My Springbok Candidates

As a South African sports lover, I am very passionate about sport and the debates around it. My biggest passion is definitely for rugby and so after the completion of the Super 14 tournament, I would like to give my view on whom I see as the best players, who are the ones not to forget and also who are the disappointments.

Fullback
Percy Montgomery – Percy has his faults and he makes mistakes, but the experience he brings to the table was very clear when he returned to the Sharks team. Together with his attacking ability and a very reliable place- and touch kicking boot, he remains my number one in the last outpost.

Others to consider:-
Bevan Fortuin – this player that looks more like a prop that a fullback has played dome excellent rugby and is very solid at the back. After the tour to the UK last year, I do have some questions over his ability to play international rugby. The step may just be too high.
Francois Steyn – this youngster took the world by storm when he got selected by Jake White last year. His all round ability to kick, run and defend makes him a must for any squad. He does make very stupid mistakes in matches, but will learn as he gains more experience. Fullback, wing or flyhalf is suited to his game and I am even sure that he will make more than an adequate centre if he is given the opportunity. If he does not make a bok starting line-up, he is an absolute must for the bench.
Johan Roets – the Blue Bulls all would love to see him in the starting line-up, but he has never really impressed me that much. He is a good attacking fullback and one that is good at retrieving up and under’s, but he makes serious mistakes under pressure. Just think of the Currie-cup final where he was clueless and cost the Bulls the match against the Freestate.
Jaco vd Westhuyzen – Jaco was part of the Springbok setup, but got left out as he just did not make the grade. He is an excellent provincial player that can play anywhere in the backline and always makes an impact. Unfortunately he does not seem to bring that same sparkle to international rugby.
Conrad Jantjes – His ability to kick a ball for a mile from he back is his strongest attribute. He is a good player that can also fill in very easily on the wing and although I do not regard him as a front runner in any position, I will always be happy to allow him into the team as I know he will not disappoint me.

Disappointments:-
Gio Aplon – this electrifying fullback from the Stormers found that the pace in Super 14 is just a little faster and all the fancy moves and runs in Currie Cup do not work in real rugby. He has to look at his kicking game as it is the worst under the fullbacks in the country. You cannot play international rugby as a fullback if you cannot get the ball out of you own half.


Wings
Left Wing – Bryan Habana – after a very slow start, Bryan changes his game around and became the number one wing in the country again. He is once again displaying the talent that got him into the side and when the Bulls started playing to his strengths and creating more opportunities for his, his electrifying pace left his opponents grabbing thin air.
Right wing - Francois Steyn – I already discussed him under the fullbacks, but he will be my choice on the right wing. He can always be moved into the flyhalf or fullback later in the match. He is too good not to play.

Others to consider:-
Akona Ndugane – The Bulls wings always gives 100%, but have a couple of shortcomings that may not make him the best candidate. The first issue is his protection of the fullback,. I just cannot relay on him to assist a fullback confidently at the back. Francois Steyn can do that easily. The second is that his hands are not the nest around. He tends to knock the odd vital pass.
Odwa Ndugane – the Sharks part of the twins had a good season. He plays as well as his brother and proved it when they both played for SA-A side. Hehas however also the same type of problems his brother has. There is however no reason that the two brother can in future not form the wing pairing for the Boks after they have gained even more experience.
JP Pietersen – JP has the ability – like a Pieter Rossouw of old – to really piss the opposition off with his unorthodox way of playing. He plays a different type of match and his ability to break the line and follow up on kicks has put him very close to my starting line-up.
Jean de Villiers – Jean is a centre, and I shall discuss him there in more detail, but he is also one of the best wings around. Although he does not play on the wing anymore, I shall seriously consider playing him in the Bok line-up if he returns to the wing.
Jonghi Nokwe – The blistering pace of Jonghi makes him the fastest wing in the country ad I canot understand why not one of the franchises has given him a chance. He has grow substantially as a player and is no longer the speed-only player he was in the past. He has in fact turned into a very intelligent wing and should any of the bigger unions give him a chance, I am sure he can develop into a top international wing. The old tours would have been exactly what the doctor ordered.

