This is the only logical conclusion I could come to when I saw the Springbok team selected for the test against the International side on Saturday.
One cannot fault the pack, including the reserves. All phases of forward play are covered by skilful players, there is vast experience, and they know each other very well.
Let’s hope that the backline was picked to see how certain players cope at this level, rather than Meyer’s vision of the future.
Frans Steyn should have been rested after his gruelling workload in the Super 15. His dodgy knee would agree that inclusion on the bench would have been a better option. Playing JP Pietersen out of position, to the detriment of a player like Juan de Jongh, could only be explained if size is über important to the coach.
I buy Meyer’s explanation that Morné Steyn played little in France due to an early back injury and the rotation system applied by the French coaches. A fresh Steyn has proved in the past that he is a match winner.
I do question Ruan Pienaar being in the starting line-up, though. His passing has never been the quickest, which will force Steyn to stand deep, and therefore effectively give the opposition more time to get in the faces of our backs. Had Fourie du Preez been picked at scrumhalf, we would have been far more of a threat than with the chosen combination.
It appears that the game plan is to use an aerial attack in the first half, and for this reason the selection of the centres makes sense – they are there for their defensive skills, rather than to attack.
If the thinking is to open up the game in the second half, I cannot see Lwazi Mvovo or Johan Goosen adding the oomph that a Jan Serfontein or Juan de Jongh would have done.
Maybe I’ll do some channel hopping in the first half, spending more time watching the ladies’ final at Roland Garros – it is bound to be more stimulating.
Vryburger skryf vanoggend in Die Burger dat die vergrote parlement so saamgestel is op grond van advies wat die Prez gekry het van die winkeltjie oorkant die parlement wat ook glo dat “size matters.”
The tests in New Zealand and Australia should be highly entertaining. The All Blacks never fail to thrill, and watching them do their thing against England will be a double delight.
It is all of 24 years since the French last won in Australia, and with one of my favourite flyhalves, Freddie Michalak, in the number 10 jersey, one can expect a feast of rugby.
Hail to the King
The new king Protea, Hashim Amla, is an excellent choice to take the team back to the number one spot in test cricket. The loss of key players like Kallis and Boucher may have upset the balance in the side, but there is enough talent available to overcome this. A mixture of experience and youthful talent makes the Proteas a formidable side, and with Amla, a serious student of the game, at the helm, we should do well.
AB de Villiers appears to approach the game as he does his batting – intuitively, rather than in a studied manner. This makes him the ideal choice for the one day side, while Amla, in conjunction with the coach, is likely to adopt a more strategic approach in the longer version of the game.
Dawid en Saul
Soms, as ek sien hoe ‘n span wat ek ondersteun teen die verwagting in wen, dink ek aan die storie van die inspekteur wat by die klein skooltjie in Namakwaland besoek afgelê het.
Om die kinders se kennis van godsdiens te toets, vra hy:
“Waarop het Dawid vir Saul gespeel toe dié sy spies na hom gegooi het?”
Antwoord Jannie: “ Dan nie op sy moer nie, meneer?”
Go All Blacks!
