Pete de Villiers has named his side to face Italy in the second test in East London on Saturday.
The coach appears to have panicked just a little as a result of the unconvincing win in the first test, bringing back first-choice players in John Smit (who takes over the captaincy from Victor Matfield), Schalk Burger and Jaque Fourie. Jean de Villiers finds himself moved out to the right wing, with Gio Aplon in turn moving into the fullback position. Butch James is replaced by Juan de Jongh in the only other change to the backline.
There are a fair few changes in the wider squad, with Bandise Maku CJ van der Linde, Alistair Hargreaves, Ryan Kankowski and Bjorn Basson all dropping out of the 22. James will play off the bench this week, along with Chilliboy Ralepelle and Dewald Potgieter, both of whom started in Witbank. Andries Bekker comes into the squad for the first time this year, while BJ Botha, Danie Rossouw and Wynand Olivier have been returned to the squad after being rested for the first test.
The Springbok team is:
15 Gio Aplon (Vodacom Stormers) – 3 caps
14 Jean de Villiers (Vodacom Western Province) – 57 caps
13 Jaque Fourie (Vodacom Stormers) – 56 caps
12 Juan de Jongh (Vodacom Stormers) – 3 caps
11 Bryan Habana (Vodacom Stormers) – 59 caps
10 Morné Steyn (Vodacom Bulls) – 14 caps
9 Ricky Januarie (Vodacom Stormers) – 43 caps
8 Pierre Spies (Vodacom Bulls) – 30 caps
7 Francois Louw (Vodacom Stormers) – 3 caps
6 Schalk Burger (Vodacom Stormers) – 56 caps
5 Andries Bekker (Vodacom Stormers) – 21 caps
4 Bakkies Botha (Vodacom Bulls) – 66 caps
3 Jannie du Plessis (Sharks) – 15 caps
2 John Smit (Sharks, Captain) – 95 caps
1 Gurthrö Steenkamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps
Reserves:
16 Chiliboy Ralepelle (Vodacom Bulls) – 11 caps
17 BJ Botha (Ulster) – 21 caps
18 Danie Rossouw (Vodacom Bulls) – 48 caps
19 Dewald Potgieter (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps
20 Ruan Pienaar (Sharks) – 39 caps
21 Butch James (Bath) – 36 caps
22 Wynand Oliver (Vodacom Bulls) – 28 caps
Tweet
What is the point of playing JdV on the wing?
Why keep playing Januarie? Rather play Ruan at 9.
Why not give Morné a break and play Butch at 10??
I honestly cannot understand the thinking of the Boks coaches at times.
@lostfish (Comment 1) : I agree with everything you said…saves me time.
Maybe also…why not rest Spies and give Kanko a decent game.
@Pokkel (Comment 2) : I was thinking about Kanko but got bored typing the obvious 😉
I think the reason why they are playing JDV at 14 is because they know what his capabilities are at 12 and therefore rather give DeJong a decent run who is more the untested product – In so doing they want to keep JDV in the mix aswel…
I also don’t get it.
Look, as you know I am a fan of Ricky (when he is on form) 😈 but I wouldnt mind seeing Ruan at scrumhalf.
Why doesn’t Div wanna give him a chance??
Maybe he wants Ricky to reach top form for the Tri nations??
@Comment 6 – I think that Ruan would’ve played a lot more in these matches if he had not comitted his immediate future to Ulster !
piet helium is messing around with this players by picking them out of position. jdv on the wing????????? he lost a pit of pace since he last played there under jake white. he is not going to pick him there for the test against the all blacks, so why messing around? would pick bjorn basson on the wing instead and see what he can offer. just shaking my head =========<)
@wpw (Comment 5) : Playing Ruan at 9 will mean that PdV was wrong in selecting him at flyhalf in the first place. So don’t expect to see him there unless Ricky gets injured. I also think Ruan’s decision or should I say the unconfirmed move to Ulster hurt his chances of playing any role in the No.9 jersey.
I kindoff like that staring 15 and the positional shuffle of JDV to wing. De Jong & Fourie proved a great midfield combination in the Super 14 and that can only continue in the Springbok jersey.
I’ve personally always felt that JDV is suited better at wing than centre simply because if he’s the last man to recieve the ball against the line he doesn’t have to pass it and lets face it he doesn’t like passing. I think Aplon should be okay at fullback, not the best boot in the world, but he hasn’t done much wrong this season for it to really worry me.
As fir Ruan Pienaar – I think Dalz has it spot on – PDV might have given him some more game if he wasn’t so quick to sign with Ulster. He did the exact same thing to Frans Steyn last year before his move to France.
@lostfish (Comment 1) : because Ricky needs a lot of practice
Gonna be interesting to see at the Stormers in next year’s S15 how they will manage both DeJong and DeVilliers in the same team if they both remain fit… On the up side though a guy like DeJong can only learn from DeVilliers( Jean )
@Dalz (Comment 11) : Or de Jongh could come to the Sharks Tank 😉
@Pokkel (Comment 12) : Yeah and then he can learn from… Mmmm wait no that won’t work.
DeJong would add great value to the Sharks – no disrespect to Swannie !!
@Farlington (Comment 13) : He seems to be doing OK on his own 😉
@Farlington (Comment 13) : He can learn from Doppies
@Dalz (Comment 14) : It’s a fact… so don’t feel to bad about saying it like it is.