Disappointments:-
Breyton Paulse – his experience cannot be just forgotten and he has the ability to run, kick and defend well, should have made him a definite choice, but the years may just be catching up to him. Since his return from France, he has not been the same player as before.
Wylie Human – he is also the full package. On his day, he is an untouchable wing that is devastating on attacked and defence. He kick very well to touch and helps his fullback whenever required. When he is off, he is dismal!

Centres
Inside - Jean de Villiers – Jean started very slowly this season and I really wondered at some stage if he should not switch back to the wing. The latter part of the Super 14 he did, however, hit the form he is famous for, but also the form which we have not seen all that often from him. It was a very difficult decision to keep him in the pound seat, but at the end I decided that he would probably be the best candidate.
Outside - Wynand Olivier – This was another big choice for me to make ahead of players like Jaque Fourie and especially Waylon Murray. I think that Wynand has been very consistent this year and although he does not always have the limelight on him, he does a lot of very good things on the rugbyfield. He can break the line and has the ability to put a wing away very well. He is also very suited on the inside and can interchange with a player like Jean very easily,

Others to consider:-
DeWet Barry – He is still the monster of the midfield and is really starting to hit the form that made him one of the most successful centres in the Bok jersey ever. He can still break the line and is starting to play a lot more towards his old natural game of attacking the advantage line and not this fully grubber game he started that cost him his place in both the Bok and the Province teams.
Bradley Barrit – His combination with Murray for the Sharks was incredible and I very nearly gave him and Murray the top spots. He is a big powerful runner that is more suited to the modern game where you actually need a centre with good flyhalf skills in the inside berth. At only 20, a sure start of the future.
Waylon Murray – The other 20 year old from the Sharks who cannot be far away from the green and gold. His hands are incredible and his pace blistering. Defensive he is also rock solid. He is so good he deserves a run in the very near future. He is also and excellent wing.
Adrian Jacobs – If there was one impact player who made and impact every time he came unto the field. He has been around for a long time – or so it feels. Remember his big partnership a couple of years ago with the late Ettienne Botha at the Falcons? He is however still only about 26 and can still give a lot to SA rugby.

Disappointments:-
Jaque Fourie – He played in a bad side and although there were some highlights in his pay, overall he was disappointing. I know that he will probably be selected.
Meyer Bosman – Bosman played centre for most of the season, but did not met expectations.
Ronnie Cooke – The youngster is full of talent and can really put momentum in the backline, but until his injury he also had a couple of fair matches with magic moments, but overall his defence was weak.
Jaco Pretorius – He got the chance on the end of tour to the UK and was disappointing. As a big star from the Currie Cup, he failed on the tour and even failed to make a regular centre spot in the Lions his own. The step up may have been just too big.

Flyhalf
Derick Hougaard – The flyhalf was a big part of the success of the Bulls. His tactical kicking is excellent and he has definitely picked up his game this season. He is standing much closer to the advantage line and can run if required. He is also a great defender of his channel. The biggest bonus is is very accurate place kicking boot and his ability to drop the ball accurately.

Others to consider:-
Peter Grant – One of the stars of the season. He has played very well for the Stormers and I had to think very hard before selecting Hougaard above him for the honours. His placekicking may not be all that good, but if you have a reliable Montgomery in your side, you can play him in the Nr10 spot anytime.
Butch James – The hard man in the number ten channel. I don’t have to say anything about his defensive ability and he is a very intelligent flyhalf that can pull off very unorthodox moves to get points on the board. He also kicks well and will not let us down.
Francois Steyn – I have already discussed the talented youngster.

Disappointments:-
Andre Pretorius – Andre was injured for the first part of the season and came back well initially, but as the season progressed he got worse. He is the complete flyhalf and the only one in SA that can kick well with both feet. He needs to jack up substantially to get back into the Bok squad.
Willen de Waal – I know there are a number of people and ex-players who belive he may be the answer, but honestly, apart from and excellent boot, there is nothing to be excited about De Waal.

