The Boks take on the Azzuri in East London and John Smit, back in the captain’s jersey, returns to the scene of his first ever test match.
Will Barney be able to lead the Boks to victory an astounding 50th time? You bet your sweet ass he will!
Kick-off is at 15h00 SA time.
South Africa: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Jean de Villiers, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Dewald Potgieter, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Butch James, 22 Wynand Oliver.
Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Michele Sepe, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Simon Picone, 8 Sergio Parisse (captain), 7 Manoa Vosawai, 6 Paul Derbyshire, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Franco Sbaraglini, 18 Quintin Geldenhuys, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Tito Tebaldi, 21 Riccardo Bocchino, 22 Matteo Pratichetti.
Referee: Andrew Small (England)
Assistant referees: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Andy Macpherson (Scotland)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
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Go Bokke!! 😎
Hopefully we’ll put 50 past them!!
Not too many bulls in our team for a change. Guess I can support the bokke with an almost clear conscience . . .
😆
Come on dude, they’re not THAT bad!!
@wpw (Comment 3) : I`ll focus on the positives . . . at least INCREDIBLE SCHALLA is there!!!
Schalla is so strong he can slam a revolving Door!! 😛
Just saw PDV’s record as Bok coach
28 matches
20 wins and 8 losses. 😯
71% win record. 😎
The Bulls and Stormers invitational playing today.
Not sure if watching Italy lose is worthwhile.
@wpw (Comment 5) : Enjoy the afternoon will read the updates later going to get going in a while 😉
@Big Fish (Comment 7) : I kinda feel the same way. Nary a Shark in sight
enjoy cheers
BOOOOOOOOOOKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Great start by Garage Pie. 🙄
Is Joel Stransky still a South African??
Why is he always so negative?? 👿
@wpw (Comment 13) : He’s Joel Stransky.
Why the hell is Snor not playing Ru at 9 ahead of Michelin boy?
Cos Ruan is a useless scrumhalf why else?? 🙄
Penalty Italy and its over
Boks 3 Italy 3
@wpw (Comment 15) : Worse than Panic Mechanic? Come on! 🙄
Yes he is
Steyn 20 Italy 6
Steyn is having a very good game!!
Spies on the other hand. 🙄
@klempie (Comment 14) : The mechanic is the teachers pet…
How much pace has Habana lost???
Spies gets a try! Even though he doesn’t deserve it!!
Why replace de Jongh with meisiekind?
Ruan playing at fullback now! Sharks fans are gonna love this move!! 😈
I fell asleep. 😳
Did the Boks learn nothing from the disaster with Ruan at fullback previously?
And Ruan knocks on the ball… 🙄
I need a shave…. 😕
@wpw (Comment 28) : come on, he had such a kak pass
@lostfish (Comment 30) : Wes has got something against Ru. Can’t figure out what.
@klempie (Comment 31) :
A regular spot for Ru would mean Ricky doesn’t make it. THAT is what Wes has against Ru.
I use the same tactic. It is easier to criticise the opposition than defend an underperforming player. 😛
@klempie (Comment 31) : Perhaps because Ruan is first choice at his union and Ricky can’t crack the 22.
Our backline are still running around without a clue but the would be running around much quicker with better service. Ricky was a bit faster today but his passes were far from accurate.
Well done Bokke!!
Imho Ricky had a good game and Spies should have gotten MOTM.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 32) :
A regular spot for Ru would mean Ricky doesn’t make it. THAT is what Wes has against Ru.
Howzit oubaas? You back from the States?
I must say, I do enjoy Mallett’s attitude. A pragmatist through and through.
@klempie (Comment 35) :
Nope. Saturday morning 8:09 am here. still got another 2 weeks here.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 37) : Ah.
Beast is going Down Under. 😎
GO RICKY !!!
@Charlie (Comment 40) : 😐
@klempie (Comment 41) : egzaktlyyyy – and we all thought he is from our chickencoop
Ruan is crap and has been crap for some time now. Ricky might not have done that well for the Stormers but he hardly ever has a bad game for the Boks.
He was crap last week but so was 80% of the team.
He will start in the Tri Nations and no amount of bitching and moaning will change that!!
@wpw (Comment 43) : I agree with that Ricky will start in 3N but not with the rest.
Ruan can’t go to Ulster soon enough – Divvy is just messing him up. Fullback 🙄 🙄 🙄
@wpw (Comment 43) : take off your blinkers.
