to sacrifice victory instead of admiiting he also makes mistakes mistakes” dragon…
12 Sep 2012, 05:06 am
admitting
12 Sep 2012, 05:07 am
mistakes squared…geez
12 Sep 2012, 05:13 am
im not one to wish injury on anyone, but Morne is testing my patience
12 Sep 2012, 05:14 am
i thought jannie was out of action …why is he in the team list?
12 Sep 2012, 05:15 am
I think this is pigheadedness from Meyer, ‘IF” we beat the AB’s then he will see it as justification to select Steyn for 10 more matches… I hope we get smashed, won’t matter much, we are already the laughing stock, everyone, myself included, thought Meyer was a visionary, that he had a plan, however, it now becomes apparent he has an agenda, coupled with misplaced loyalty, and that he doesn’t handle critique well, in fact, he doesn’t acknowledge it at all.
12 Sep 2012, 05:17 am
I feel for the player. He does not select himself. Disappointing that in the first year of a tenure the coach is not prepared to try different things. He knows what he has in Morne and 16 wins in last 30 Tests with MS at flyhalf is not an argument to maintain status quo.
If he was hesitant 2 start with Goosen cos of inexperience then give Lambie a start at 10 and introduce Goosen off the bench. Another lost opportunity.
12 Sep 2012, 05:17 am
@christianels22-4:
you’re saying what we are all thinking. If only Nonu could just …never mind
Morne is due a break anyway 30 tests in a row can’t be good .
12 Sep 2012, 05:17 am
Jannie has been declared fit.
12 Sep 2012, 05:18 am
Now I am just waiting for Meyer’s main PR man Tac, to come and defend his honour again… Heyneke Meyer, the GW Bush of SA Rugby…
12 Sep 2012, 05:19 am
Ffs, this is getting rediculous. I have always reted Morne highly, however, he needs to go. I wonder how far this will go before HM will admit Morne is not the best.
12 Sep 2012, 05:19 am
Its like this car you have, there is something wrong with it but you are stuborn and wont have it fixed . It brakes down often but you hoping the problem will correct itself
HM wake up!!! FFS
12 Sep 2012, 05:21 am
@keo-7:
Give Goosen a try at least We know what we get with Steyn and its not working
12 Sep 2012, 05:21 am
@keo-7: Meyer is going to cause Steyn to get boo’ed off a rugby field somewhere is SA ala Percy Montgomery, although Percy did prove his critics wrong in the end, but it took some time. I don’t think Steyn has the same stuff…
12 Sep 2012, 05:21 am
Meyer is a head in the sand doos!
If he continues to select Kirschner and Steyn then sorry his blue tinted view will see him with a wonderful win record and last on the table pretty soon
Sad, sad sad!!
12 Sep 2012, 05:22 am
Dean Greyling oh dear.
12 Sep 2012, 05:23 am
@keo-7:
I would like to see Hougaard at 9 with Goosen and Lambie at 15
Many of us would
12 Sep 2012, 05:28 am
You see many of us maybe 98 % would say lets try Goosen and lambie we may have a chance, but we see Steyn at 10 again and it just deflates us because
Boks ABs is the greatest test match, and we expect boks like in the past to give everything and we are always optimistic of winning.
Sadly not anymore
12 Sep 2012, 05:28 am
Meyer is a bigger clown than Devilliers. He is hoping for Maybe. Maybe he will find form,maybe he will kick all his goals. His loyalty to certain players is mind bogling. If the last line of defence is side show bob Dagg is going to run riot . Kirchner has a much skill as mother in law and she is 97. All blacks by 20 plus. Oh how i miss the hard good old days of Springboks vs All blacks.
12 Sep 2012, 05:31 am
@Scatman1968-19:
It cant happen becuase he and Kirshner kick away hard earned possession
Boks will not find themselves in kicking range too often. And chances are they wont score tries
So if he is hoping for wins by Steyn penalties G*d help him
12 Sep 2012, 05:32 am
@CoachPete-17:
Agreed Coach, but HM is proving to be an equal to PDV wrt pigheadedness!
12 Sep 2012, 05:35 am
@whatever-21:
Yes the difference i think is PDV had the senior players calling the shots on the field
Smit, matfield Fdp JF Jean smith
HM is calling the shots sorry yelling them
12 Sep 2012, 05:37 am
@NZINCHINA-16:
Yeah I would bring on Liebenberg on at prop before Greyling
12 Sep 2012, 05:37 am
@CoachPete-22:
Hehe, have you ever seen anything like it? Who is the poor sod on the otherside of that walkie talkie?
12 Sep 2012, 05:38 am
20 points on Sat………………..maybe more
12 Sep 2012, 05:38 am
its going to be very interesting to see what tactics the boks use , i say this because we know whats going to happen if they kick the ball away …yet somehow we all know thats exactly what they are going to do. lets hope they surprise us all
ABs 35 – Boks 0
12 Sep 2012, 05:38 am
When was the last time we saw a fullback run the ball back and not in the last 5mins of the game when we are trying to win it
12 Sep 2012, 05:39 am
Coach Hansen will be happy, Morne pretty easy to defend against, plenty of high ball practice in the AB camp this week.