Scrumhalf
Fourie du Preez – he is without any doubt the best scrumhalf in SA and probably in the world He has stopped playing a traffic officer behind the scrum and made a huge impact in the matches he played. His boot is excellent and defensive he is impressive. An excellent feel for the game and scores a number of very opportunistic tries due to this ability.

Others to consider:-
Ruan Pienaar – I really feel sorry for Ruan that he has to compete with Fourie. He is also an allround scrumhalf that breaks, passes, kicks and defends well. His ability to play flyhalf – or just about any place in the backline – makes him a huge asset for any bench.
Enrico January – He did not have the best season and did not always get a chance to play due to Jano Vermaak’s consistent form. He is however the only scrumhalf that puts real pressure on the Nr9 and Nr10 and that makes him very dangerous. He will however have to watch his temper carefully.

Disappointments:-
Bolla Conradie – This talented Nr9 seems to concentrate more on the players than his game. He has the ability to become a great and was also very good when he was originally picked for the Boks. His form is however dismal this season and he needs to take a good look at himself and decide whether he wants to play rugby, become a member of the dirty debate society or become a professional boxer. If he gets his priorities right he can once again become a force as he is very talented.

Eighthman
Pierre Spies – Since his high school days we all knew that this man is going to be a star one day. His stint at wing did not do his career any good and when he was taken up into the Bok squad initially there were a lot of raise eyebrows. Since then he has returned to his favourite position in the loose trio and he has been going from strength to strength ever since. He has good pace and always asks questions from the defence. I am really looking forward to see him combine with Schalk Burger.

Others to consider:-
Joe van Niekerk – Injuries has nearly destroyed his career. When he started playing for the Stormers this year he was really bad and it took him a long time to start looking like the old Joe. We are fully aware of his ability and should just not discard him. He has played some great matches for the Boks.
Ryan Kankowski – His father played wing for Eastern Province and was also a fair athlete where he ran hurdles as well as do the shot put! That power and speed is part of Ryan’s genes and he really stormed unto the scene for the Sharks. A little more experience and we have yet another future star.
Bob Skinstad – We all know Bob and his abilities. He is without any doubt one of the best skilled players in the world and has a great rugby brain. He layoff from real hard competitive rugby did not do him any good, but as the season started to progress Bob started becoming stronger and stronger. Maybe he needs a game or two more so sharpen him, but the selectors must not look past his experience and the ability we know he has. He also has a good knowledge of the world cup conditions and can really be a huge asset in any squad. Can play easily at flank as well.

Disappointments:-
Jacques Cronje – The big number 8 moved to the Lions and it was devastating to his career. He is not a patch of the player who became a regular Springbok Nr 8 for a while.
Robbie Diack – Before his injury Robbie played for the Stormers and was awful. After and excellent Currie Cup, the expectations were high that this guy may be future Bok Nr 8. He unfortunately did not make the grade. I shall however keep an eye on him in future.

Flanks
Openside – Schalk Burger – There is not much I can say about him that everyone does not already know. There is not a ore competitive player than this man. He does not give an inch and hands it out twice as hard. His hard driving and solid defence is one of his greatest assets. He is not the best player on the ground to win the loose ball, but he is just such a great player that he cannot be lefty out of any team.
Blindside – AJ Venter – This was a difficult selection, but I cannot see us playing international rugby without this hard man in the team. He is our version of Jerry Collins. He is a hard worker that does not always get the credit he deserves and is just as good as a lock.

