With doom and gloom abound in SA rugby I've decided to view things in a slightly different light.
Something I have been waiting for for a long time is happening right now. South African rugby is filled with a promising group of young players that are slowly starting to nudge out the old guard.
For far to long we have been watching the same old faces turning up in our beloved green and gold.
Don't get me wrong, I am by no means begrudging the service they have given us over the years, the many times iv tipped my beer glass in there honour will not be forgotten. But the time has come for new heroes, new fitter and faster gladiators if you will, for us to cheer on.
It amazed me to see how wary the Bulls where Of Andries Bekker's presence. Throwing their first line out of the match to the back. Bekker, who it must be said has come on in leaps and bounds since a few seasons ago. He has a work rate that a flanker would be proud of and is a line out jumper par excellence who it would seem has eclipsed the great Victor Matfield.
As for Bakkies, I have had enough of him to be honest. He is old and a liability. My lock pairing would be made up of Flip Van Der Merwe and Andries Bekker.
As for the front row, the debate is what do we do with John Smit. My debate is why haven't we been blooding a captain to take over from Smit?
The problem we face is that you just can leave out Bismark du Plessis. Although his line-out form has been atrocious so far this season , his tight loose play is phenomenal and he is a vicious ball carrier.
So what do we do?
I'm sure P Divvy will come up with some outrageous plan, maybe play Bismark at inside back!
In the loose-forwards we are stronger than ever and almost every South African franchise is flooded with talented loosies. A double edged sword in some aspects.
Being spoilt for choice makes for difficult team selection and when it comes to selecting the final three and who to come off the bench it must be a nightmare. I feel that the selectors are to set in their selections for the back- rowers.
Yes, Juan Smit is an incredible flanker but so is Francois Louw who got a chance in the green and gold for a whopping five games then got the boot for one poor performance.
As for Duane Vermeulen, his work rate far out weighs that of his counter part Pierre Spies who seems to disappear when the game gets tough and is bog average when the pack doesn’t have the upper hand. Duane never disappears, if anything he would probably have to be asked by his captain to get less involved. Again I offer you a combination. Brussow, Alberts and Vermeulen.
That is a mouth watering prospect.
As for the backs, I guess it all depends what kind of plan our brains trust ( if we can call it that ) has in mind. Fourie will always be first choice 9, but the romance is surely over for Ricky Januarie, his distribution is laboured at best and takes what seems an age to get the ball away from the base of the ruck.
It is no coincidence that the Stormers running game has improved since Dewald Duvenhage has been given the starting 9 jersey. Francois Hougaard is a good choice as he offers wing cover if needed and definitely brings a certain amount of flare with him.
Which brings us to the great number 10 issue, again this heavily dependant on game tactics, and yes Morné Steyn is tactically sound, handles pressure, and has a great kicking average, but at the same time is predictable, one dimensional and if I’m honest...just plain boring.
Enter Pat Lambie, such a talent who has proven that he can handle the pressures of big matches and definitely has a winning temperament. He has yet to prove himself on the international stage, but it's time to play him in the Tri-Nations.
What I would give to see Peter Grant in a Bok number 10 jersey. He has over looked for far too long. A kicking average that matches Morné Steyn's, Fears no line, great distribution and massive on defence! But a dream I guess it will stay.
In my mind opinion the centres are a easy one including the 3 J's of destruction. J de Villiers, J Fourie, and J de Jong. Enough said.
The back three, for so many years a rock in the side, now it's wide open. With Habana looking like all those soap ads have done some permanent damage to his hands, and JP Peterson having a horrible run of injuries the young guns have a great opportunity for the young guns to get in there.
Lwazi Mvovu is a player that has definitely impressed. He is strong, quick and possesses a high work rate. He is definitely making an impression.
A lot has been made of his size, but Gio Aplon has to be in the mix, he is so good from the back and a potent option when counter attacking. Teams will think twice about kicking the ball away with Aplon at the back. He has proven many times that he can take the hits even from the enforcer himself Bakkies Botha. Whether wing or fullback he has to play.
I guess for lack of any other options Kirchner at the back. Quality fullbacks seemed to have dried up in the Republic and that is of deep concern.
So this would be the my experimental team for the Tri-Nations. Considering the Rugby World Cup is looming we need to starting having a look at these players, while loading the bench with experience.
In a Tri-Nations that will be heavily overshadowed by the World Cup its the perfect time to do this.
1 Coenie Oostehuizen
2 Bismark Du Plessis
3 John Smit
4 Flip Vd Merwe
5 Andries Bekker
6 Heinrich Brussow
7 Willem Alberts
8 Duane Vermeulen
9 Fourie Du Preez
10 Pat Lambie / Peter Grant
11 Lwazi Mvovu
12 Juan De Villiers
13 Jaque Fourie
14 JP Peterson
15 Gio Aplon
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| The Oracle - Mark Bates |
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