12 Sep 2012, 05:39 am
@whatever-24:
it does not matter They all turned off the walkie talkie
12 Sep 2012, 05:41 am
@whatever-25:
Hey it reminds me of one NBA (basketball) star whose team was getting blown out every game
“The ship be sinking”
12 Sep 2012, 05:43 am
Why is coetzee on the bench?
Why not have him starting and Alberts off bench to cover loosies and lock?
12 Sep 2012, 05:46 am
@whatever-25:
There is always a part of me telling me we could win
As they say you still have to play the game.
We could have a fast start and shock an over confident AB team
It could happen
12 Sep 2012, 05:51 am
@CoachPete-32: the sprinkler system might also go off
12 Sep 2012, 05:54 am
@christianels22-33:
Yeah I know I am a dreamer
12 Sep 2012, 05:58 am
@whatever-24: I reckon it could be HM’s mother on the other side: “Mamma, ek’t ma gese Morne is kuk se koelte, maar elke game will ma he dat ek hom kies.”
12 Sep 2012, 06:02 am
@CoachPete-32: Coach, you gotta be kidding me. Saturday is all about damage control. We simply can’t compete against the ABs anymore. Hell, even the Wallabies stood no chance against the Black onslaught.
12 Sep 2012, 06:03 am
@CoachPete-31:
Heard Meyer on the radio talking about Flouw replacing Coetzee as a horses for courses decision, stating that the Bok needed someone to battle on the floor at the breakdown where the Abs are very good.
12 Sep 2012, 06:04 am
@kwas-36:
see # 34
12 Sep 2012, 06:09 am
@Te Rangatira-37:
Yeah i agree with a fetcher i have been calling for that
But Flip starting?
Why not have Alberts there Bekker on the bench
Daniels should have been in the squad?
Alberts could move to loose forward or stay at lock and bekker could come in
Daniels can cover 6.7. and 8
Ok Daniel haters give me a reason why not
Potgieter?????
12 Sep 2012, 06:12 am
So I would have had
4. Alberts
5 Kruger
loose trio louw, Coetzee and Vermeulen
Bench
Bekker
Daniels
12 Sep 2012, 06:18 am
@CoachPete-39:
I think Keegan Daniel would be a star in Test Rugby under any coach other than Heyneke Meyer, whose ideas on how the game is played doesn’t include a ball playing loosie…..so sad and retarded.
12 Sep 2012, 06:20 am
@Te Rangatira-41:
Yes glad you agree.
I have supported Daniels for years
All i hear is too small?
12 Sep 2012, 06:21 am
@CoachPete-40: you can pick the best forwards in the world, but if the ball is not going to get past Morne we dont have a chance. We will tackle like crazy and sort of still be in it come 60mins, but the we will be pap and the AB will run 3 easy tries in….replay the AB vs Argies game without the Argies scoring early on
12 Sep 2012, 06:28 am
I keep defend!ng HM hop!ng he’ll pull through but w!th th!s flyhalf select!on I’m afra!d I g!ve up.
Fark th!s oke man. Th!s was the perfect opportun!ty to blood Lamb!e but I get the feel!ng that h!s worr!ed Lamb!e w!ll expose h!m !f he has a good game.
12 Sep 2012, 06:35 am
14.thesaint said
Extremely good point well made. For a number of years Steyn has played for the Boks with distinction. NZ’ers have a huge respect for the guy as does Dan Carter apparently. Steyn has done nothing but give his all for his country yet quite rightly due to the unfathomable loyaly HM is showing toward Steyn it may well be the player that bears the brunt of the crowds displeasure when the Boks return to SA.
I hope to god the crowds remember what this guy has done & continues to try to do for Bok rugby because to boo him in any manner whatsoever would be a terrible blight on both SA rugby & it’s supporters.
12 Sep 2012, 06:38 am
@Ricardo10-45: Yes I agree with you, but its Meyers fault for not having the balls to make the change. If the test was in SA Goosen would be starting
12 Sep 2012, 06:40 am
The high ball is a waste of time against the All Black team. Cory Jane and Dagg have proved that in every test they’ve played and Dagg is probably the best counter attacking back in world rugby. Kicking the ball down their throats is a disaster.
Does the Bok pack have the muscle and firepower to live with MCaw,Read,Woodcock and co for 80mins?
12 Sep 2012, 06:43 am
What you okes fail to realise is that NZ is not a place for experimenting. Remember Gaffie and Van Hoeslin?
We will get beaten on Saturday but if we played a new 10 we would have gotten thumped.
Forward pack is looking brutish and perhaps lacking a dynamic player.
Who’s the ref this weekend?
12 Sep 2012, 06:49 am
Lambie would have been the perfect match for Cruden, but alas, Meyer will be history sooner than we think. If the Boks bomb out again, and we all expect they will, the coach and his four less talented assistants will be with their backs against the Blue Wall.
12 Sep 2012, 06:51 am
@Maori_Fulla-47:
The Bok pack has the muscle and firepower to live with the Abs throughout the majority of the game, yet there will be periods where they will be put under concerted pressure and because they have fitness issues imo and tactical naivetes they will probably succumb.
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