With PDV so vocal stance on NH players, why is Butch back in the side?
@Pokkel (Comment 12) :
Or you guys can develop your own players!! 😈 😉
@wpw (Comment 19) : I’ve given up that fight….let’s just buy them 😈
@Farlington (Comment 8) : i dont think thats the case with ruan being on the bench he is still contracted until the end of the currie cup and PDV is playing overseas based players anyway i just think he wants ricky full stop. As for jean he should be playin inside and perhaps dejong should play on the wing as he is more explosive and has a step and province will prob play jean at 12 and accomodate dejong at 14 now that joe and fijian are gone. Pointless selections by the boks
@Pokkel (Comment 20) :
It actually makes better sense to move DeJong to 14 afterall that’s what happened with DeVilliers when he was still doing his apprenticeship under Jake White !!
I understand why they keep playing Steyn at 10, the more experience he get playing test rugby (I know it wasn’t the highest standard) the better prepared he’ll be for the RWC. I would have used last week to rest player and this week to give the big boys a run. The JDV at wing is just plain dumb thou
With the exception of Morne, this is a Stormers backline! And another 3 in the forwards. Only 4 bulls and 2 sharks. Man, i think there will be more moaning on the bullsworld website.
@Dalz (Comment 14) : DeJongh would be welcome at the Sharks.
@rekinek (Comment 10) : ha ha ha good chirp.
wat happened to pdv ,I thought he,d b a good coach but now it just seems like his gone mad ,the biggest problem isn,t even that he isn,t resting key players. it,s that his playing players in positions that don,t make sense .its clear that pdv is getting fired after the world cup if he doesn,t win the cup so who becomes new springbok coach cause clearly saru doesn,t like heyneke meyer
PDV just has far too many players to choose from but lets just wait and see maybe there is method in his madness …
brad barrits starting against the nz moari
Butch James i understand he’s been to long in the Bath, but why drop kanko 👿 Alisty 👿 Smit is much better of a Catain
and tend to agree to many players to chose from why PDV can’t play them all 🙄 😉
Well i don’t know there is trouble in the snoils camp but gee look at it this way i think the Sharks too every year we pic the Sprinkboks the lesser the sharks are in look at the starting 15
2 sharks now you tell me why 👿 is it because of the S14 that was [email protected] or the Rif that was not there now what just know we will have like the song of the bulls maak die Bulle almal Bokke 👿 i might not know a lot of the game and a slow learner but i can see sth is not right 👿
@Dalz (Comment 6) : agree but why pic him for the Boks and leave him as 2nd best (rev) 😕 ❓
@JustPlainSHARK (Comment 25) :
It’s OK. This is only a B team.
Agree with all who can’t understand Snorre.
JdV on the wing is a joke. Why not play one of our up and coming youngsters, such as vd Heever or Hougaard or Basson? Against France Fourie broke the line and needed only to pass to the wing for us to score, but our “wing” was 20 meters back.
And what Butch is doing in the squad is an even bigger joke. Why no Peter Grant? I would even put JL Potgieter in there before Butch.
This is no way to treat our local, more talented and deserving players and no way to go about the defense of our Tri-Nations title.
@wpw (Comment 19) : Now there’s a novel idea ❗
Careful though, a saying springs too mind, can’t really remember the exact wording, something to do with pots and kettles ❓ 😆
@Greg (Comment 36) :
😆 😈
I think if it were the Lions signing top players from other unions none of their supporters would complain if it means the team was more successful.
No union in SA is more successful at bringing through homegrown talent, not even the Bulls.
We are in a professional era and players are always going to move from one union to the next.
I think the Lions should be more concerned as to WHY their top players are leaving.
@wpw (Comment 37) : but we know exactly why the players are leaving, it’s because Manie is an egotistical twit, and is running the union into the ground. The problem is, how do we, as supporters, stop that rot?
@Greg (Comment 38) :
I wish I had answers for you Greg!!
Btw, is that John Smit in your profile pic?? Nogal in n Lions trui?? 😈
@wpw (Comment 39) : Yep, it’s John Smit, haven’t you been paying attention to rumours ❓
@wpw (Comment 39) : photoshop
@war1 (Comment 41) : Nah, never, took that pic at last weeks training session ❗ ❗
@Greg (Comment 42) : 😆
@Greg (Comment 42) : you mean where all the boks were training in the lions super 14 match jerseys, whatever
@war1 (Comment 44) :
😆
@Pokkel (Comment 12) : Id rather have us put in a huge offer for De Jongh, then buy a Doppies from the Lions…
@war1 (Comment 44) : That’s the one, apparently we have quite a few extra ones at the moment 😆
Jeez… you guys are getting quite worked up about JDV playing wing? I think it makes perfect sense… Div wants to play De Jongh to get more experience at centre, but at the same time he feels Jean needs more game time (being an ex-NH slapgat). So the compromise is to put him on the wing…
Where’s da problem 🙄
As for Ricki… Div can’t afford to play Ruan in case he has a far superior game to Ricki and then he’ll be forced to keep Ruan there. So rather keep Ruan on the bench until Ricki is injured
@war1 (Comment 41) : must say it SMIT doesn’t look good in red at all 😕 😉