Others to consider:-
Danie Rossouw – Whether it is at Nr 8, flank or lock, he always plays a good match. He is definitely also one of the very hard men of SA rugby and it is a real pity that I cannot find a place for him in the side. His power play is a joy to watch and he is surprisingly mobile for one of the biggest men in world rugby.
Juan Smith – I know that all the experts regard him as the best blindside flank in the business. I do, however, not rate him that high. He plays very loose for a blindside flanker and gets trapped with the ball often. He has however played some blinders in certain matches, but not enough to convince me he should get a place.
Wicus van Heerden – Wicus is a good player, but his tests have been substandard. Measuring him purely on his Super 14 performance he must come very close to the starting line-up, but he just does not make the grade.
Pedrie Wannenburg – Experienced Pedrie has also been around for a while and although he plays good rugby, has never really convinced me. That is why he is not a regular in most starting line-ups. He will however never let you down as a back-up player.
Jacques Botes – The stocky Sharks flank once again had a good season. He reminds me a lot of Josh Kronfeld in the way he plays his rugby and is sure that he will be very successful at test level. There are however just better players at this stage.
Luke Watson – The big debate is always there with a number of voices calling for the Stormers’ captain to be included in the green and gold. I am not one of those voices. Luke is a good player and at the right level has proved to be very good. In the matches where the real big heads clash, he seems to drift a little to the background. I am not sure that Luke is actually big enough to play at a real competitive international level. On the right surface, when the game breaks down, he is however devastating.
Justin Melck – Melck filled in on nr 8 for the Stormers when Joe was injured and played very well. He is, however, a natural flank and this is why I consider him in this position. He is also a very talented player that does great work in the loose and is very solid in defence.
Ernst Joubert – The captain of the Lions were one of the stars in the struggling Lions team. This was a season where he came to the front. He was given the captaincy when Andre Pretorius was injured very early on and lead from the front.
Cobus Grobbelaar – “Baywatch”, as he is affectionately know in the rugby community is probably the best “fetcher” in the country. He is also one of the unfortunate players who are in the wrong place at the wrong time and there are just too many other good flanks.

Disappointments:-
Kabamba Floors – His wheels came off in the Super 14. I can only laugh at the experts who have such a high regard of Floors as he hardly got more than 15 minutes or so playing time for the Freestate. There is a reason for it. He is just not good enough. When the game loosens up, he is very effective, but unfortunately that is not how international rugby is played. He is still one of the best sevens players in the country.

Locks
Bakkies Botha – It is an issue that he did not play the full season and he may not be as match fit as expected, but he remains one of the top locks in the world. His ball skills are great and his physical presence unbeaten in the tight phases.

Johan Muller – It took me a long time to decide which lock to play. Matfield and Botha is a good combination and will more than likely be the test combination, but there is no lock that works as hard as Johan Muller. He is not a lock that shines in the backline or out on the wing, but you will always find him right in the middle of the fire working his heart out. He is not the best skilled lock around either, but his work rate in the tight is so high I cannot ignore him. Also a good line-out jumper.

Others to consider:-
Victor Matfield – I have heard him often enough described as the “best lock in the world”. This is a sentiment I do not support, this the reason he does not make my top 15. Matfield is without any doubt the best line-out lock in the world and does incredible work spoiling opposition ball, He does, however, try to evade contact most of the time and that is why we often see him hanging around in the backline. Not the place I like a lot for long periods of time.
Albert vd Berg – The lanky lock is a great impact player. When the game starts breaking up, he is the man to have on the field. He can run like a loose forward and is also a very good line-out jumper. He does lack a bit in the physical nature of the game and his hand also lets him down often. He also has the knack to give away stupid penalties.
Johan Ackerman – The old man of SA rugby is still playing good rugby. He is however starting to show his age and although he is still right in the middle of the action, he just is not the threatening force he used to be anymore. Will not let any side down and his ability to hold on to the ball is still one of best there is due to his incredible upper body strength.
Andries Bekker – The son of Hennie is also starting to grow up. He is a bit disappointing as a line-out forward and needs to be coached carefully into the future. He has beefed up a little, but needs to start showing more aggression if he wants to be a Bok of the future.
Ross Skeate – If I have to select a player purely on the strength of trying, Ross will be it. There is not a player who plays a harder match in South Africa and although he is not really one of the top locks, I can promise you that he will not let a Springbok team down if he ever got selected.
Cobus Grobler – The blond mop of hair has become synonymous with the Lions. Cobus is also one of the players that cannot be penalised for a lack of trying. He works very hard and makes an impact in every match he plays.
Barend Pieterse – If there is one player who had an incredible Currie Cup and a very good start to the season, it was the lock from the Freestate. Unfortunately an injury cut his season. He is however a very good prospect for the future as he showed in the Currie Cup when he made his much higher rated opponents struggle against him.
Corniel van Zyl – The other half of the Freestate combination is one of the most underestimated locks in the country. He is young and fairly inexperienced, but plays hard and does not stand back for any confrontation.