Ruan is 1000000 times better than Ricky. Full stop. You just like Ricky cos he makes you look thin
Yeah Rob! Ruan has played 40 tests for the Boks and still he has not done enough to even be 2nd choice behind FDP. You Sharks are a delusional bunch!!
Ricky was a mixed bag today, his work at the back of a scrum or ruck under pressure was poor. He looked good because this was Italy.
Since he scored a try against NZ about a decade ago, he’s done nothing. That’s why he can’t even make the Stormers 22!
@robdylan (Comment 45) : 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Too funny!
And Ruan has done what in a Bok jersey?? 🙄
Oh wait, like Frans Steyn he is ‘too good to leave out of the Bok side’
Overrated!!
GO RICKY !!!!!!! 😛
Neither Ricky nor Ruan are consistent enough for the Bokke.
FdP makes a lot of guys look good cos he is the best 9 of the modern era. We will miss him dearly.
@wpw (Comment 43) : Sorry , was at the game and Ricky was totally useless – does not deserve the Green & Gold at this stage of his career 😥
@KSA Shark © (Comment 37) :
Please make sure you plug that hole in the bottom of the ocean before you leave. 😉
@wpw (Comment 46) : That’s because Puff Divvy was playing him at flyhalf but dropped him after a few poor games.
He didn’t see him as a 9 only as an all round bench utility back up.
Lostfish
Div is not the first to do so!
Jake was the first coach to move him around that much.
For goodness sake he has played 40 tests for SA and I can’t remember him doing well in the number 9 jersey.
Diablo
If you are referring to last weeks game then I agree with you but he was very good today!
Even Joel and Bladen mentioned it on more than one occasion.
Best players today were Steyn, Ricky, Spies and Flo.
@wpw (Comment 55) : Mmmmmmm,….., ek weeti so mooi nie, but I’ll bow to their opinion 😯 Did not impress me much, though 🙄
Ruan is not consistant because he is not consistantly playing in one position, neither was Fransie. PdV is screwing up everything. Rather dont pick them than letting them play out of position, they are good enough for that.
Ricky did have a much better game, but thats only because the garage pies were out of stock.
Well the Sharks played Ruan at 9 and 10 as well in order to accomodate Rory in the team.
Frans played everywhere 10, 12, 13 and 15 for the Sharks and before that he played on the wing and at fullback under Jake White.
Now all of a sudden it is Div’s fault??
Go pull the other one bru!!
@wpw (Comment 59) : but Div told them to specialise in one position and then completely disregarded. how about that. 😈
Ruan did not have a bad game for Boks at 9. let’s put Ricky at 15 and see how he does plus let him do the post kicking.
Ricky was faster, even the Italian captain said so, “Their scrumhalf was much quicker today.”
I’m not gonna say anything about Ricky until after the 1st (and possibly 2nd) test against New Zealand. I wanna see how he does against the big boys.
@ The Sharks Sharkie, Ricky will do good, has got the BMT when going get’s tougher 😉
@rekinek (Go Podolski!) (Comment 60) : oh please, pdv is the only coach in south africa to pander to francois’s whims. When Frans said flyhalf is his preferred position, pdv played him there against the italians & francois messed up!
Last year when steyn played 12 & 10 for his province and was nowhere near being the best 12 in the country – jdv, wo – pdv drafted him & played him at 15 for the tri-nations even though, technically speaking steyn was a foreing player as he had signed for racing metro. Francois never consulted pdv before signing for racing but now he is not-so-many words demanding that he be included in the world cup team.
Pdv doesn’t have to phone victor, john smit, butch james & other senior players to keep them in the loop about what is going on, why should he do it with francois steyn?
butch didn’t get a personal call from pdv when he got selected for the wales game, he said himself, that he was at a weddin and next thing his father started getting messages on his phone & that’s how he knew.
Plus what is this thing of francois’ agent emailing pdv alternative players he should select instead of francois. Steyn made his bed – chased euro money – now he must sleep in it.
Amen Megatron!!
@wpw (Comment 59) : that’s possibly the biggest load of kak I’ve ever heard, Wes. The Sharks played Ruan at 10 to accommodate Divvie’s wishes. The fact that we had Kockott at backup scrumhalf simply made it easier to do so.
Kockott has NEVER played ahead of Ruan at 9 for the Sharks, when both have been fit and on form.
And now the mission “ruining Ruan” has been successfully accomplished by PDV. No wonder Ruan leaves it his last chance. No place for him in SA. Sad.
As I understand the Sharks never adjust to what PDV wanted, re Ruan and Adi who had been used at 12 last year with the Boks…