Disappointments:-
Geo Cronje – Geo only started playing towards the end of the season and the big hype around him did not materialise. When he started off in SA rugby he sure looked like the real deal, but the unfortunate incident in the Springbok camp that cost him his place in the previous World Cup squad, possibly cost him more than his place. He does not command the same amount of respect anymore. He is still young and can bounce back in future. Lets hope that we will see the lock back at his best next season.

Props
Loosehead – Guthro Steenkamp – We all waited for the return of Steenkamp after a long lay-off with injury. Before his injury he really played well and we all hope that he would return to form. He did not disappoint us and returned with brilliant form. He is a good scummer and works very hard in the tight.
Tighthead – BJ Botha – Brendon has shown this deason that he does not really have competition in South Africa. We do not have a better anchor in a scrum in South Africa and he plays well in the tight phases. He is also a good defender.

Others to consider:-
CJ vd Linde – As a ball player he is very skilled, but although there are some people who regard him as a strong boy in the scrum, I personally have seen him take some serious strain in the scrums
Heinke vd Merwe – The youngster from the Lions had a good season. He has made big leaps forward and scrummed well. I do however believe that he ha to look at his technique and he scrums with a bent back and in bigger company he may get very seriously injured. Someone like the old Henning van Asweging – who had superb technique – should be asked to help this young man and he could then really become a force in world rugby.
Wian du Preez – The Freestater stood in very well for Os and in slowly making his mark in SA rugby. He has made an improvement to the Cheetah scrum ever time he came onto the field.
Deon Carstens – One of the more mobile props in the country, but unfortunately not good in the scrums. He is still one of the better skilled props with good hands and always asking questions of the advantage line with ball in hand.
The two Zimbabwean props were not considered although they played very well.

Disappointments:-
Os du Randt – The old ox seems to have reached the end of the line. He is not a shadow of the player he used to be and has dramatically gone downhill from last year. I don’t think he can even play 80 minutes anymore.
Jannie du Plessis – I had high hopes for this tighthead from the Cheetahs, but he just did not make the grade in the bigger company.
Eddie Andrews – The Bok is not playing well at all. He could not even retain his place in the mediocre from row of the Stormers.

Hooker
John Smit – The captain is still the best hooker in the country, regardless of all the local opposition. I have three requirements for a hooker. The first is to scrum well and the second to work hard in the tight phases. In these to departments John is head and shoulders above the rest in the country. The last requirement is to throw the ball accurately into a lineout. This aspect is a little concerning to me as he made some very poor blunders during the Super 14. Towards the end of the tournament he really started to show why he is so highly rated.

Others to consider:-
Tiaan Liebenberg – The Stormer hooker went to Cape Town into the shadow of the highly liked Schalk Brits. Comparing the two against each other has show that Liebenberg is streets ahead of his counterpart and he does all aspects of the game well. He is really exiting with ball in hand and just about always breaks the advantage line.
Bismarck du Plessis – To live in the shadow of John Smit at the Sharks is not easy. This year, he got the opportunity to play more regularly and did he not impress. His tight play is excellent and his driving can compare with the best in the world. Currently I would rate him as the number two hooker in the country.
Gary Botha – The Bulls would love to see him in green and gold, but I cannot see it happen. Gary is a good player that has good all round skills, but I have seen him croak at critical stages. Making bad mistakes by loosing lineout ball with the best lineout outfit in the world and also his hands sometimes letting him down. You are however guaranteed that he will always give you 100% if selected.
Chilyboy Ralepele – An injury stopped this youngster in his tracks this year, but the potential is high. Coming through the under 19 and under 20 ranks as captain, he is detonated for glory. The officials must be make sure that they manage him properly and not destroy this career too early.

Disappointments:-
Schalk Brits – He is the hooker who can run like a centre, but unfortunately that is where it ends. He does not do any of the hooker functions with great success.

These are my summary of the players this year. I know that there are my of the so called experts that will not agree with what I have written, but I know I am right and they are wrong! That is my opinion! What is yours?